25 Best WWII Movies, Ranked (original) (raw)
Updated Dec 31, 2024, 5:30 PM EST
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Almost a century after the Second World War took millions of lives and forever changed the geopolitical face of the planet, cinema still tries to capture the emotion and devastation from the era so that none are forgotten. Writers and directors have taken script and camera to recreate battlefields and bring historical leaders to modern eyes through some of the best WW2 movies.
They have reimagined the hardships of daily life, the horrors of the concentration camps, and the tragically short lives of so many soldiers who never made it home. In eight decades of film, there are some of the best World War 2 movies to ever grace the silver screen in homage to the victors and victims of World War II.
25 'Enemy at the Gates' (2001)
Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud
Vassili, played by actor Jude Law, aiming a rifle and looking serious in Enemy at the Gates.
Image via Paramount Pictures
Based on William Craig’s 1973 book of the same name, Enemy at the Gates recounts the events surrounding the Battle of Stalingrad. Set during the winter of 1942-1943, the war drama emphasizes a sniper’s duel between Russian sniper Vassili Zaytsev and German Major Erwin König, after Vassili takes out Nazi soldiers one by one and König is ordered to kill Vasily to restore Hitler’s honor. It is essentially a film about two individuals who are put in a situation where they can only use their intelligence and skills to kill each other.
Enemy at the Gates bears Jean-Jacques Annaud’s distinctive storytelling style and is atmospheric and thrilling in depicting a war setting. However, it has been critiqued for historical relevance in parts. Despite its flaws, the war film stands on its characters and their portrayals, especially that of Jude Law as the real-life Vasily Zaitsev, and Ed Harris’ convincing portrayal of the toughened Erwin König remains unforgettable. — Maddie P
Enemy At The Gates
Release Date
March 16, 2001
Cast
Jude Law, Joseph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Ed Harris, Bob Hoskins, Ron Perlman, Eva Mattes, Gabriel Thomson, Matthias Habich, Alexander Schwan, Lenn Kudrjawizki, Gennadi Vengerov, Dan van Husen, Ivan Shvedoff, Sophie Rois, Mario Bandi, Hans Martin Stier, Clemens Schick, Hendrik Arnst, Claudius Freyer, Dietmar Nieder
Runtime
131 Minutes
Director
Jean-Jacques Annaud
24 'Sophie's Choice' (1982)
Directed by Alan J. Pakula
Image via Universal Pictures
Set after the war in 1947, Stingo (Peter MacNicol) meets Sophie (Meryl Streep), a Polish immigrant living with her husband Nathan (Kevin Kline) in the apartment above him. Sophie's Choice follows the two as the protagonist tells her story of survival in Nazi-occupied Europe. Her choice, of which of her children will be killed in an Auschwitz gas chamber, has taken a severe psychological toll that she cannot heal from.
Streep's award-winning performance depicts the trauma facing Holocaust survivors and the life-or-death decisions made to survive. Sophie’s Choice posits those decisions to an audience 40 years, and more removed from the horrors of the war and asked, if faced with the same circumstances, if they would do the same.
23 'Dunkirk' (2017)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Fionn Whitehead as Tommy on the French beach with other British soldiers in 'Dunkirk'
Image via Warner Bros.
Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk transports viewers to the beaches of the titular location, where the messy evacuation of the British and Allied soldiers is taking place. Separated into three different settings – land, sea, and air – the film follows the characters' struggle to survive on the beach, on a boat, and in a fighter plane.
Nolan's ambitious WWII movie uses little dialogue, relying instead on cinematography and suspense to propel the story forward. Audiences are purposely made to feel disoriented, shocked, and confused, just like the film's characters. While these techniques don't always pay off, there are enough stunning moments throughout that make the dizzying movie worth watching.
Dunkirk
Release Date
July 21, 2017
Cast
Fionn Whitehead, Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Barry Keoghan, Harry Styles, Aneurin Barnard, Damien Bonnard, Lee Armstrong, James Bloor, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, Luke Thompson, Michel Biel, Constantin Balsan, Billy Howle, Mikey Collins, Callum Blake, Dean Ridge, Bobby Lockwood, Will Attenborough, Tom Nolan, James D'Arcy, Matthew Marsh
Runtime
106 minutes
Director
22 'Letters from Iwo Jima' & 'Flags of Our Fathers' (2006)
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Ken Watanabe in a military uniform looking stoic in 'Letters from Iwo Jima'.
Image via Warner Bros.
Clint Eastwood's couplet of war films details the Battle of Iwo Jima from the American and Japanese perspectives in two companion pieces. Flags of Our Fathers is told from the American point of view and follows the siege of Iwo Jima and eventual victory by American forces, focusing on those marines who raised an American flag in an iconic moment in history memorialized several times over. Letters from Iwo Jima, in turn, follow the desperate attempts by Japanese forces to hold their ground amidst both calls to retreat and their orders; to succeed or die trying.
While both were filmed and produced by American production houses, Letters from Iwo Jima stands out from many Hollywood films for being scripted in Japanese and casting Japanese actors for a rare strike of authenticity. The couplet shows the heroes and victims of both sides and is one of many pyrrhic victories for the American military.
21 'Jojo Rabbit' (2019)
Directed by Taika Waititi
Taika Waititi as Imaginary Adolf Hitler sitting beside Roman Griffin Davis as Jojo in the forest in Jojo Rabbit
Image via Searchlight Pictures
Directed by Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit is a satirical film with a wholly unique perspective of the events of WWII. Set during the final years of the war in Germany, the film follows ten-year-old Jojo Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis), who is a dedicated member of the Hitler Youth. His beliefs are challenged when he learns that his mom (played by Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl in their house.
The thought-provoking film is full of dark humor, which it uses to comment on war and prejudice. Carefully toeing the line between comedy and tragedy, Jojo Rabbit is an unconventional movie that successfully raises crucial questions about innocence, the horrors of war, and empathy.
Jojo Rabbit
Release Date
October 18, 2019
Cast
Thomasin McKenzie, Roman Griffin Davis, Scarlett Johansson, Taika Waititi, Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson, Alfie Allen, Stephen Merchant, Archie Yates, Luke Brandon Field, Sam Haygarth, Stanislav Callas, Joe Weintraub, Brian Caspe, Gabriel Andrews, Billy Rayner, Christian Howlings, Gilby Griffin Davis, Hardy Griffin Davis, Curtis Matthew, Robert East, James McVan, Judith Georgi, Victoria Hogan, Bethany Adams
Runtime
108 minutes
Director
20 ‘Empire of the Sun’ (1987)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Christian Bale as Jim Graham looking straight ahead in Empire of the Sun
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
The epic coming-of-age drama based on J. G. Ballard's semi-autobiographical 1984 novel of the same name follows the story of a young British boy separated from his family during WWII. Empire of the Sun focuses on James "Jim" Graham/ Jamie, who goes from living an upper-class British life in Shanghai to becoming a prisoner of war at an internment camp during the Japanese invasion of China, where he struggles to survive and attempts to rebuild his former life. A teenage Christian Bale stars as the protagonist, Jamie, in one of his most unforgettable performances, which earned him critical acclaim.
A war film that many consider to be Steven Spielberg's most profound work, Empire of the Sun is truly a memorable war movie featuring a young protagonist. The Academy Award-nominated and BAFTA-winning war film boasts Spielberg’s distinguished cinematography and visual poetry that emphasizes the child-eye view of war. — Maddie P
Empire of the Sun
Release Date
December 25, 1987
Cast
Christian Bale, John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, Nigel Havers, Joe Pantoliano, Leslie Phillips, Masatô Ibu, Emily Richard, Rupert Frazer, Peter Gale, Takatarô Kataoka, Ben Stiller
Director
19 'The Sound of Music' (1965)
Directed by Robert Wise
Image via 20th Century Studios
At the onset of the annexation of Austria in 1938, The Sound of Music stars Julie Andrews as Mariaand Christopher Plummer as Georg von Trapp. The award-winning musical follows Maria, the new governess of the von Trapp family. Bringing adventure and excitement into the lives of the seven children otherwise raised with militaristic strictness, The Sound of Music is a classic love story against the backdrop of looming catastrophe.
The film is mainly detached from the war itself until the von Trapps are forced to flee Austria overnight to escape Georg’s commission with the German Navy. In a solemn and empowering show of quiet protest, the family sings “Edelweiss,” a song about the Austrian national flower, at the Salzburg Festival before Brownshirts try to take them in.
18 'The Great Escape' (1963)
Directed by John Sturges
Steve McQueen in The Great Escape (1963)
Image via United Artists
A heavily fictionalized depiction of the bravery and strength of prisoners of war, The Great Escape follows British POW’s real-life escape from camp Stalag Luft III in Germany. The film chronicles the teamwork and commitment of dozens of POWs' ingenious attempts to keep the camp’s guards unaware of escape tunnels being dug beneath their feet. Praised also for its score and its stunts, including Steve McQueen's iconic motorcycle jump.
Much more of an action romp than a brutal snapshot of war, The Great Escape stays true to a few historical accuracies in the number and nationalities of those involved. It doesn’t shy away from the casualties sacrificed so the real-life soldiers could make it to freedom. It's also just an epic adventure film that relies on McQueen's star power from start to finish.
The Great Escape
Release Date
July 4, 1963
Cast
Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, James Donald, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, Hannes Messemer, david mccallum, Gordon Jackson, John Leyton, Angus Lennie, Nigel Stock, Robert Graf, Jud Taylor, Hans Reiser, Harry Riebauer, William Russell, Robert Freitag, Ulrich Beiger, George Mikell, Lawrence Montaigne, Robert Desmond, Til Kiwe, Heinz Weiss
Runtime
173 minutes
Director
John Sturges
17 'Downfall' (2004)
Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel
Adolf Hitler looking down intently at something in Downfall
Image via Constantin Film
A German-Austrian-Italian cooperative, Downfall depicts the final weeks of WWII in Germany from Adolf Hitler’s point of view. The film’s director, Oliver Hirschbiegel, and the production team sought to be as realistic and historically accurate as possible to ensure that this piece of history would not be forgotten.
Downfall does not make a one-note caricature of Hitler and the movie is based on real events as recounted by primary and secondary sources who were with him during his final days, such as Inside Hitler's Bunker: The Last Days of the Third Reich by historian Joachim Fest and Until the Final Hour by Hitler's secretary Traudl Junge. Hitler goes from a seemingly immutable historical figure to a three-dimensional, flesh-and-blood person. This decision is still met with controversy. Critically, Downfall is a poignant retrospective that closes the gap between the "monster" anyone could succumb to being.
Downfalll
Release Date
September 8, 2004
Cast
Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Corinna Harfouch, Ulrich Matthes, Juliane Köhler, Heino Ferch
Runtime
150 minutes
Director
Oliver Hirschbiegel
16 'The Thin Red Line' (1998)
Directed by Terrence Malick
A group of soldiers crouches in the tall grass in The Thin Red Line’ (1998)
Image via 20th Century Studios
Telling a fictionalized version of the Battle of Mount Austen, which took place during the Second World War, The Thin Red Line follows C Company, a group of soldiers led by Captain John Gaff (John Cusack), and their grueling campaign against the Japanese forces. Amidst the chaos of battle, the characters confront their own fears, doubts, and moral dilemmas. The thoughtful Private Witt (Jim Caviezel), for instance, finds solace in the beauty of nature despite the brutality around them. Sergeant Welsh (Sean Penn), a hardened veteran, talks about how he has lost his faith in what it means to fight the war.
The Thin Red Line marked Terrence Malick's return to the industry after a 20-year-long break, and what a comeback it was. One of Terrence Malick's best movies, it's an incredibly introspective war film that sees its brave soldiers as vulnerable individuals who deal with the horrors around them in their own unique ways. Its murky message is lost in its own messiness, which seems appropriate for the complicated story anyway.
The Thin Red Line
Release Date
December 23, 1998
Cast
Jim Caviezel, Nick Nolte, Sean Penn, Ben Chaplin, Elias Koteas, John Cusack, Dash Mihok, John C. Reilly, Woody Harrelson, Miranda Otto, Arie Verveen, Kirk Acevedo, Nick Stahl, Thomas Jane, Tim Blake Nelson, Adrien Brody, George Clooney, Jared Leto, John Travolta, John Savage, John Dee Smith, Mark Boone Junior, Matt Doran, Paul Gleeson, Don Harvey
Runtime
171 minutes
Director
Terrence Malick