Rising to prominence in the early part of the '40s as World War II raged on, war cinema has been enticing ever since. Reveling in the darkest aspects of human history while exploring themes of valor, morality, sacrifice, camaraderie, and the futility of war, the very best war films are defined by their powerful and thought-provoking stories and visual might.
At its best, Jarhead is a disturbing anti-war film that sees the soldiers eager to engage in combat, partially to justify all their training but also as a means to end their boredom. It is a touch burdened by military movie clichés at times, but it remains a striking and bold war drama that uses the Gulf War to come to interesting conclusions about the purpose of soldiers in modern warfare.
8 'The Big Red One' Directed by Samuel Fuller Close A sprawling war epic that isn’t limited to desert warfare, The Big Red One is an awe-inspiring depiction of the life of a soldier in World War II. Lee Marvin stars as a nameless sergeant, the commanding officer of the U.S.
6 'Five Graves to Cairo' Directed by Billy Wilder Close Just the third film of Billy Wilder’s career, Five Graves to Cairo represents a criminally underrated entry in his prestigious filmography and, indeed, in the history of war cinema. It follows a British soldier who, as the lone survivor of a fierce battle in Egypt, assumes a false identity when he ends up at a hotel commandeered by German forces.
The brilliance of Ice Cold in Alex as a desert war movie resides in its use of the terrain itself as a perilous threat. Also encountering a minefield, German infantry, and the ethical dilemma of what to do when they realize their fellow traveler is, in fact, a Nazi spy, the film is a fascinating portrayal of WWII in Northern Africa that also thrives as a profoundly human tale of morality in times of war.