War Movies

By Shane Rivers

Cinema fans looking for outstanding war movie reviews or war movie essays will often find the following films popping up time after time. It’s probably no coincidence that several on the list are some of the best war movies ever made.

1. Saving Private Ryan – (1998, Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Giovanni Ribisi) A gruesome, realistic account of a squad of D-Day survivors sent behind enemy lines on a mission to rescue the last son of a devastated Iowa family. Oscar for best directing (Steven Spielberg), sound, editing and cinematography.

2. Platoon – (1986, Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, William Defoe) The gripping saga of a group of soldiers in the Vietnam war. Oscar for best picture, directing (Oliver Stone), sound and editing. A number of war movie essays have been devoted to this film.

3. U-571 – (2000, Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel) A German submarine in World War II is boarded by disguised American military soldiers trying to capture the Enigma cipher machine. Oscar for best sound editing.

4. Glory – (1989, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Matthew Broderick) Black men fight in the Civil War to help win liberty for their enslaved brothers. Oscar for supporting actor (Washington), sound and cinematography. When it comes to war movie reviews, this film always receives high marks.

5. We Were Soldiers – (2002, Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe) A lieutenant colonel leads American troops into a gruesome fight during the Vietnam War. One of the best war movies of recent years, released before everyone thought Mel Gibson was a lunatic.

Helpful Links

Find Movie Reviews

Movie Reviews

What’s Your Number? (2011)
Moneyball (2011)
Contagion (2011)
Apollo 18 (2011)
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (2011)
The Guard (2011)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011)
Horrible Bosses (2011)
Larry Crowne (2011)
Bad Teacher (2011)
Green Lantern (2011)
X-Men: First Class (2011)
The Tree of Life (2011)
Bill Cunningham New York (2011)
The Hangover: Part II (2011)
Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
Everything Must Go (2011)
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
Midnight in Paris (2011)
Bridesmaids (2011)
Hesher (2011)
Thor (2011)
The Beaver (2011)
Something Borrowed (2011)
Fast Five (2011)
Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (2011)
Super (2011)
Stake Land (2011)
Water for Elephants (2011)
The Conspirator
Scream 4 (2011)
Arthur (2011)
Your Highness (2011)
Source Code (2011)
Insidious (2011)
Sucker Punch (2011)
Kill the Irishman (2011)
Paul (2011)
The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)
Battle: Los Angeles (2011)
Red Riding Hood (2011)
Rango (2011)
Beastly (2011)
Hall Pass (2011)
We Are What We Are (2011)
I Am Number Four (2011)
Unknown (2011)
Just Go with It (2011)
Barney’s Version (2011)
The Eagle (2011)
Cold Weather (2011)
The Mechanic (2011)
Biutiful (2011)
The Rite (2011)
No Strings Attached (2011)
The Way Back (2011)
The Green Hornet (2011)
The Dilemma (2011)
Blue Valentine (2011)
Season of the Witch (2011)
Shane Rivers’ Best and Worst Movies of 2010
Roxanne Downer’s Best and Worst Movies of 2010
Gregor Turley’s Best and Worst Movies of 2010 (2010)
Little Fockers (2010)
True Grit (2010)
The King’s Speech (2010)
The Fighter (2010)
Tron: Legacy (2010)
I Love You Phillip Morris (2010)
The Tourist (2010)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)
Black Swan (2010)
The Warrior’s Way (2010)
Love and Other Drugs (2010)
Burlesque (2010)
Tangled (2010)
Faster (2010)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One (2010)
The Next Three Days (2010)
127 Hours (2010)
Unstoppable (2010)
Skyline (2010)
For Colored Girls (2010)
Megamind (2010)
Due Date (2010)
Saw 3D (2010)
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest (2010)
Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)
Hereafter (2010)
Jackass 3D (2010)
Conviction (2010)
Red (2010)
Catfish (2010)
My Soul to Take (2010)
I Spit on Your Grave (2010)
Secretariat (2010)
Case 39 (2010)
The Social Network (2010)
Buried (2010)
Let Me In (2010)
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)
Never Let Me Go (2010)
You Again (2010)
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (2010)
Devil (2010)
The Town (2010)
Resident Evil: Afterlife
I’m Still Here (2010)
Machete
The Tillman Story (2010)
The American (2010)
Get Low (2010)
The Last Exorcism (2010)
Piranha 3D (2010)
Nanny McPhee Returns (2010)
The Switch (2010)
Vampires Suck (2010)
The Expendables (2010)
Eat Pray Love (2010)
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
The Other Guys (2010)
The Disappearance of Alice Creed (2010)
Quest for Honor (2010)
Dinner for Schmucks (2010)
Salt (2010)
Restrepo (2010)
Inception (2010)
Valhalla Rising (2010)
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010)
Predators (2010)
Despicable Me (2010)
The Girl Who Played with Fire (2010)
Cyrus (2010)
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)
The Killer Inside Me (2010)
Winter’s Bone (2010)
The Last Airbender (2010)
Grown Ups (2010)
Knight and Day (2010)
Jonah Hex (2010)
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Ondine (2010)
The A-Team (2010)
The Karate Kid (2010)
Get Him to the Greek (2010)
Splice (2010)
Marmaduke (2010)
Killers (2010)
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)
Sex and the City 2 (2010)
The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2010)
MacGruber (2010)
Shrek Forever After (2010)
Robin Hood (2010)
Letters to Juliet (2010)
The Square (2010)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Harry Brown (2010)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
Furry Vengeance (2010)
The Back-Up Plan (2010)
The Losers (2010)
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers (2009)
Kick-Ass (2010)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2010)
Greenberg (2010)
Death at a Funeral (2010)
The Joneses (2010)
Date Night (2010)
Chloe (2010)
Clash of the Titans (2010)
Why Did I Get Married Too (2010)
The Last Song (2010)
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)
Mother (2010)
The Ghost Writer (2010)
The Bounty Hunter (2010)
The Runaways (2010)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)
Repo Men (2010)
She’s Out of My League (2010)
Green Zone (2010)
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
A Prophet (2010)
The Crazies (2010)
Cop Out (2010)
The White Ribbon (2009)
Shutter Island (2010)
Valentine’s Day (2010)
The Wolfman (2010)
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)
From Paris with Love (2010)
Dear John (2010)
Edge of Darkness (2010)
When in Rome (2010)
An Education (2009)
Legion (2010)
The Last Station (2009)
35 Shots of Rum (2009)
The Book of Eli (2010)
The Lovely Bones (2010)
Daybreakers (2010)
Youth in Revolt (2010)
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Nine (2009)
The Young Victoria (2009)
Avatar (2009)
Crazy Heart (2009)
A Single Man (2009)
Extraordinary Measures (2010)
Invictus (2009)
Me and Orson Welles (2009)
Up in the Air (2009)
Everybody’s Fine (2009)
Brothers (2009)
Armored (2009)
Ninja Assassin (2009)
The Road (2009)
Red Cliff (2009)
Precious (2009)
Antichrist (2009)
Ong Bak 2 (2009)
The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009)
2012 (2009)
A Christmas Carol (2009)
The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)
The Fourth Kind (2009)
The Box (2009)
Splinterheads (2009)
The Boondock Saints II: All Saint’s Day (2009)
The House of the Devil (2009)
Saw VI (2009)
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant (2009)
Amelia (2009)
Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
The Stepfather (2009)
Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
A Serious Man (2009)
St Trinians (2009)
Couples Retreat (2009)
Whip It (2009)
Zombieland (2009)
Paranormal Activity (2009)
The Invention of Lying (2009)
Surrogates (2009)
Fame (2009)
Pandorum (2009)
Jennifer's Body (2009)
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
The Informant! (2009)
Sorority Row (2009)
I Can Do Bad All By Myself (2009)
9 (2009)
All About Steve (2009)
Extract (2009)
Gamer (2009)
Halloween II (2009)
The Final Destination (3D) (2009)
The September Issue (2009)
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Post Grad (2009)
Shorts (2009)
Avatar (the IMAX 3D preview) (2009)
The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009)
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (2009)
District 9 (2009)
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)
A Perfect Getaway (2009)
Paper Heart (2009)
Julie & Julia (2009)
The Collector
Aliens in the Attic (2009)
Funny People (2009)
Orphan (2009)
The Ugly Truth (2009)
G-Force (2009)
500 Days of Summer (2009)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Bruno (2009)
Public Enemies (2009)
The Hurt Locker (2009)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
Year One (2009)
Moon (2009)
Tetro (2009)
Land of the Lost (2009)
Terminator Salvation (2009)
Angels & Demons (2009)
Star Trek (2009)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Mutant Chronicles (2009)
Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009)
Fast & Furious (2009)
Big Stan (2008)
Duplicity (2009)
Laid to Rest (2009)
Watchmen (2009)
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009)
Friday the 13th (2009)
Push (2009)
Synecdoche, New York (2009)
The Wrestler (2009)
Taken (2009)
Revolutionary Road (2009)
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)
Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)
My Bloody Valentine (2009)
Gran Torino (2009)
Defiance (2008)
Valkyrie (2008)
The Spirit (2008)
Punisher: War Zone (2008)
Yes Man (2008)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
Frost/Nixon (2008)
Transporter 3 (2008)
Australia (2008)
Twilight (2008)
Quantum of Solace (2008)
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Nite Tales (2008)
Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)
Let the Right One In (2008)
I’ve Loved You So Long (2008)
Passengers (2008)
Trailer Park of Terror (2008)
Body of Lies (2008)
Righteous Kill (2008)
Bangkok Dangerous (2008)
Martyrs (2008)
Death Race (2008)
Pineapple Express (2008)
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)
Donkey Punch (2008)
Timecrimes (2008)
JCVD (2008)
Crowley (2008)
Detective Story (2007)
Inside (2007)
Special (2006)
Imprint (2006)
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Frostbitten (2006)
Storm (2005)
Batman Begins (2005)
Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
Calvaire (2005)
Hotel Rwanda (2005)
Super Size Me (2004)
2LDK (2002)
The Bourne Identity (2002)
Monsters, Inc (2001)
The Fast and the Furious (2001)
American Pie (1999)
Wild Things (1998)
The Night Flier (1998)
Interview with the Vampire (1994)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Crime Story (1993)
Of Mice and Men (1992)
Bugsy (1991)
Mississippi Burning (1989)
Better Off Dead (1985)
Sixteen Candles (1984)
The Wicker Man (1975)
American Graffiti (1973)

War Movies

Helpful Links

Movie Reviews

DVD Reviews

Movie Review Pages

Site Navigation