My 25 Picks for Best and Worst World War II Movies (Ranked)
MY 25 PICKS FOR FAVORITE / BEST AND WORST WORLD WAR II MOVIES (RANKED)
This Memorial Day weekend, I’ve ranked my most (and least) favorite World War II movies.
Based on IMDB listings, there are roughly 6,000 films related to WW2, which stands above all other subjects as the most recycled historical event in movies.
Note that these are my “favorite” movies, which isn’t quite the same thing as the “greatest” movies — though there’s some obvious crossover. I based my #number# rankings on how many occasions I’ve seen the movie (in some cases, numerous times) and the chances I would want to watch it again. In some cases, a movie can be great but I also don’t want to see it a third or fourth time. Once is plenty enough. So, it’s all subjective, and admittedly inconsistent. Nonetheless, let’s take this occasion to remember the best and worst WW2 films.
—–MY TOP-20—–
1. Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) — Almost a perfect movie. Has everything we want in a war movie. Great story, outstanding performances, emotional conflicts, and humor. Deservedly won Best Picture that year.
2. Downfall (2004) — Dark subject matter about the final days of the crumbling Third Reich, the Battle for Berlin, and the mad chaos inside the stifling bunker. Bruno Ganz playing Hitler, is astounding. Historically flawless and frightening to watch, even though we know the final outcome.
3. Patton (1970) — I’ve seen this movie perhaps a dozen times and it never gets old. Crusty George C. Scott nails the controversial American general in a performance for the ages. Screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola, who was certain he was going to be fired when the opening film scene with Patton delivering a TED-talk like rant in front of a giant American flag was screened by the studio–a shocking opening at the time.
4. Casablanca (1942) — Given this Humphrey Bogart classic is 80+ years old, one would expect it’s dated. But Casablanca was so ahead of its time that the war drama and romance endures to this day. Only recently did I read that the final scene on the foggy tarmac with Bogart and Bergman was actually filmed at the Van Nuys Airport.
5. Judgement at Nuremberg (1960 original) — A legal post-war masterpiece that helped us all define responsibilities, guilt, and the flawed defense of “just following orders.” There are so many jaw-dropping performances in this film, it’s impossible to pick just one from Monty Clift, Judy Garland, Spencer Tracy, Marlena Dietrich, Maximilian Schell, Burt Lancaster, et. al. A brilliant script and movie with important lessons to this day (Note: I did not see the recent remake of this).
6. The Caine Mutiny (1954) — Another brilliant Bogart film about a mentally-disturbed sea captain in the Pacific during WW2 that requires the confused and inexperienced underlings to make life and death decisions to save the ship. Here’s another terrific film that raises many questions about personal responsibility. Great courtroom scenes in the final third of the movie. Oh, and can I also point out this movie has some political relevance to what’s happening in America, right now?
7. Schindler’s List (1994) — I have trouble ranking this movie, though I believe it currently stands as the best film ever made (and I’ve written extensively as to my reasoning). But it’s not a “favorite” as I have trouble watching it repeatedly, unlike many other films here which are far more sanitized, and in some cases even lighthearted. Perhaps it’s the intense grip this movie holds over the viewer–the gut-wrenching realism of unfathomable cruelty and horror that really happened as it’s told. However, I must list it here–and arguably it should be my #1….but I’ll place it lower only because it’s too emotionally taxing to be called “a favorite” film of mine.
8. From Here to Eternity (1952) — Great pre-war drama with a stellar cast about daily life at Pearl Harbor during the Fall of 1941, on the eve of the Japanese strike that would change all their lives and alter world history. Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra, Ernest Borgnine, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed—all are fantastic. The final scene at sea with the two female leads meeting on the ship’s rail talking about their lost loves is a perfect conclusion.
9. Das Boot (1982) — I remember seeing this film in the theater when it first came out and being blown away, perhaps because it was unlike anything we’d seen before at the time. In German language with subtitles, about a U-boat crew honorably doing their duty to country, with gripping emotional performances. We feel trapped inside that submarine with the crew. Rare film where the audience is cheering for the Germans, which is a testament to how well it’s done.
10. Saving Private Ryan (1998) — Another Spielberg masterpiece many war movie buffs often rank as the best WW2 movie ever. There are parts of this film that don’t quite ring true for me, which keeps it out of my top-5. But the beachfront battle scenes are exceptional. The closing scene with the elderly American veteran standing there saluting the grave at a Normandy cemetery and the movie story coming full circle is a moment where we all teared up and our jaws dropped. Brilliant scripting and one of the best movie endings of all time. I remember when I saw this and the packed theater sat in stunned silence in that closing scene. Nobody said a word as we left the theater–yes it was that powerful.
11. Flags of Our Fathers / Letters from Iwo Jima (2 films) — Director Clint Eastwood’s duel cinematic portrait of one of the bloody battles in history is told from contrasting American and Japanese points of view and stands to this day as risky, courageous, and everything art in cinema should aspire to–which is pushing boundaries and adding historical perspectives. Oddly enough, both of these films were commercial flops for Eastwood.
12. Where Eagles Dare (1968) — This is the first of quite a few “camp” war movies that made my list, which means an aesthetic style of filmmaking that is deliberately exaggerated, overtly theatrical, and absurdly flamboyant, often falling under the “so bad it’s good” category. Starring boozed up Richard Burton and preening Clint Eastwood, the secret mission is to penetrate a German castle fortress in the Alps. Surprise twist ending tops a very-dated though addictively-watchable WW2 thriller. And you got to hand it to Burton and Eastwood who somehow manage to machine gun about 200 Germans each in a kill-count, and despite thousands of bullets flying, never end up with a scratch.
13. The Dirty Dozen (1967) — Another camp war movie, with a memorable collection of ragtag performances led by Lee Marvin (side note: did you know Lee Marvin had a #1 hit song?). The movie is so ridiculous, we can’t help but laugh and enjoy every moment of the mission. Robert Ryan, the wooden antagonist to Marvin might be the greatest prick in movie history. If you are of a certain age, I suspect that every American male has seen this movie, probably a dozen times. (another side note: Jim Brown quit the NFL and retired in his prime when filming in the UK went long and extended into the Browns training camp). Oh, and here’s one more chestnut of trivia from this movie. While filming in England in 1966, The Beatles gave their last live concert performance there nearby and Clint Walker who plays in this movie comes onstage at that performance and awards The Beatles the award for most popular act of the year. True story.
14. The Great Escape (1963) — More war movie camp ridiculousness ….. about a POW camp and tunnel escape attempt. We loved it growing up, and still love it 60+ years later.
15. The Eagle Has Landed (1976) — Underrated and under-appreciated movie about a secret German mission to kidnap Winston Churchill, with a great cast. Here’s another movie where we’re compelled to cheer for the “bad guys” given how well the story is told. If you haven’t seen it before, the twist ending is awesome. Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, Donald Sutherland, Donald Pleasance, Treat Williams……are all upstaged in a 2-minute scene by bumbling American loser officer Larry Hagman, then at the height of his “Dallas” popularity.
16. Inglourious Basterds (2009) — Writer-Director Quentin Tarantino’s absurdist war comedy-drama is a popular choice though I found the exaggerations to be a bit too over the top. Most interesting backstory about this movie was that Tarantino was about to shelve the project because he couldn’t cast the villain role, who was absolutely essential to the script. He was about to give up and move on, but then he screen-tested then unknown Christoph Waltz and everything took off from there. Read the stories on the casting, which are just as good as the movie.
17. Kelly’s Heroes (1970) — Notice a repeat theme here? More fun ridiculousness. This is almost a cleaned up version of “Inglurious Basterds” made four decades earlier. Clint Eastwood leads an all-star cast about a stray military unit determined to steal pallets of gold from a Nazi bank. It’s also interesting that when the film rating codes changed at this time, the year 1970 produced three absurdist films that never would have been made earlier — including Kelly’s Heroes, M.A.S.H., and Catch-22.
18. Von Ryan’s Express (1965) — Frank Sinatra might be the least convincing American flyer pilot ever cast in a film, preposterously swaggering all over a POW camp and all across Northern Italy decked in a leather bomber jacket…..the audience almost expects the Chairman of the Board to pull out a Tarryton 100, light up, and croon “scooby booby doo….doo doo doo duh duh.” This movie is so bad, it’s actually great.
19. The Young Lions (1958) — Another under-rated movie with Marlon Brando, Dean Martin, and Montgomery Cliff. Burdened with too much soap opera drama, the film nevertheless is a strong effort about soldiers on both sides of a conflict who will inevitably meet in battle in the final showdown. Overly long, but also filled with terrific messaging about war, or the absurdity thereof.
20. The Devil’s Brigade (1968) — Great movie with an almost identical premise to “The Dirty Dozen,” which by pure coincidence came out just months ahead of this movie, and was a monster hit, thus leaving “The Devil’s Brigade” to be perceived as a cheaper copycat. William Holden stars and the cast includes just about every male character actor of the 1960s. Ragtag group of misfit prisoners are trained for a secret mission to parachute behind enemy lines, and we all know how it turns out. Still, lots of fun for movie buffs who can’t get enough war action.
TBD (Honorable Mention) — The Pianist (2002) / A Beautiful Life (1997) — These two movies have nothing in common other than telling different stories and showing contrasting styles of oppressed Jewish victims of the Holocaust–one deeply dark and the other branded as “a comedy,” as ludicrous as it sounds (arguably, that’s the genius of the Roberto Benigni film). I list them both here together because they certainly deserve top-20 rankings, but I don’t know where to list them exactly. I’ve only seen them once, when released initially and I don’t know if they stand up over time.
—– MY BOTTOM-5 —–
Battle of the Bulge (1965) — Tedious re-enactment of the famous late 1944 last-ditch German military offensive into the Benelux region that is often embarrassingly eye-rolling. I’ve tried to re-watch this “classic” a few times but could never make it all the way until the end.
A Bridge Too Far (1977) — This is a film that can’t make up it mind as to what it wanted to be. Almost as bad as The Longest Day, but in color, with sex symbol generals and lamb chop sideburns. Cringeworthy all-star cast all looking very mid-disco 1970s (bronze-tanned Robert Redford with long blonde locks, “Love Story’s” Ryan O’Neal playing a General!, Elliott Gould and James Caan with curly Afros — in glaring fashion fiascos despite taking place during World War II. Add blaring hero trumpets as a musical soundtrack, a dozen distracting subplots, and we end up with a monumental movie shitshow of a mess.
Pearl Harbor (2001) — I saw this when it first came out but haven’t seen it since in 25 years. It was panned by critics and was purported to be an updated “From Here to Eternity.” Honestly, I don’t remember enough about this movie to comment other than I remember — it sucked.
The Longest Day (1962) — Total shit. This isn’t the longest day inasmuch as THE LONGEST MOVIE. A cast of legends fills the matrix of the D-Day invasion, yet nobody stands out except for laughably bad subplots and faux drama. What are the odds 50-year-old private Red Buttons with no military experience parachutes deep behind enemy lines, yet strays off target and the strings get hung up on a village church bell tower, while wielding a machine gun and blasting a hornets nest of well-rested, highly-trained veteran Germans? And when that cowardly fraud John Wayne shows up in any movie, I’m ready to throw up. This is a terrible movie. Think “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” with lots of self-righteous speeches and blazing machine guns with fat and dumb sausage-eating bad-guy Germans practically throwing themselves in front of good-guy bullets.
Victory (1981) — This movie is so appalling, it’s guilty-pleasure fantastic. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes of war movies. Rocky WW2 Horror. The story supposedly goes something like this: The evil Nazi Germans decide to create an international soccer match with the Third Reich playing against a team of allied POWs. The allies are imprisoned in camps. Sounds fair, huh? The match, solely for propaganda purposes, is to be held in Paris. Let me cut to the chase: Sly Stallone plays the goaltender (think “Rocky” with a soccer ball). Michael Caine is Michael Caine practically coked up on steroids. All that’s missing from this unintentional dreck is Mel Brooks riding a horse and Madeline Kahn doing a Marlene Dietrich stage impression. And I’d love to know how the Brazilian G.O.A.T. soccer superstar PELE (who plays himself in the movie) had the cruel misfortune to end up locked inside a German prisoner of war camp in the 1940s? Best eye-popping WTF!!! scene is at halftime of the match when the Allied Team has orchestrated an tunnel escape from the soccer stadium. But hey — they’re only down 2-1 in the match, and Pele assures the lads (WHO HAVE BEEN LOCKED UP IN A POW CAMP FOR TWO YEARS!) “we can still win this game!” The team votes to skip the escape attempt and retake the field to play on! SPOILER ALERT: The Allies win the game. The French partisan stadium crowd is so boisterous that they carry out the POWs from the field that the helpless Germans cannot stop them and they escape to freedom. This is so bad—–it’s not even good…..it’s awful.
Agree? Disagree? What movies did I miss? Admittedly, there are several more recent WW2 films I have no seen, so feel free to post comments.
Join the discussion HERE on Facebook (click below):
Read More
