The popularity of the war movie has never declined. Over 1,000 war movies were made since the advent of cinema. While many great World War 2 movies were made immediately after the end of the war, some are still being produced today. Below is a list of the top 5 World War 2 movies of all time.
5: “The Guns of Navarone” (1963). This is a fictional account of a band of British commandoes. A group of British soldiers is trapped by two large German guns, which prevent the British Royal Navy from withdrawing the trapped soldiers to safety. The commandoes must destroy the guns so the British soldiers can be evacuated safely.
4: “The Bridge on the River Kwai” (1957). A British battalion has surrendered to the Japanese army. They are treated harshly and forced to build a railroad bridge in the jungle over the Kwai River. Conditions are horrible as the British struggle to build the bridge. This film is more about a battle of wills between the British Commander (played by Alec Guiness) and the Japanese prison camp commander (played by Sessue Hayakawa).
3: “The Great Escape” (1963). This film is based on the true story behind a mass escape by British and American prisoners held in LuftStalag 3. The story depicts the long and arduous effort of tunneling long distances to freedom, while struggling to prevent detection by the prison guards.
2: “Saving Private Ryan” (1998). In the immediate aftermath of the Normandy invasion, a small squad of American soldiers must travel behind enemy lines in search of one soldier – Private Ryan. Ryan is all that is left of his brothers and the squad must find him and return him to safety before he is also killed.
1: “Patton” (1970). This film tells the story of General George Patton who commanded American forces in North Africa, Sicily and eventually France. The film begins with Patton taking command of the beleaguered army in North Africa and depicts his fall from grace and eventual rise back to command of an American army. George C. Scott won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Patton, which he declined.
So many good war movies have been made that it is difficult to compile a list as short as this. Other honorable mentions include: “They Were Expendable”, “Tora, Tora, Tora”, “The Longest Day”, “Memphis Belle”, “Midway”, “A Bridge too Far”, “Kelly’s Heroes”, and “Wake Island” among others.