A Guide to the Most Entertaining/Engaging War Films of All Time

War is one of my favorite movie genres. Here is a list of all war films that I’d give a rating of 7/10 or higher to in the entertainment/engagement department, listed in alphabetical order. It should be noted that some fall into the so-bad-it’s-good category. Documentaries are not included here.

• Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012) – American Civil War – Vampire Horror-Comedy
• The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) – Fictional Saxon rebellion in medieval England – Swashbuckling Action-Adventure/Legend of Robin Hood
• All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) – World War I – Anti-War Drama set on the Western Front
• All Quiet on the Western Front (1979) – World War I – Anti-War Drama set on the Western Front
• All the Young Men (1960) – Korean War – Unit Picture
• American Sniper (2014) – American-led Invasion and Occupation of Iraq – Sniper Picture/Biography of Chris Kyle
• Amigo (2010) – Philippine-American War – Unit Picture
• And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003) – Mexican Revolution – Biography of Francisco “Pancho” Villa/War-Time Filmmaking/Western
• Andersonville (1996) – American Civil War – Prisoners-of-War
• Apocalypse Now (1979) – Vietnam War – Surreal Adventure
• Atomic Blonde (2017) – Cold War – Espionage Action-Thriller
• Attack (1956) – World War II – Unit Picture set on the Western Front
• Bad Company (1972) – American Civil War – Western/Draft Dodgers
• Band of Brothers (2001) – World War II – Unit Picture set on the Western Front
• Bataan (1943) – World War II – Unit Picture set in the Pacific Theater
• Battle of the Bulge (1965) – World War II – Recreation of the Battle of the Bulge
• The Battleship Potemkin (1925) – Russian Revolution of 1905 – Communist Propaganda
• The Beast (1988) – Soviet-Afghan War – Tank Unit Picture
• Beau Geste (1939) – Rif War – Unit Picture/French Foreign Legion
• Behind Enemy Lines (2001) – Bosnian Civil War – Action Behind Enemy Lines
• Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia (2009) – Colombian Civil War – Action
• Beneath Hill 60 (2010) – World War I – Mining Operations on the Western Front
• The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) – Aftermath of World War II – Readjustment to Civilian Life
• The Big Red One (1980) – World War II – Unit Picture set in North Africa and on the Italian and Western Fronts
• Biggles: Adventures in Time (1986) – World War I – Time-Traveling Action-Adventure on the Western Front
• Black Book (2006) – World War II – Resistance in the Netherlands
• Black Hawk Down (2001) – Somali Civil War – Recreation of the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu
• Blockade (1938) – Spanish Civil War – Melodrama
• Born on the Fourth of July (1989) – Vietnam War – Anti-War Drama/Biography of Ron Kovic
• The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008) – World War II – Genocide Drama/Children on the Nazi German Home Front
• Braddock: Missing in Action III (1988) – Aftermath of the Vietnam War – Action
• Braveheart (1995) – First Scottish War of Independence – Biography of William Wallace
• ‘Breaker’ Morant (1980) – Second Anglo-Boer War – Courtroom Drama
• Breakheart Pass (1975) – Indian Wars – Western/Murder Mystery
• The Bridge (1959) – World War II – Unit Picture set on the Western Front
• A Bridge Too Far (1977) – World War II – Recreation of Operation Market Garden
• Bullet in the Head (1990) – Vietnam War – Heroic Bloodshed Action
• Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) – World War II – Superhero Action-Adventure
• Casablanca (1942) – World War II – Romance in North Africa
• Castle Keep (1969) – World War II – Surreal Unit Picture set on the Western Front
• Casualties of War (1989) – Vietnam War – American Atrocities
• Centurion (2010) – Roman colonization of Great Britain – Action-Adventure
• China (1943) – Second Sino-Japanese War/World War II – Action-Adventure
• Come and See (1985) – World War II – Nazi German Atrocities on the Eastern Front
• Commandos (1968) – World War II – Commando Action
• Companeros (1970) – Mexican Revolution – Western/Mercenary Action-Adventure
• El Condor (1970) – Franco-Mexican War – Western/Heist Picture
• Courage Under Fire (1996) – Persian Gulf War – Mystery
• Crimson Tide (1995) – Fictional Russian civil war – Nuclear Submarine Picture
• The Crossing (2000) – American Revolution – Recreation of the Battle of Trenton
• Cross of Iron (1977) – World War II – Unit Picture set on the Eastern Front
• Danger Close (2019) – Vietnam War – Recreation of the Battle of Long Tan
• Dark of the Sun (1968) – Congolese Civil War – Mercenary Action-Adventure
• The Dawn Patrol (1938) – World War I – Aerial Warfare over the Western Front
• Days of Glory (1944) – World War II – Partisan Warfare on the Eastern Front
• The Delta Force (1986) – Lebanese Civil War of 1975-1990 – Commando Action
• Desperate Journey (1942) – World War II – Action-Adventure Behind Enemy Lines
• The Dogs of War (1980) – Fictional mercenary raid in Africa – Mercenaries
• Downfall (2004) – World War II – Last Days of Adolf Hitler
• Duck Soup (1933) – Fictional war between Freedonia and Sylvania – Comedy
• Duck, You Sucker (1971) – Mexican Revolution – Western
• Dunkirk (2017) – World War II – Recreation of the Evacuation of Dunkirk/Survival Thriller
• The Eagle and the Hawk (1933) – World War I – Aerial Warfare over the Western Front
• The Eagle Has Landed (1976) – World War II – Commando Action-Adventure in Great Britain
• Eagles Attack at Dawn (1970) – War of Attrition – Commando Action
• Eagles Over London (1969) – World War II – Commando Action in Great Britain
• Eastern Condors (1987) – Aftermath of the Vietnam War – Martial Arts Action
• Emperor (2020) – John Brown’s raid on Harper Ferry – Biography of Shields Green
• Escape from Sobibor (1987) – World War II – Genocide Drama
• Fail-Safe (1964) – Cold War – Countdown to Nuclear War
• Fantasy Mission Force (1983) – World War II – Surreal Martial Arts Action-Comedy
• Farewell to the King (1989) – World War II – Going Native in the Pacific Theater
• FDR: American Badass! (2012) – World War II – Comedy
• 55 Days at Peking (1963) – Boxer Rebellion – Recreation of the Siege of the Peking Legations
• The Final Countdown (1980) – World War II – Time-Traveling Adventure in the Pacific Theater
• First Blood (1982) – Aftermath of the Vietnam War – Action
• First to Fight (1967) – World War II – Unit Picture set in the Pacific Theater
• Fixed Bayonets! (1951) – Korean War – Unit Picture
• Flags of Our Fathers (2006) – World War II – Unit Picture set in the Pacific Theater
• Flyboys (2006) – World War I – Aerial Warfare over the Western Front
• Forbidden Games (1952) – World War II – Children on the French Home Front
• The Four Feathers (1978) – Mahdist War – Adventure
• Friendly Persuasion (1956) – American Civil War – Union Home Front
• From Here to Eternity (1953) – World War II – Melodrama set in the Pacific Theater
• Full Metal Jacket (1987) – Vietnam War – Unit Picture
• Fury (2014) – World War II – Tank Unit Picture set on the Western Front
• Gallipoli (1981) – World War I – Anti-War Drama set during the Dardanelles Campaign
• Gangs of New York (2002) – American Civil War – Gangsters on the Union Home Front
• Gettysburg (1993) – American Civil War – Recreation of the Battle of Gettysburg
• Glory (1989) – American Civil War – Unit Picture
• Go for Broke! (1951) – World War II – Unit Picture set on the Italian and Western Fronts
• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) – American Civil War – Western
• Go Tell the Spartans (1978) – Vietnam War – Unit Picture
• Grave of the Fireflies (1988) – World War II – Children on the Japanese Home Front
• The Great Escape (1963) – World War II – Prisoner-of-War Escape
• Green for Danger (1946) – World War II – Murder Mystery on the British Home Front
• ‘Gung Ho!’: The Story of Carlson’s Makin Island Raiders (1943) – World War II – Recreation of the Makin Island Raid
• Guns at Batasi (1964) – Unrest in a fictional African country – Unit Picture
• Guns for San Sebastian (1968) – Yaqui Wars – Western
• The Guns of Navarone (1961) – World War II – Commando Action-Adventure in the Aegean Sea
• Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969) – Fictional Mexican rebellion – Western
• Hacksaw Ridge (2016) – World War II – Biography of Desmond Doss
• Hamburger Hill (1987) – Vietnam War – Unit Picture
• Hell Is for Heroes (1962) – World War II – Unit Picture set on the Western Front
• High Road to China (1983) – Third Anglo-Afghan War/Chinese Warlord Era – Romantic Action/Adventure
• Hostiles (2017) – Aftermath of the Indian Wars – Western
• Hotel Rwanda (2004) – Rwandan Civil War – Genocide Drama
• The Imitation Game (2014) – World War II – Biography of Alan Turing/Code-Breakers
• The Inglorious Bastards (1978) – World War II – Action Behind Enemy Lines
• Invasion U.S.A. (1985) – Fictional communist terrorist invasion of the United States – Action
• Jarhead (2005) – Persian Gulf War – Unit Picture
• Johnny Got His Gun (1971) – World War I – Anti-War Drama
• Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) – Aftermath of World War II – Courtroom Drama
• Kanal (1957) – World War II – Partisan Warfare on the Eastern Front
• Kelly’s Heroes (1970) – World War II – Comedy/Heist Picture/Unit Picture set on the Western Front
• Khartoum (1966) – Mahdist War – Recreation of the Siege of Khartoum
• King Arthur (2004) – Roman colonization of Great Britain – Legend of King Arthur
• The Kingdom (2007) – Islamist rebellion in Saudi Arabia – Action
• The King’s Speech (2010) – World War II – Biography of George VI
• The Last Drop (2006) – World War II – Action
• The Last Emperor (1987) – Chinese Revolution/Chinese Warlord Era/Chinese Civil War of 1927-1937/Japanese Invasion of Manchuria/Second Sino-Japanese War/World War II – Biography of Pu Yi
• The Last Outpost (1935) – World War I – Action-Adventure in the Middle East and North Africa
• Lawrence of Arabia (1962) – World War I – Going Native in the Middle Eastern Theater/Biography of T. E. Lawrence
• Legends of the Fall (1994) – World War I – Family Melodrama
• Legionnaire (1998) – Rif War – Unit Picture/French Foreign Legion
• Let’s Go with Pancho Villa (1936) – Mexican Revolution – Unit Picture
• Lifeboat (1944) – World War II – Survival at Sea
• The Lighthorsemen (1987) – World War I – Cavalry Unit Picture set on the Palestinian Front
• Lincoln (2012) – American Civil War – Last Days of Abraham Lincoln
• Lion of the Desert (1980) – Second Italo-Senussi War – Biography of Omar Mukhtar
• The Living Daylights (1987) – Soviet-Afghan War – Secret Agent Action-Adventure
• Lone Survivor (2013) – American-led Invasion and Occupation of Afghanistan – Commando Action
• The Longest Day (1962) – World War II – Recreation of the D-Day Landings at Normandy
• Lord of War (2005) – Cold War/Aftermath of the Cold War – Gunrunning
• The Lost Battalion (2001) – World War I – Unit Picture set on the Western Front
• Lost Command (1966) – French Indochina War/Algerian War of Independence – Unit Picture
• The Lost Patrol (1934) – World War I – Unit Picture set in the Middle Eastern Theater
• MacArthur (1977) – World War II/Korean War – Biography of Douglas MacArthur
• The Man Who Would Be King (1975) – Fictional Kafiristani civil war – Swashbuckling Adventure
• March or Die (1977) – Rif War – Unit Picture/French Foreign Legion
• A Matter of Life and Death (1946) – World War II – Afterlife Fantasy
• Max Manus (2008) – World War II – Resistance in Norway
• Memorial Day (2012) – American-led Invasion and Occupation of Iraq/World War II – Family Drama
• The Mercenary (1968) – Mexican Revolution – Western/Mercenary Action-Adventure
• Michael Collins (1996) – Easter Rising/Irish War of Independence/Irish Civil War – Biography of Michael Collins
• A Midnight Clear (1992) – World War II – Unit Picture set on the Western Front
• Missing in Action 2: The Beginning (1985) – Aftermath of the Vietnam War – Action/Prisoner-of-War Escape
• The Mission (1986) – Guaraní War – Missionaries
• 1944 (2015) – World War II – Unit Picture set on the Eastern Front
• 1917 (2019) – World War I – Survival Thriller set on the Western Front
• No Man’s Land (2001) – Bosnian Civil War – Anti-War Drama
• The Outpost (2019) – American-led Invasion and Occupation of Afghanistan – Recreation of the Battle of Kamdesh
• The Pacific (2010) – World War II – Unit Picture set in the Pacific Theater
• Panic in Year Zero (1962) – Fictional World War III – Post-Apocalyptic Drama
• Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) – Aftermath of the Spanish Civil War – Fantasy-Horror
• Passchendaele (2008) – World War I – Unit Picture
• Paths of Glory (1957) – World War I – Courtroom Drama
• The Patriot (2000) – American Revolution – Backwoods Revenge Action
• Pearl Harbor (2001) – World War II – Romance in the Pacific Theater/Recreation of the Pearl Harbor Raid
• The Pianist (2002) – World War II – Genocide Drama/Biography of Wladyslaw Szpilman
• Platoon (1986) – Vietnam War – Unit Picture
• Pork Chop Hill (1959) – Korean War – Unit Picture
• Posse (1993) – Aftermath of the Spanish-American War – Western
• The Professionals (1966) – Mexican Revolution – Western/Mercenary Action-Adventure
• Rambo (2008) – Burmese Civil War – Action
• Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) – Aftermath of the Vietnam War – Action
• Rambo: Last Blood (2019) – Aftermath of the Vietnam War – Action
• Rambo III (1988) – Soviet-Afghan War – Action
• The Real Glory (1939) – Moro Rebellion – Swashbuckling Action-Adventure
• The Red Badge of Courage (1951) – American Civil War – Unit Picture
• The Red Beret (1953) – World War II – Paratrooper Unit Picture
• Red Dawn (1984) – Fictional World War III – Partisan Warfare in Colorado
• Robin Hood (1991) – Fictional Saxon rebellion in medieval England – Swashbuckling Action-Adventure/Legend of Robin Hood
• Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) – Fictional Saxon rebellion in medieval England – Swashbuckling Action-Adventure/Legend of Robin Hood
• Romero (1989) – Salvadoran Civil War – Biography of Oscar Romero
• Rough Riders (1997) – Spanish-American War – Unit Picture set during the Cuban Campaign
• Sahara (1943) – World War II – Unit Picture set in North Africa
• Sahara (1995) – World War II – Unit Picture set in North Africa
• Sahara (2005) – Fictional Malian civil war – Action-Adventure
• Saints and Soldiers (2003) – World War II – Unit Picture set on the Western Front
• Salvador (1986) – Salvadoran Civil War – War Journalism
• The Sand Pebbles (1966) – Chinese Warlord Era – Life Aboard an American Gunboat
• Santiago (1956) – Cuban War of Independence – Gunrunning Action-Adventure
• The Savage (1952) – Indian Wars – Western
• Saving Private Ryan (1998) – World War II – Unit Picture set on the Western Front
• Savior (1998) – Bosnian Civil War – Anti-War Drama
• Schindler’s List (1993) – World War II – Genocide Drama/Biography of Oskar Schindler
• The Sea Wolves (1980) – World War II – Commando Adventure in India
• The Second Civil War (1997) – Fictional Second American Civil War – Comedy/War Journalism
• Second in Command (2006) – Unrest in a fictional Eastern European country – Embassy Siege
• Sergeants 3 (1962) – Indian Wars – Western
• Sergeant York (1941) – World War I – Biography of Alvin C. York
• Seven Angry Men (1955) – Bleeding Kansas/John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry – Biography of John Brown
• Seven Days in May (1964) – Cold War – Political Thriller
• Shake Hands with the Devil (2007) – Rwandan Civil War – Genocide Drama/Biography of Romeo Dallaire
• Shout at the Devil (1976) – World War I – Swashbuckling Action-Adventure in the East African Theater
• Sicario (2015) – Mexican Drug War – Law Enforcement
• The Siege of Firebase Gloria (1989) – Vietnam War – Unit Picture
• The Siege of Jadotville (2016) – Congolese Civil War – Recreation of the Siege of Jadotville
• Slaughterhouse-Five (1972) – World War II – Surreal Science-Fiction Dramedy
• South Sea Woman (1953) – World War II – Comedy
• Spartacus (1960) – Third Servile War – Biography of Spartacus
• Springfield Rifle (1952) – American Civil War – Western
• Stalingrad (1993) – World War II – Unit Picture set on the Eastern Front
• The Steel Helmet (1951) – Korean War – Unit Picture
• Stosstrupp 1917 (1934) – World War I – Unit Picture set on the Western Front
• Stripes (1981) – Cold War – Comedy
• Tell It to the Marines (1926) – Chinese Warlord Era – Romantic Comedy
• They Came to Cordura (1959) – Mexican Revolution – Western
• Thirteen Days (2000) – Cold War – Political Thriller set during the Cuban Missile Crisis
• 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016) – Aftermath of the Libyan Civil War of 2011 – Action/Recreation of the 2012 Benghazi Attacks
• This Gun for Hire (1942) – World War II – Film Noir Crime-Thriller
• 300 (2006) – Greco-Persian Wars – Recreation of the Battle of Thermopylae
• Three Kings (1999) – Shi’ite rebellion in Iraq – Heist Picture
• Tigerland (2000) – Vietnam War – Bootcamp
• To Hell and Back (1955) – World War II – Biography of Audie Murphy
• Top Gun (1986) – Cold War – Military Aviation Drama
• Top Gun: Maverick (2022) – Fictional American bombing raid against an unnamed country – Military Aviation Drama
• Tropic Thunder (2008) – Aftermath of the Vietnam War – Show Business Comedy
• 12 Strong (2018) – American-led Invasion and Occupation of Afghanistan – Unit Picture
• Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970) – Franco-Mexican War – Western
• Ulzana’s Raid (1972) – Indian Wars – Western
• Unbroken (2014) – World War II – Biography of Louis Zamperini/Prisoners-of-War
• Uncommon Valor (1983) – Aftermath of the Vietnam War – Action
• Vera Cruz (1954) – Franco-Mexican War – Western/Mercenary Action-Adventure
• Verdun: Looking at History (1928) – World War I – Recreation of the Battle of Verdun
• Von Ryan’s Express (1965) – World War II – Prisoner-of-War Escape
• Walker (1987) – William Walker’s filibustering in Nicaragua – Surreal Biography of William Walker/Mercenary Adventure
• The Walls of Hell (1964) – World War II – Unit Picture set in the Pacific Theater
• War Horse (2011) – World War I – Animal Picture set on the Western Front
• War Machine (2017) – American-led Invasion and Occupation of Afghanistan – Nation-Building Dramedy
• The Water Diviner (2014) – World War I/Greco-Turkish War – Family Melodrama
• Waterloo (1970) – Napoleonic Wars – Recreation of the Battle of Waterloo
• Went the Day Well? (1942) – World War II – Combat on the British Home Front
• When Eagles Strike (2003) – Islamist rebellion in the Philippines – Commando Action
• When Trumpets Fade (1998) – World War II – Unit Picture set on the Western Front
• Where Eagles Dare (1968) – World War II – Commando Action-Adventure in the Alps
• The Wild Bunch (1969) – Mexican Revolution – Western
• The Wild Geese (1978) – Fictional mercenary raid in Africa – Mercenary Action-Adventure
• Wilson (1944) – World War I – Biography of Woodrow Wilson
• Winchester ’73 (1950) – Indian Wars – Western
• The Wind and the Lion (1975) – Fictional war sparked by real-life Perdicaris Incident – Swashbuckling Action-Adventure
• Wings (1927) – World War I – Aerial Warfare over the Western Front
• The Winter War (1989) – World War II – Unit Picture set during the Winter War
• Witchfinder General (1968) – English Civil War – Horror
• Wonder Woman (2017) – World War I – Superhero Action-Adventure
• The Year of Living Dangerously (1982) – Indonesian Coup d’État – War Journalism
• Zulu (1964) – Anglo-Zulu War – Recreation of the Battle of Rorke’s Drift