#1 of 718 war films Best-rated war movie
1943 Drama Romance 1h 42m English
100 Metascore $4.7M worldwide
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Also near the top: Dead to Rights (2025, 93 Echo) and Schindler's List (1993, 95 Metascore).
About Casablanca Movie genre
War Movies: Best-Rated, Biggest Hits & New Releases
There are 4,535 war films on the site, released from 1900 to 2026, and 718 of them are ranked. The best-rated is Casablanca (1943, 100 Metascore) and the biggest box office hit is Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) with $1.1B worldwide. The 2010s were the busiest decade with 894 releases. Michael Powell has directed more notable war films than anyone else on the site (8).
- war films on the site
- 4,535
- ranked by score
- 718
- worldwide gross of 1,066 films
- $27.2B
- award wins from 1,747 nominations
- 477
#1 of 718
What Is the Best War Movie?
Casablanca (1943) is the best-rated war movie on the site with a Metascore of 100 (96/100 on the critics-and-audiences blend that ranks it), ahead of Dead to Rights (2025) and Schindler's List (1993). Ranked by Echo Score; 2 of these 3 films have none (released before 2017, when Echo Scores start) and are ranked by a blend of their Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings.
#1 of 718 war films Best-rated
The Best-Rated War Movies
The top 12 of 718 ranked war films. Ranked by Echo Score; 10 of these 12 films have none (released before 2017, when Echo Scores start) and are ranked by a blend of their Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings. 3 of the top 12 were released in the 2020s.
- 1. Casablanca 100 Metascore (Metascore 100 out of 100 (18 critic reviews))
1943 · Drama, Romance · 1h 42m
Dir. Michael Curtiz No Echo Score: ranked 96/100 on critics & audiences
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3. Schindler's List 95 Metascore (Metascore 95 out of 100)1993 · Biography, Drama · 3h 15m
Dir. Steven Spielberg No Echo Score: ranked 92/100 on critics & audiences
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4. Gone with the Wind 97 Metascore (Metascore 97 out of 100 (19 critic reviews))1940 · Drama, History · 3h 58m
Dir. George Cukor No Echo Score: ranked 92/100 on critics & audiences
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4. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) 94 Metascore (Metascore 94 out of 100 (16 critic reviews))1989 · Animation, Drama · 1h 29m
Dir. Isao Takahata No Echo Score: ranked 92/100 on critics & audiences
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6. Quo Vadis, Aida? 92 Echo (Echo Score 92 out of 100)2021 · Drama, History · 1h 41m
Dir. Jasmila Zbanic
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6. The Battle of Algiers 96 Metascore (Metascore 96 out of 100)2004 · Drama, War · 2h 1m
Dir. Gillo Pontecorvo No Echo Score: ranked 92/100 on critics & audiences
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6. Battleship Potemkin 97 Metascore (Metascore 97 out of 100 (22 critic reviews))1926 · Drama, History · 1h 15m
Dir. Sergei M. Eisenstein No Echo Score: ranked 92/100 on critics & audiences
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9. Lady Killer (Gueule d’Amour) 91 Metascore (Metascore 91 out of 100 (5 critic reviews))2023 · Drama, Romance · 1h 34m
Dir. Jean Grémillon No Echo Score: ranked 91/100 on critics & audiences
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10. Chimes at Midnight 94 Metascore (Metascore 94 out of 100 (23 critic reviews))1967 · Drama, History · 1h 59m
No Echo Score: ranked 91/100 on critics & audiences
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11. Saving Private Ryan 91 Metascore (Metascore 91 out of 100)1998 · Action, Drama · 2h 49m
Dir. Steven Spielberg No Echo Score: ranked 90/100 on critics & audiences
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11. Army of Shadows 99 Metascore (Metascore 99 out of 100 (24 critic reviews))2006 · Drama, War · 2h 25m
Dir. Jean-Pierre Melville No Echo Score: ranked 90/100 on critics & audiences
New releases
The Newest War Movies
Atonement (2026), released Oct 2, 2026, is the latest war release with a score, box office or a plot summary on the site. 13 war films have been released so far in 2026.
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Released: Oct 2, 2026 Atonement 2026 · Drama · 76 Metascore -
Released: Sep 11, 2026 The Uprising 2026 · Action · 46 Echo -
Released: Aug 14, 2026 The Brink of War 2026 · Drama · 51 Metascore -
Released: Aug 14, 2026 American Doctor 2026 · Documentary · 86 Metascore -
Released: Jul 31, 2026 The Samurai and the Prisoner 2026 · Drama · 84 Metascore -
Released: Jul 3, 2026 Young Washington 2026 · Action · 49 Echo -
Released: May 29, 2026 Pressure 2026 · Drama · 76 Echo -
Released: Apr 24, 2026 Desert Warrior 2026 · Action · 53 Echo -
Released: Apr 17, 2026 Amrum 2026 · Drama · 71 Echo -
Released: Feb 19, 2026 The Swedish Connection 2026 · Biography -
Released: Feb 13, 2026 Palestine 36 2026 · Biography · 85 Echo -
Released: Jan 16, 2026 Sound of Falling 2026 · Drama · 70 Echo
Box office
Which War Movies Earned the Most?
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) is the highest-grossing war movie with $1.1B worldwide, ahead of The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021) at $902.5M. These 10 hits alone hold 26% of all war box office on the site. Grosses judged to be data errors are left out.
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Number 1 -
Number 2 -
Number 3
$27.2B earned worldwide by the 1,066 war films with a reported gross
- Wonder Woman $824M 2017 · $412.8M domestic
- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 $661.5M 2015 · $281.7M domestic
- Operation Red Sea $579.3M 2018 · $1.5M domestic
- American Sniper $547.7M 2014 · $350.2M domestic
- Dunkirk $533.7M 2017 · $189.7M domestic
- War for the Planet of the Apes $490.7M 2017 · $146.9M domestic
- Saving Private Ryan $482.4M 1998 · $217M domestic
Decades
War Movies Through the Decades
The 2010s were the busiest decade with 894 war films, ahead of the 2000s (544). Under each column is the decade's best-rated film, from Battleship Potemkin (1926) to Dead to Rights (2025). Films without a release date are not counted here.
- 60 war films from the 1910s 1910sNo ranked film
- 44 war films from the 1920s 1920s Battleship Potemkin 97 Metascore
- 138 war films from the 1930s 1930s
All Quiet on the Western Front 91 Metascore - 467 war films from the 1940s 1940s Casablanca 100 Metascore
- 369 war films from the 1950s 1950s
Paths of Glory 90 Metascore - 477 war films from the 1960s 1960s Chimes at Midnight 94 Metascore
- 350 war films from the 1970s 1970s
Apocalypse Now 94 Metascore - 412 war films from the 1980s 1980s Grave of the Fireflies (1988) 94 Metascore
- 303 war films from the 1990s 1990s Schindler's List 95 Metascore
- 544 war films from the 2000s 2000s The Battle of Algiers 96 Metascore
- 894 war films from the 2010s 2010s
Dunkirk 88 Echo - 461 war films from the 2020s 2020s Dead to Rights 93 Echo
People
Who Made the Most War Movies?
Michael Powell has directed 8 notable war films, more than anyone else on the site, ahead of Chatrichalerm Yukol (7); John Wayne leads the cast list with 16 roles. Only notable films count: those with a score, box office, an award nomination or 1,000+ votes.
Directors With the Most War Movies
- Michael Powell 8 filmsBest: A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
- Chatrichalerm Yukol 7 filmsBest: Francis Ford Coppola Presents: The Legend of Suriyothai (2003)
- Edward Dmytryk 7 filmsBest: The Caine Mutiny (1954)
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Emeric Pressburger 7 filmsBest: A Matter of Life and Death (1946) -
Steven Spielberg 6 filmsBest: Schindler's List (1993) -
Edward Zwick 6 filmsBest: Glory (1990) -
Stanley Kubrick 5 filmsBest: Paths of Glory (1957) -
David Lean 5 filmsBest: The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Actors With the Most War Roles
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John Wayne 16 filmsBest: They Were Expendable (1945) -
Michael Caine 14 filmsBest: The Great Escaper (2023) -
John Mills 14 filmsBest: Operation Crossbow (1965) -
Jack Hawkins 13 filmsBest: Ben-Hur (1959) -
Gary Cooper 12 filmsBest: Wings (1929) -
Donald Sutherland 11 filmsBest: MASH (1970) -
Burt Lancaster 11 filmsBest: The Train (1965) -
Ed Harris 10 filmsBest: My Dead Friend Zoe (2025)
Awards
The Most-Awarded War Movies
The English Patient (1996) is the most-awarded war film with 20 wins from 39 nominations, including wins at the Oscars, the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs. Across every award body on the site, war films have won 477 of 1,747 nominations.
| # | Film | Wins | Nominations | Won at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  The English Patient 1996 · 39 nominations · Won at Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA, Critics' Choice | 20 | 39 |
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| 2 | Schindler's List 1993 · 31 nominations · Won at Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA, DGA Awards | 18 | 31 |
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| 3 |  Hacksaw Ridge 2016 · 35 nominations · Won at Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA, Critics' Choice | 16 | 35 |
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| 4 |  1917 2019 · 34 nominations · Won at Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA, Critics' Choice | 16 | 34 |
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| 5 |  Ben-Hur 1959 · 18 nominations · Won at Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA, DGA Awards | 16 | 18 |
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| 6 | Saving Private Ryan 1998 · 32 nominations · Won at Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA, Critics' Choice | 15 | 32 |
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| 7 |  The Bridge on the River Kwai 1957 · 16 nominations · Won at Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA, DGA Awards | 14 | 16 |
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| 8 |  The Hurt Locker 2009 · 31 nominations · Won at Oscars, BAFTA, Critics' Choice, Artios Awards | 13 | 31 |
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| 9 |  The Killing Fields 1985 · 27 nominations · Won at Oscars, BAFTA | 11 | 27 |
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| 10 |  All Quiet on the Western Front 2022 · 23 nominations · Won at Oscars, BAFTA | 11 | 23 |
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Languages
Where Do War Movies Come From?
English is the biggest source of war films with 2,124 (47%), followed by Russian (244) and French (224). In all, 42 languages have ten or more war films.
Japanese 
German 
Italian 
Chinese 
Spanish 
Polish 
Arabic 
Persian 
Serbo-Croatian 
Turkish 
Korean 
Dutch 
Portuguese 
Hindi 
Danish 
Czech 
Greek 
Hungarian Genre pairings
Genres Often Paired With War
69% of war films are also tagged drama, the most common pairing, followed by history (25%) and action (19%). A film can carry several genres, so the shares overlap.
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69% 3,113 films
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25% 1,139 films
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19% 863 films
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11% 521 films
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9.2% 415 films
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8.9% 405 films
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8.7% 395 films
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7.1% 322 films
Plot summaries
War Plot Summaries & Endings Explained
1,484 war films have a full plot summary and 91 have the ending explained. Below are the best-rated ones not already listed above, led by Pan's Labyrinth (2006) and Ran (1985).
From the blog
War Articles, Reviews & Explainers
101 articles on the blog are tagged war; the newest is “Pressure (2026) Review & Critic Opinions: Reception, Fan Reactions, and Storytelling Analysis” from June 3, 2026.
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June 3, 2026
Pressure (2026) Review & Critic Opinions: Reception, Fan Reactions, and Storytelling Analysis
Explore how audiences and critics responded to Pressure (2026), examining fan reactions, critic reviews, performances, storytelling, and its place within World War II cinema. The post breaks down the reception, highlights key praise and criticism, and situates the film within the broader historical franchise.
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April 21, 2026
An in‑depth look at fan reactions and critic reviews for Amrum (2026), examining the film’s performances, storytelling and its place within the post‑war drama genre. Explore how audiences responded to the poignant portrayal of a 12‑year‑old on the windswept North Sea island and what critics say about the movie’s emotional impact.
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February 13, 2026
Sound of Falling (2026) Review: Critics Opinions, Audience Reception & Performance Analysis
Explore how critics and fans have responded to Sound of Falling (2026), analyzing performances, storytelling, and the film’s place in contemporary German cinema. This post breaks down reviews, fan reactions, and the broader reception of the haunting drama.
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February 12, 2026
Explore how audiences and critics responded to the 2026 thriller Palestine 36, examining fan reactions, performance praise, storytelling depth, and its place within the historical drama franchise. We break down the key review trends and what they mean for the film's legacy.
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November 8, 2025
Nuremberg (2025) Review: Critics Opinions, Audience Reception, Performance & Storytelling Analysis
Explore fan reactions and critic reviews of Nuremberg (2025), examining Michael Shannon’s powerful performance, the film’s storytelling, and its place within the historical drama franchise.
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October 14, 2025
Beast of War (2025) Review & Critic Opinions – Reception, Fan Reactions, and Verdict
Explore how critics and audiences received Beast of War (2025), analyzing reviews of its intense storytelling, performances, and shark‑filled survival drama within the World War II franchise context. This post breaks down fan reactions, critic scores, and the overall reception of the film.
Full list
Browse Every War Movie
Filter all 4,535 war films by decade, year, language, box office, plot summaries and after-credits scenes on the full list, which opens with the 718 ranked ones, best first. The best-first lists hold ranked films only: the Russian-language list has 6 of the 244 Russian war films.
- Best war movies of the 2000s Ranked films, best first 204
- Best war movies of the 2010s Ranked films, best first 225
- Best Russian-language war movies Ranked films, best first 6
- Best French-language war movies Ranked films, best first 29
- Biggest war box office hits By worldwide gross 1,066
- Every war movie, newest first All films with a release date 4,525
- Best war movies with a plot summary Ranked films, best first 497
- War endings explained Ranked films, best first 68
- War movies with after-credits scenes Ranked films, best first 32
FAQ
War Movies: Questions & Answers
Quick answers about war movies from the numbers on this page: Casablanca (1943) is the best-rated, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) is the biggest hit and the 2010s were the busiest decade.
What is the best war movie?
Casablanca (1943, 100 Metascore) is the best-rated war movie on What's After the Movie, followed by Dead to Rights (2025, 93 Echo) and Schindler's List (1993, 95 Metascore). Ranked by Echo Score; 10 of these 12 films have none (released before 2017, when Echo Scores start) and are ranked by a blend of their Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings.
See the top 12 What is the highest-grossing war movie?
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) has earned $1.1B worldwide, the most of any war film on the site; The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021) is second with $902.5M.
War box office charts How many war movies are there?
The site lists 4,535 war films. 718 of them are ranked, 1,066 have reported box office and 1,484 have a plot summary. A film counts as war when war is one of its genres.
Browse all war movies Which decade made the most war movies?
The 2010s, with 894 war films, ahead of the 2000s (544). The decade's best-rated war film is Dunkirk (2017, 88 Echo).
Who has directed the most war movies?
Michael Powell, with 8 notable war films; the best-rated of them is A Matter of Life and Death (1946). Notable films have a score, box office, an award nomination or 1,000+ votes.
Michael Powell How many war movies have an after-credits scene?
34 war films on the site have a scene during or after the credits, so it is worth staying seated. Each film page says whether there is one.
Ranked war movies with an after-credits scene How are war movies ranked?
Films released from 2017 on are ranked by their Echo Score, our 0–100 rating; older films by a blend of their Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings. To be ranked a film must run at least an hour and have a score, box office, an award nomination or enough votes, so shorts and obscure uploads stay out of the lists.