War Movies You'll Never Forget
AMC Movie List

War Movies You'll Never Forget

Heroism, camaraderie, psychological trauma: you'll find it all in war movies. How would you rate these cinematic depictions of battle?

rank title points votes your vote
1 Saving Private Ryan
Tom Hanks is a World War II captain whose mission is to save Private Ryan (Matt Damon), the sole survivor among four military sons. 3166 8082
2 Patton
From northern Africa to Germany, Patton memorializes the outspoken World War II general George S. Patton Jr., played by George C. Scott. 2975 7423
3 The Bridge on the River Kwai
A captured World War II officer (Alec Guinness) leads prisoners in a morale-boosting construction project. His passion turns into obsession. 2091 6183
4 Tora! Tora! Tora!
This Japanese-American 1970 film follows the days leading up to the Pearl Harbor attack from U.S. and Japanese perspectives. 1948 6362
5 Full Metal Jacket
Stanley Kubrick delves into Marine Corps psychology in this Vietnam War movie about a team of new recruits. 1521 6283
6 Platoon
One of the first movies to show the tense psychology of guerrilla warfare, where there are no clear battle lines nor enemy. 1502 6090
7 The Dirty Dozen
Twelve felons, led by an unruly major (Lee Marvin), are sent on a suicide mission: infiltrate a Nazi retreat and kill high-ranking officers. 1479 6161
8 Sergeant York
Alvin C. York (Gary Cooper) is a conscientious objector, but his amazing marksmanship turns him into a World War I hero. 1394 5480
9 Stalag 17
Billy Wilder directed this 1953 movie about POWs trying to escape a World War II prison camp. Upon failure, suspicions of treachery arise. 1363 5357
10 Black Hawk Down
After two helicopters are shot down in Somalia, a team of soldiers led by Josh Hartnett is sent on a rescue mission. 1325 5955
11 Apocalypse Now
Francis Ford Coppola directs this dark tale about Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a Vietnam War captain who’s gone rogue in Cambodia. 1105 6065
12 The Big Red One
A veteran soldier (Lee Marvin) leads his beleaguered squad through the battles of World War II. Also stars Mark Hamill. 878 5072
13 Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
After the Japanese invade Pearl Harbor, an Air Force colonel (Spencer Tracy) leads a secret retaliatory attack with volunteer airmen. 827 4673
14 Kelly's Heroes
Released in the same year as MASH and Catch-22, this Clint Eastwood WWII movie is really about Vietnam. 731 5327
15 All Quiet on the Western Front
A group of German schoolboys are roused to fight by their jingoistic teacher. On the front lines, they learn good and evil aren't clear-cut. 424 4632
16 From Here to Eternity
Montgomery Clift and Burt Lancaster star as soldiers stationed in Hawaii in the months leading up to the Pearl Harbor invasion. 95 4695
17 Midway
Charlton Heston stars in this blockbuster war epic which spectacularly recreates the famed battle from the perspective of both sides. 4 6
18 The Green Berets
John Wayne stars as a no-nonsense Colonel leading his Green Beret squad on an important mission. And Wayne directed the movie, too. 4 4
19 Letters from Iwo Jima
Clint Eastwood's pic takes a rare look at the other side of WWII in this thoughtful story of the Japanese forces occupying Iwo Jima. 0 4
20 The Deer Hunter
Three steelworker friends (Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Savage) are captured in Vietnam and endure horrifying abuse. -162 5236