War films have always been a great source of interest for people because of the intensely human elements of bravery, sacrifice, and tragedy they include. Most powerful among these movies about wars are those inspired by real events from World War I and World War II. They not only tell historical facts to the viewers but also remind their audience of the psychological and moral complexity of wars. Here we bring you 10 of the best and most acclaimed war movies in the world.
1. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore
Production Company: DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Pictures
Box Office: $482 million
Budget: $70 million
Country of Release: USA
Runtime: 169 minutes
Plot Summary: A group of American soldiers ventures into enemy territory after the Normandy Landings in search of a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.
2. Schindler’s List (1993)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes
Production Company: Universal Pictures
Box Office: $322 million
Budget: $22 million
Country of Release: USA
Runtime: 195 minutes
Plot Summary: The true tale of Oskar Schindler, who saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Holocaust using them in factories he owned.
3. Dunkirk (2017)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Fionn Whitehead, Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh
Production Company: Warner Bros., Syncopy
Box Office: $527 million
Budget: $150 million
Country of Release: UK/USA
Runtime: 106 minutes
Plot Summary: A gripping, all-action portrayal of the evacuation from the beaches of Dunkirk during World War II.
4. The Pianist (2002)
Director: Roman Polanski
Cast: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay
Production Company: Focus Features, StudioCanal
Box Office: $120 million
Budget: $35 million
Country of Release: France/UK/Germany/Poland
Runtime: 150 minutes
Plot Summary: Its story follows a Jewish pianist in Warsaw, trying to survive amidst the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto during World War II.
5. 1917 (2019)
Director: Sam Mendes
Cast: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch
Production Company: DreamWorks Pictures, Universal Pictures
Box Office: $384 million
Budget: $95 million
Country of Release: UK/USA
Runtime: 119 minutes
Plot Summary: A young British soldier must race against time to get a vital message through to save a battalion from walking into a trap.
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6. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Mélanie Laurent
Production Company: Universal Pictures, The Weinstein Company
Box Office: $321 million
Budget: $70 million
Country of Release: USA/Germany
Runtime: 153 minutes
Plot Summary: A plot to assassinate Nazi leaders has been made up by a group of Jewish-American soldiers in Nazi-occupied France.
7. The Thin Red Line (1998)
Director: Terrence Malick
Cast: Sean Penn, Jim Caviezel, Nick Nolte
Production Company: 20th Century Fox
Box Office: $98 million
Budget: $52 million
Country of Release: USA
Runtime: 170 minutes
Plot Summary: A poem and introspective invocation of American soldiers during the Battle of Guadalcanal in World War II.
8. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
Director: Clint Eastwood
Cast: Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara
Production Company: Warner Bros., DreamWorks Pictures
Box Office: $71 million
Budget: $19 million
Country of Release: USA/Japan
Runtime: 141 minutes
Plot Summary: The Battle of Iwo Jima is viewed through the eyes of Japanese soldiers defending the island.
9. Life is Beautiful (1997)
Director: Roberto Benigni
Cast: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini
Production Company: Miramax Films
Box Office: $230 million
Budget: $20 million
Country of Release: Italy
Runtime: 116 minutes
Plot Summary: A father, Jewish, uses humor and wit to keep his son oblivious to the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp.
10. Fury (2014)
Director: David Ayer
Cast: Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman
Production Company: Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures
Box Office: $211 million
Budget: $68 million
Country of Release: USA
Runtime: 134 minutes
Plot Summary: Battered by the war, an embattled sergeant leads the tank crew through their deadly mission behind enemy lines in the last days of WWII.
It is a cultural reflection that becomes archival in the horror and heroism of the loss, capturing not just the art of celluloid but historical relevance. These facts had a resonance that would always bring all the countries together-an amazing blend of historical accuracy, powerful storytelling, and exceptional filmmaking talent.
