For decades, filmmakers have tackled the sensitive and emotionally-driven theme of World War II in an array of noteworthy and poignant pictures. These moving and oftentimes brutal depictions of the horrors, shocking realities, and devastating impacts of the violent war seem to deeply touch audiences across the world.
Production studios continuously harness tales of this frightening and monumental period of history with gripping and heartbreaking stories, and moviegoers can’t help but be drawn to them. Some of Hollywood’s most talented and esteemed visionaries have ventured into the touching and difficult subject, crafting memorable and thought-provoking results and frequently winning Best Picture Oscars as a result.
From legendarydirectors like Steven Spielbergand Quentin Tarantino to cinema’s most brilliant stars, including Humphrey Bogart, Tom Hanks, and Liam Neeson, both talent and creators can’t seem to stay away from World War II pictures. Whether depicting harrowing tales of soldiers going behind enemy lines to rescue one of their own, like inSaving Private Ryan,with its incredible opening scene,or the assembly of a band of murdering misfits inThe Dirty Dozen,the cinema has been home to some epic war dramas. These are some of the best World War II movies ever made.
Update July 27, 2025: This article has been updated with more information regarding the greatest World War II films, as well as where each title is streaming.
15The Pianist (2002)
The Pianist
Roman Polanski’s 2002 biographical war dramaThe Pianistis based on the Holocaust memoir of Polish-Jewish pianist and composer Władysław Szpilman, depicting his struggles to survive the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto of World War II. The emotionally-moving picture has a deep connection with Polanski, as he escaped from the Kraków Ghetto after the death of his mother and ended up living in a Polish farmer’s barn until the war’s end.
What MakesThe PianistOne of the Best War Movies of All Time?
The incredibly gifted Adrien Brody poignantly portrays Szpilman,preparing for the Oscar-winning roleby breaking up with his girlfriend, selling his apartment and car, and disconnecting from the world by moving to Europe. The actor tookthe method approachin order to truly understand the man who lost everything, dropping his weight by 30 pounds to heartrendingly embody the musician who spent two years in hiding in the ghetto of Warsaw.
Stream on Prime Video and PlutoTV
14The Dirty Dozen (1967)
The Dirty Dozen
A remake of the 1967 film, directed by Suicide Squad director David Ayer.
Robert Aldrich’s 1967 war flickThe Dirty Dozenis based on the 1965 bestseller by E.M. Nathanson that was inspired by a real-life WWII unit of behind-the-lines demolition specialists from the 101st Airborne Division named the “Filthy Thirteen.” The ensemble pictures stars Lee Marvin and a strong supporting cast like Charles Bronson, Ernest Borgnine, and Donald Sutherland. It follows a rebellious U.S. Army Major who is tasked with training a dozen convicted murderers, ultimately leading them into a mass assassination mission of German officers.
What MakesThe Dirty Dozen Oneof the Best War Movies Ever?
Many cast members of the film actually served in World War II, including Bronson (US Army Air Forces) and Borgnine (US Navy).The Dirty Dozenwas well-received by critics and moviegoers, withThe New York Daily Newswriting that it is, “a blessed relief from the strain of gory details and grim aspects of war, fought by a mere handful of American on foreign soil.”
Stream on MGM+
13Downfall (2004)
This 2004 German film by director Oliver Hirschbiegel details Adolf Hitler’s final days in a Berlin bunker as the Soviets lay siege to the city. The film was based on two books:Inside Hitler’s Bunkerby Joachim Fest andUntil the Final Hourby Traudl Junge, one of Hitler’s secretaries played by Alexandra Maria Lara in this film.
Related:Adolf Hitler in Cinema: Some of the Best Movie Depictions of the Monster
What MakesDownfallSuch a Classic?
Controversial at the time of release for humanizing Hitler,Downfallnevertheless received positive reviews and an Academy Award nomination for Best International Feature. Bruno Ganz, who plays Hitler, also received accolades for his performance. A harrowing look at the mental breakdown of one of history’s worst monsters as everything around him crumbles to ruins, this drama is well worth checking out.
Stream on YouTube and Tubi
12Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
Hacksaw Ridge
Mel Gibson’s 2016 biographical war dramaHacksaw Ridgefocuses on the World War II experiences of pacifist combat medic Desmond Doss who, as a Seventh-day Adventist Christian refused to use or carry a weapon or firearm of any kind. The film was based on the 2004 documentaryThe Conscientious Objector,and after initially turning down the project twice,Gibson finally agreedand was tasked with creating a concoction of violence and faith. Andrew Garfield powerfully portrays Doss, and the biopic features the additional talents of stars like Sam Worthington, Teresa Palmer, and Vince Vaughn.
What MakesHacksaw RidgeSuch a Seminal Movie?
Upon reading the screenplay for the first time, Garfield revealed he was moved to tears; the actor spent a yearstudying to be a Jesuit priestto prepare, lost 40 pounds, and went on a silent retreat in Wales (all of which may have helped him for his role as a Christian missionary inSilence). The Oscar-nominated drama garnered universal acclaim upon its release, earning praise for both Gibson’s directing and Garfield’s moving performance.
Stream on Netflix
11The Thin Red Line (1998)
Terrence Mallick’s seminal war movie,The Thin Red Linesailed under the radar thanks to the huge success ofSaving Private Ryanreleased just six months before, yet, despite its unfortunate timing, this classic film was a wondrous hit with both critics and audiences alike. Following the story of a US Army Corps at Guadalcanal in the Pacific,The Thin Red Linedetails the final efforts of the American army to defeat the resilient Japanese resistance.
What MakesThe Thin Red Linea Great War Movie
This screen adaptation of James Jones’ 1962 autobiography of the same name is a unique, compelling, and contemplative account of life at war. Malick does a truly sublime job at fusing together in-depth character studies with blood-infused action, offering us a multi-dimensional perspective of those who served and how they coped with the physical demands placed on them and the psychological damage endured.
Stream on Starz
10The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, the 1957 epic war dramaThe Bridge on the River Kwaiis based on the Pierre Boulle novel of the same name and tells the harrowing story of a group of British prisoners of war who are forced to build the Burma Railway by the Japanese, unaware that their allies are preparing a dangerous mission to destroy it. Starring cinema greats William Holden and Alec Guinness, the compelling picture offers a fictionalized account on the real-life construction of the railway bridge, with more than 60,000 Allied prisoners of war having been involuntarily tasked with working on its construction against their will.
What MakesThe Bridge Over the River KwaiSuch a Great Film?
The Bridge on the River Kwaiwon a whopping seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, with thePhiladelphia Inquirerdeclaring, “There can be no question of this searching, searing picture’s greatness; no doubt that here is the finest, and very likely the most honest, anti-war drama ever made.” The critically-acclaimed drama landed on the American Film Institute’s list of best American films ever made, coming in at number 13 on their ranking.
Stream on FuboTV
9Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Inglourious Basterds
The master of cinema mayhem Quentin Tarantino wrote and directed the 2009 war filmInglourious Basterds,telling an alternate history story of two plots to assassinate Nazi Germany’s leadership: one planned by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers and the other by a French Jewish theater owner. Tarantino spent over a decade creating the script and viewed the project as his masterpiece-in-the-making and his best work thus far. Hedescribed the men of the pictureas “not your normal hero types that are thrown into a big deal in the Second World War.”
Why is Tarantino’s Film One of the Best Ever?
The famed director wanted the character of Hans Landa portrayed by a native German-speaking actor and cast Austrian Christoph Waltz who“gave me my movie.”Tarantino was worried the part was unplayable, but Waltz delivered an Oscar-winning knockout performance as the ruthless SS officer. With an additional cast of Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, and Michael Fassbender, it’s no wonder the film was a smash hit at the box office.
Stream on Prime and YouTube
8Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Grave of the Fireflies
This 1988 Japanese animated movie was based on a semi-autobiographical short story of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka. The film follows two children, the 14-year-old Seita and his four-year-old sister, Setsuko, as they struggle to survive after an American firebombing kills their mother. Seen as a powerful anti-war film in the West, director Isao Takahata sees a different message, one of living a failed life due to isolation from society.
Why isGrave of the FirefliesSuch a Powerful World War II Film?
Animated by the legendary Studio Ghibli, who paired the film in a double feature withMy Neighbor Totoroupon initial release.Roger Ebert saidthe film is “an emotional experience so powerful that it forces a rethinking of animation.” A film that will reduce even the hardest person to tears,Grave of the Firefliesis a film that rightfully earns its place amongst the best war films ever made.
Rent on Apple TV+
7Come and See (1985)
1985’s Russian-language feature,Come and See,is an immensely personal portrayal of a Belarusian boy joining the Soviet Resistance after finding a rifle. This Soviet anti-war movie is a harrowing, reflective, and often horrifying chronicle of war in war-torn Russia.
WhyCome and Seeis Such a Breathtaking War Movie
Come and Seeoffers a poignant and in-depth exploration into the life of Flyora, capturing the atrocities so vividly through Director Erik Klimov’s unrestrained lens. This is a film that exposes the true nature of war and the all-absorbing essence of this permanent stain on modern history.
Stream on the Criterion Channel
6Oppenheimer (2023)
Oppenheimer
Christopher Nolan’s filmmaking career has registered hit after hit for the last two decades, and the highly anticipated release ofOppenheimerfollowed in the same vein. Opening concurrently with Greta Gerwig’sBarbieon the aptly named Barbenheimer weekend, traversing the tale of the “Father of the Atomic Bomb”, Robert J. Oppenheimer played by the flawless Cillian Murphy. The film documents the theoretical physicist’s work at Los Alamos during the Second World War and his creation of one of the very first weapons of mass destruction.
Why Oppenheimer is a Classic World War II Movie
Oppenheimeris an irrefutable epic.Oppenheimeris, by all intents and purposes, an anti-war film, colliding head-on with the ethical concerns of the mastermind behind this game-changing bomb that would invariably change the landscape of war forever. The casting of Cillian Murphy as the film’s lead was a stroke of inspired genius from Nolan, with theInceptionstar capturing the very quintessence of this complex, contentious, and deeply misunderstood historical figure.
Rent on Vudue and Prime Video
