19 War Movies That Will Leave You on the Edge of Your Seat

1. 1917 (2019) 2020，IMDB Rating: 0.0, IMDB Votes: 0, ID: 24820246
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1917 is about two British soldiers who are given an urgent mission in World War I, carrying vital orders through enemy-held territory to prevent a deadly attack. The film uses long shot technology to show in real time their moments of crisis and tension in the midst of battle. As they face enemy ambushes, battlefield ruins and inner fears, the film presents the brutality of war and the resilience of humanity.
2. Letters from Iwo Jima 2006，IMDB Rating: 7.8, IMDB Votes: 170935, ID: 0498380
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Letters from Iwo Jima presents the brutality of the Battle of Iwo Jima and the inner struggles of the soldiers from the perspective of the Japanese army. With the personal stories of General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) and ordinary soldiers such as Saigo (Kazuya Ninomiya), the film depicts their determination and fear to hold their ground in the face of despair.The film delicately portrays the humanity of war and reveals the common destiny and emotions of both sides of the conflict.
3. The Thin Red Line 1998，IMDB Rating: 7.6, IMDB Votes: 200992, ID: 0120863
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The Thin Red Line is about soldiers’ experiences at Guadalcanal during the Second World War. The film does not only focus on the battle scenes, but also depicts the inner world of the soldiers during the war, showing their thoughts and pains in the face of death and survival.
4. Casualties of War 1989，IMDB Rating: 7.1, IMDB Votes: 48532, ID: 0097027
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Casualties of War is a story of a young soldier, Erickson (played by Michael J. Fox), who is thrown into a moral dilemma after witnessing his comrades kidnap and abuse a young Vietnamese girl on the battlefield in Vietnam. In the face of his teammate’s atrocity, Erickson, in an internal struggle, decides to expose the crime, even though he will face great pressure and danger as a result.
5. Courage Under Fire 1996，IMDB Rating: 6.6, IMDB Votes: 60085, ID: 0115956
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Courage Under Fire concerns Natan (Denzel Washington), an army officer investigating whether Karen (Meg Ryan), a female pilot in the Gulf War, should have been posthumously awarded the Medal of Honour. During the course of the investigation, Natan reconstructs events through the recollections of various witnesses, revealing complex truths about the battle.
6. Black Hawk Down 2001，IMDB Rating: 7.7, IMDB Votes: 427231, ID: 0265086
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Black Hawk Down is the thrilling story of a capture mission in the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993, in which U.S. troops are caught in an enemy ambush. As two helicopters are shot down, the soldiers must fight to survive and rescue their comrades in an extremely dangerous environment. With intense battle scenes and realistic details of the war, the film truly recreates the brutality and urgency of the battle.
7. Born on the Fourth of July 1989，IMDB Rating: 7.2, IMDB Votes: 117415, ID: 0096969
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Born on the Fourth of July captures the true story of Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic (played by Tom Cruise). The film follows his transformation from a passionate enlistment in the army, through the trauma of war, to returning home seriously wounded and eventually becoming a leader in the anti-war movement. As Kovic gradually questions the meaning of war, the film delves into the personal pain and social upheaval that war brings.
8. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World 2003，IMDB Rating: 7.5, IMDB Votes: 240015, ID: 0311113
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Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World tells the story of the British warship HMS Surprise, under the command of Captain Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe), as it pursues French privateers during the Napoleonic Wars. The film shows HMS Surprise in the midst of danger. The film shows the fierce naval battles in dangerous waters, and portrays the leadership and friendship between the captain and his crew.
9. Saving Private Ryan 1944-1998 2010，IMDB Rating: 0.0, IMDB Votes: 0, ID: 2396438
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Saving Private Ryan is about a squad ordered to go behind enemy lines to rescue the only surviving Private Ryan during World War II. The film opens with the shocking Normandy landings, showing the brutality of the battlefield through realistic battle scenes. The director Steven Spielberg has made the film through realistic battle scenes and deep emotional portrayal.
10. Apocalypse Now 1979，IMDB Rating: 8.4, IMDB Votes: 716410, ID: 0078788
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Apocalypse Now is about a US Army captain, Willard (Martin Sheen), who is ordered to go deep into the jungles of Vietnam in pursuit of the renegade Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando). As Willard and his team inch deeper and deeper into the chaos of the Vietnam War, the madness of war and the darker side of human nature are revealed. Francis Ford Coppola depicts the chaos and destruction of war with this.
11. Schindler’s List 1993，IMDB Rating: 9.0, IMDB Votes: 1465460, ID: 0108052
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Schindler’s List is the true story of Oskar Schindler (played by Liam Neeson), a German industrialist who protected Jewish workers from Nazi slaughter during World War II by employing them. As the brutality of the war intensifies, Schindler transforms from an indifferent businessman to a hero who saves thousands of Jews. Based on true historical events, Spielberg depicts the profound power of courage,sacrifice and humanity.
12. Platoon 1986，IMDB Rating: 8.1, IMDB Votes: 443192, ID: 0091763
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Platoon is the brutal reality of war as experienced by new recruit Chris Taylor (played by Charlie Sheen) in the jungles of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. As he becomes embroiled in a moral conflict between his commanders, director Oliver Stone draws on his own combat experience to present a realistic look at the fears and moral struggles soldiers face in war.
13. Full Metal Jacket 1987，IMDB Rating: 8.3, IMDB Votes: 796838, ID: 0093058
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Full Metal Jacket follows the journey of Marine Corps recruits from brutal training camps to the battlefields of Vietnam, respectively. The film first focuses on the recruits as they undergo the rigours of training. The film then turns to the front lines of the Vietnam War and shows the psychological breakdown of the soldiers in the midst of chaos and fear.
14. The Bridge on the River Kwai 1957，IMDB Rating: 8.1, IMDB Votes: 235100, ID: 0050212
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The Bridge on the River Kwai tells the story of British POWs forced by the Japanese army to build a strategic railway bridge during World War II. The British commander, Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness), stubbornly sees the construction of the bridge as a symbol of military honour and even collaborates with the enemy, ignoring the military consequences. The film not only shows the difficult situation of prisoners of war, but also delves into the boundaries of duty and honour.
15. The Hurt Locker 2008，IMDB Rating: 7.5, IMDB Votes: 476290, ID: 0887912
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The Hurt Locker is about the tensions and dangers of a U.S. Army bomb disposal team in Iraq as they face life-and-death missions. The film focuses on the team’s leader, Sergeant James (played by Jeremy Renner), who displays a fearless and addictive obsession with danger during bomb disposal operations. As the mission progresses, the film reveals the profound effects of war on the soldier’s psyche.
16. Dunkirk 2017，IMDB Rating: 7.8, IMDB Votes: 748109, ID: 5013056
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Dunkirk tells the thrilling story of the retreat of 330,000 Allied soldiers from the German encirclement on the beaches of Dunkirk during World War II. The film shows the survival and rescue actions of soldiers, pilots and civilian crew members in extreme adversity through three perspectives: land, sea and air. The film truly recreates the urgency and heroism of this historic retreat.
17. The Pianist 2002，IMDB Rating: 8.5, IMDB Votes: 924085, ID: 0253474
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The Pianist follows Polish Jewish pianist Władysław Spielman (played by Adrien Brody) on his journey of survival during World War II. With the Nazi occupation of Warsaw, Spielman witnesses the horrors of Jews forced into segregation, deportation and slaughter. He struggles to survive amidst the rubble, relying on his own perseverance and a chance encounter with a kindly German officer to survive.
18. Glory 1989，IMDB Rating: 7.8, IMDB Votes: 145739, ID: 0097441
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Glory is about the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment – the first unit made up of African-Americans in the American Civil War. Led by their commander, Colonel Robert Shaw (Matthew Broderick), the soldiers not only faced brutal battles on the battlefield, but also fought against racial discrimination and poor treatment.
19. The Deer Hunter 1978，IMDB Rating: 8.1, IMDB Votes: 365156, ID: 0077416
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The Deer Hunter follows a group of best friends from a small town through the dramatic changes they experience before and after the Vietnam War. The friendship and wedding celebrations before the war, the harsh realities of the Vietnam battlefield, and the trauma and mental breakdown they face upon returning home. The film reveals how the war has completely changed the lives and relationships of these people.