The unofficial kick-off of summer is Memorial Day weekend, and as people fire up the barbecue and head to the beaches this critic decided it’s the perfect time to list the Top 10 greatest war movie of all time.
10. PATTON – Starring George C. Scott and Karl Malden
Without a doubt the best performance of George C. Scott’s career and a wonderful re-creation of World War II via authentic appearing uniforms, tanks, jeeps, planes and battle scenes, Patton captures vividly the great American General the German high command feared the most and showcases the power he had over his troops.
GRADE: B-
9. SAHARA – Starring Humphrey Bogart and Bruce Bennett
Bogart stars in this 1943 World War II film as Sergeant Joe Gunn whose tank crew picks up five British soldiers, a Frenchman, and a Sudanese man (with an Italian prisoner) as they’re crossing the Libyan Desert looking to rejoin their command after the fall of Tobruk. The motley crew end up going out of their way to find a well because they’re in desperate need of water, but once there they discover it’s almost dried up. Getting word from two German prisoners that a whole battalion of German troops are headed their way for the water, Gunn and his few allies decide to hold off the Germans while one other American tries to make it to headquarters and get reinforcements.
This is a riveting, suspenseful film that covers part of the African campaign in WWII and has an excellent script that offers every character a distinct personality, including the Italian and German prisoners. It’s also one of the few times Humphrey Bogart portrays a character who’s not cooler or brighter than everyone on the screen…just a tough American Sergeant struggling to do his part in the war and keep his men alive.
GRADE: B
8. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT – Starring Lew Ayres
Told from the point of view of young German soldier Paul Bäumer(Lew Ayers) during World War I, this 1930s classic captures the horrors and soul-crushing reality of war in the trenches. It’s a haunting film that shows how a group of young men are encouraged to go off and fight for their country by old men they love and respect but who’ve never actually been on a battlefield themselves. Perhaps the strongest anti-war film ever made, All Quiet on the Western Front shows the terror and waste war brings to those involved.
GRADE: B+
7. A BRIDGE TOO FAR – Starring Sean Connery, Michael Caine, and Robert Redford
A Bridge Too Far shows the historical blunders made during the failed attempts to capture several bridges on the road to Germany while trying to bring an end of World War II by Christmas in 1944. With a star-studded cast, gritty and authentic re-creations of war-destroyed France and Germany, engrossing battle scenes, and perfect direction by Sir Richard Attenborough, A Bridge Too Far is an epic war film.
GRADE: B+
6. TORA! TORA! TORA! – Starring Martin Balsam and So Yamamura
Told from both the American and Japanese points of view, this 1970 war film chronicles the events that led up to the attack on Pearl Harbor and that ultimately forced America into World War II. The film captures brilliantly both the Japanese cunning and desire for war as well as the mistakes and arrogance on the American side that let it happen.
GRADE: B+
5. THE GREAT ESCAPE – Starring Steve McQueen and James Garner
Based on the true story of the largest P.O.W. break-out during WWII, The Great Escape made Steve McQueen a star with his performance as Hilts, the cocky pilot who’s nicknamed ‘The Cooler King’ in the camp for always getting caught trying to escape and getting thrown into the cooler. The movie has a star-studded cast that features impressive performances by James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Donald Pleasence, Charles Bronson, and James Coburn. The Great Escape is both an historical drama and a comedy, as the Allies outwit and trick the German guards while simultaneously struggling to dig a secret tunnel and escape. It’s also an action-adventure thriller as the prisoners of war on the run try to escape from occupied Europe and not get killed by the Nazis and the Gestapo. The second-to-last scene will haunt the viewer long after the credits roll.
GRADE: A-
4. THE LONGEST DAY – Starring Robert Mitchum, Red Buttons, and John Wayne
Told from both the Allied and German points of view, The Longest Day chronicles the events of D-Day, the Normandy invasion which marked the beginning of the end of WWII for Germany. With almost every big name in Hollywood playing a part and the compelling and historical accuracy of the film which shows the importance, the terror, the sheer luck, and the magnitude of that day, The Longest Day remains the definitive film about the D-Day invasion.
GRADE: A
3. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI – Starring William Holden and Alec Guinness
Winner of seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor (Alec Guinness), The Bridge on the River Kwai tells of the brutality of being in a Japanese prison camp and the battle of wills between the camp’s commanding officer, Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa), and the head British officer, Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness). The film also deals with the Allied plan to destroy the bridge at all costs. With incredible performances, wonderful pacing, and breathtaking cinematography, The Bridge on the River Kwai is not just one of the best war films ever made, it’s one of the best films ever produced, period.
GRADE: A
2. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA – Starring Peter O’ Toole and Omar Sharif
Lawrence of Arabia launched Peter O’ Toole’s career and won seven Academy Awards while telling the epic story of British officer T.E. Lawrence (Peter O’ Toole) who, during World War I, fought alongside Arabs and united different tribes of Arabs – something never before done – against Turkey in the Middle East. With an unforgettable musical score, outstanding performances from a stellar cast including Peter O’ Toole, Omar Sharif, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, and Claude Rains, awe-inspiring cinematography, and flawless direction by David Lean, Lawrence of Arabia is the second greatest war film of all time and one of the greatest epic films ever made.
GRADE: A+
1. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN – Starring Tom Hanks and Matt Damon
After the Normandy Landings a squad of U.S. soldiers led by Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) go behind enemy lines to find and bring back a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action. Nothing compares to the first 24 minutes of this film as Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg brings to the screen so powerfully the events of June 6th, 1944 on Omaha Beach. The bullets, the fire, the blood-soaked beach, the U.S. Rangers working their way up the beach trying to stay alive and breakthrough to get inland…it almost feels to the audience that they are there and that it really is D-Day.
Tom Hanks delivers another Oscar-worthy performance – he should have won – as Captain John Miller, a strong leader who has already seen too much and been in the war too long even before the landings. The film also features a wonderfully haunting and sad soundtrack created by John Williams.
The production of Saving Private Ryan with the authentic look of WWII Europe along with the authentic sounds of all the different weapons used, make this one of the most accurate WWII films ever made. Real World War II veterans thanked Mr. Spielberg after seeing the film, telling him he got it right and that he captured perfectly what they went through. Saving Private Ryan is a magnificent motion picture that captures best what war is: Hell on Earth.
GRADE: A+
Follow Us On:
Stumble It! 
