From claustrophobic U-boats to the chaos of D-Day and the psychological horrors of Vietnam, few film genres leave such a lasting impact as war movies.
To mark the release of Oppenheimer in 2023, The Times pulled together a panel of experts – including Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, historian Tom Holland, and novelist Sebastian Faulks – to rank the greatest war films ever made.
The result is a definitive top 40 that spans eras, continents, and filmmaking styles. Here, we take a look at the five best ones of all time.
5. Das Boot (1981)
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Available on: Netflix, Apple TV
Cramped, tense, and relentlessly bleak, Das Boot takes viewers 30 metres below the surface of the Atlantic during World War II, where a German U-boat crew battles not just the enemy, but also the crushing isolation of underwater warfare.
With a runtime that mirrors the long, draining missions these submariners endured, director Wolfgang Petersen’s film is a slow-burn masterpiece.
Legendary military historian Max Hastings put it bluntly: “This is superb storytelling, lacking only the appalling stench 30m down to make it entirely credible.”
Originally released in German and later expanded into a critically acclaimed director’s cut, Das Boot earned six Oscar nominations – a rare feat for a foreign-language film at the time.
4. The Battle of Algiers (1966)
Director: Gillo Pontecorvo
Available on: Prime Video, Apple TV
Shot in a gritty, newsreel style using mostly non-actors, Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers blurred the line between documentary and drama so convincingly that many mistook it for real footage. It chronicles the brutal urban conflict between French colonial forces and Algerian independence fighters from 1954 to 1962, placing viewers squarely in the middle of a war with no clean sides.
“The best war film I have ever seen,” said Sebastian Faulks. “This type of filmmaking has frequently been imitated but never matched.”
With themes of terrorism, torture, and resistance, the film remains painfully relevant. It was even used as a training reference by military organisations decades after its release.
3. The Dam Busters (1955)
Director: Michael Anderson
Available on: Apple TV
A patriotic staple in British war cinema, The Dam Busters dramatises the legendary 1943 RAF mission to destroy key German dams using specially engineered “bouncing bombs.” Starring Michael Redgrave and based on true events, the film celebrates innovation, courage, and determination – and it comes with one of the most recognisable theme tunes in film history.
Max Hastings praised it as “authentic British heroism portrayed by a cast that really believed in it all,” while comedian Al Murray added: “It’s in black and white, but don’t be fooled – this showed what it really took to beat Nazi Germany.” Though its style may be described by some as dated, its legacy is undeniable – even Peter Jackson cited it as inspiration for his Star Wars homage in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
2. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Available on: Apple TV
From the harrowing first 27 minutes on Omaha Beach to its emotional final shot, Saving Private Ryan is a landmark in war cinema. Steven Spielberg’s brutal, unflinching portrayal of World War II combat changed how war scenes were filmed – and how they were perceived by audiences.
The story follows Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) and his squad on a mission to retrieve a paratrooper (Matt Damon) behind enemy lines, blending raw violence with poignant reflections on duty, loss, and sacrifice.
Playwright Peter Bowker called it “gripping from beginning to end.” For Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, it struck a deeper chord: “It shows the sheer violence of war and loneliness of command, and exposes the importance of communication to the home population in wartime.”
With multiple Oscars and a place in countless “best of” lists, Saving Private Ryan remains a cinema classic.
1. Apocalypse Now (1979)
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Available on: Apple TV
Topping the list is Francis Ford Coppola’s surreal, nightmarish journey into the heart of war: Apocalypse Now. Loosely based on Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, the film relocates the tale to Vietnam and Cambodia, chronicling Captain Willard’s (Martin Sheen) mission to assassinate rogue Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando).
Along the way, it unravels into a fever dream of madness, hubris, and the moral vacuum left by modern warfare.
The production itself was nearly as chaotic as the story: Sheen had a heart attack on set, Brando clashed with Coppola, and the film ballooned in scope and cost. And yet, from the chaos emerged a masterpiece.
Edward Berger, director of All Quiet on the Western Front, summed it up: “At 18, this was the first film that I didn’t understand logically. I just felt it. I love this film so much for not trying to tell us a story, but for trying to capture the essence of war – it succeeds in depicting its illogical madness.”
