#1 of 720 Best war movie
1943 Drama Romance 1h 42m English
100 Metascore
Directed by Michael Curtiz
About Casablanca Top 100 · War
The 100 Best War Movies of All Time, Ranked
We rank 720 of the 4,536 war films on the site; these are the top 100. Casablanca (1943) is #1 with a critics & audiences score of 96/100, ahead of Dead to Rights (2025) and Schindler's List (1993). Ranked by Echo Score; 73 of these 100 films have none (released before 2017, when Echo Scores start) and are ranked by a blend of their Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings. A ranked watchlist for battlefields and stories from the front line. For new releases and box office hits, see the war movies guide.
- ranked war films
- 720
- war films on the site
- 4,536
- release years in the top 100
- 1926–2026
- award winners in the top 100
- 41
#1 of 720 Top 10
What Are the Best War Movies?
Casablanca (1943) leads with a critics & audiences score of 96/100, ahead of Dead to Rights (2025); 3 of the top 10 are from the 2020s. 2 of the top 10 are ranked by Echo Score, led by Dead to Rights at 93; the other 8 are ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings.
- 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 · 3 award wins
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2. Dead to Rights 93 Echo (Echo Score 93 out of 100)2025 · Drama, History · 2h 17m
Dir. Ao Shen $422.8M worldwide
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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 · 18 award wins · $322.2M worldwide
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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 · 9 award wins
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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 1 award win
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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 · 1 award nomination
#11 to #100
War Movies Ranked #11 to #100
Places 11 to 100: Saving Private Ryan (1998) opens the list and 1917 (2019) closes it. 29 of these 90 films are not in English; 12 languages appear in all. Filter by decade or language, or sort by year or box office.
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Decade
Language
Places 11 to 100; films with the same score share a rank. Use a filter or another sort to include the top 10.
Echo Score, our 0–100 rating (films from 2017 on) Blend: Metascore with IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings, for films without an Echo Score
- 1 1. Casablanca
1943 · Drama, Romance · 1h 42m
96 Blend - 2 2. Dead to Rights
2025 · Drama, History · 2h 17m
93 Echo $422.8M - 3 3. Schindler's List
1993 · Biography, Drama · 3h 15m
92 Blend $322.2M - 4 4. Gone with the Wind
1940 · Drama, History · 3h 58m
92 Blend - 4 4. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
1989 · Animation, Drama · 1h 29m
92 Blend $841.6K - 6 6. Quo Vadis, Aida?
2021 · Drama, History · 1h 41m
92 Echo $813.3K - 6 6. The Battle of Algiers
2004 · Drama, War · 2h 1m
92 Blend $280.4K - 6 6. Battleship Potemkin
1926 · Drama, History · 1h 15m
92 Blend - 9 9. Lady Killer (Gueule d’Amour)
2023 · Drama, Romance · 1h 34m
91 Blend - 10 10. Chimes at Midnight
1967 · Drama, History · 1h 59m
91 Blend - 11
11. Saving Private Ryan1998 · Action, Drama · 2h 49m
90 Blend $482.4M - 11
11. Army of Shadows2006 · Drama, War · 2h 25m
90 Blend - 13
13. The Best Years of Our Lives1946 · Drama, Romance · 2h 50m
90 Blend - 14
14. Pan's Labyrinth2006 · Drama, Mystery · 1h 58m
89 Blend $83.9M - 15
15. Ran1985 · Action, Drama · 2h 42m
89 Blend $4.3M - 16
16. Apocalypse Now1979 · Action, Drama · 2h 33m
89 Blend $105.1M - 17
17. American Doctor2026 · Documentary, War · 1h 31m
88 Blend $608.9K - 17
17. All Quiet on the Western Front1930 · Drama, War · 2h 32m
88 Blend - 17
17. Paths of Glory1957 · Drama, War · 1h 28m
88 Blend - 20
20. Dunkirk2017 · Action, Drama · 1h 46m
88 Echo $533.7M - 20
20. The Hurt Locker2009 · Action, Drama · 2h 11m
88 Blend $49.3M - 20
20. Amaran2024 · Adventure, Action · 2h 49m
88 Echo $1.7M - 20
20. Richard III1956 · Biography, Drama · 2h 41m
88 Blend - 24
24. They Shall Not Grow Old2018 · History, War · 1h 39m
87 Echo $21.7M - 24
24. Duck Soup1933 · Comedy, War · 1h 8m
87 Blend - 24
24. Level Five2014 · Romance, War · 1h 46m
87 Blend - 27
27. Virunga2014 · War, Documentary · 1h 44m
86 Blend - 28
28. The 12th Man2018 · Drama, History · 2h 15m
86 Echo $9.6M - 28
28. Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk2025 · Documentary, Drama · 1h 53m
86 Echo $113.6K - 28
28. Children of Hiroshima2011 · Drama, War · 1h 37m
86 Blend $38.9K - 28
28. This Is Not a Movie2020 · Action, Biography · 1h 46m
86 Echo $165 - 28
28. They Were Expendable1945 · Drama, War · 2h 15m
86 Blend - 28
28. The Miracle of Morgan's Creek1944 · Comedy, Romance · 1h 38m
86 Blend - 28
28. La Commune (Paris, 1871)2003 · Drama, History · 5h 45m
86 Blend - 35
35. Ben-Hur1959 · Adventure, Drama · 3h 32m
86 Blend - 36
36. Au Revoir les Enfants1988 · Drama, War · 1h 44m
86 Blend $4.6M - 37
37. No End in Sight2007 · War, Documentary · 1h 42m
86 Blend $1.4M - 38
38. Platoon1986 · Drama, War · 2h
85 Blend $138.5M - 38
38. The Pianist2002 · Biography, Drama · 2h 30m
85 Blend $120.1M - 40
40. Das Boot1982 · Action, Drama · 2h 29m
85 Blend $11.5M - 40
40. Love and Death1975 · Comedy, War · 1h 25m
85 Blend $20.1M - 40
40. The African Queen1952 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 45m
85 Blend - 40
40. To Have and Have Not1945 · Adventure, Thriller · 1h 40m
85 Blend - 44
44. Barry Lyndon1975 · Adventure, Drama · 3h 4m
85 Blend $283.9K - 44
44. Threads1984 · Sci-Fi, Drama · 1h 52m
85 Blend - 46
46. Son of Saul2015 · Drama, History · 1h 47m
85 Blend $6.7M - 46
46. The Endless Trench2020 · Action, Adventure · 2h 27m
85 Echo $1.3M - 46
46. The Great Escape1963 · Adventure, Drama · 2h 52m
85 Blend - 46
46. Palestine 362026 · Biography, Drama · 1h 55m
85 Echo $2.8M - 46
46. Alexandra2008 · Drama, War · 1h 35m
85 Blend $460.1K - 51
51. The Deer Hunter1978 · Drama, War · 3h 2m
85 Blend $49.1M - 51
51. Waltz with Bashir2008 · Biography, Drama · 1h 30m
85 Blend $11.2M - 53
53. Persepolis2007 · Biography, Drama · 1h 36m
84 Blend $22.8M - 54
54. Séraphine2009 · Biography, Drama · 2h 5m
84 Blend - 55
55. The Bridge on the River Kwai1957 · Adventure, Drama · 2h 41m
84 Blend - 56
56. The Zone of Interest2023 · Drama, History · 1h 45m
84 Echo $52.7M - 56
56. No Man's Land2001 · Drama, Comedy · 1h 38m
84 Blend $4.9M - 56
56. Kesari2019 · Action, Drama · 2h 30m
84 Echo $22.5M - 56
56. Foreign Correspondent1940 · Mystery, Thriller · 2h
84 Blend - 60
60. Downfall2005 · Biography, Drama · 2h 36m
83 Blend $92.2M - 61
61. Letters from Iwo Jima2006 · Drama, History · 2h 21m
83 Blend $68.7M - 62
62. The Eight Hundred2020 · Action, Drama · 2h 29m
83 Echo $461.4M - 62
62. While at War2019 · Drama, History · 1h 48m
83 Echo $13.1M - 62
62. The Great Escaper2023 · History, Drama · 1h 36m
83 Echo - 62
62. Return to Homs2014 · Biography, History · 1h 34m
83 Blend $402.1K - 62
62. Bye Bye Germany2018 · Drama, Comedy · 1h 42m
83 Echo $176.9K - 67
67. Atonement2007 · Drama, Mystery · 2h 3m
83 Blend $129.3M - 68
68. Spartacus1960 · Adventure, Biography
83 Blend - 69
69. Patton1970 · Biography, Drama · 2h 52m
82 Blend $61.7M - 70
70. War for the Planet of the Apes2017 · Action, Adventure · 2h 20m
82 Echo $490.7M - 70
70. Wonder Woman2017 · Action, Adventure · 2h 21m
82 Echo $824M - 70
70. The English Patient1996 · Drama, Romance · 2h 42m
82 Blend $232M - 70
70. Noryang: Deadly Sea2023 · Action, Biography · 2h 32m
82 Echo $34.2M - 70
70. NR. 242025 · Biography, Drama · 1h 51m
82 Echo $3.3M - 70
70. The Cave2019 · War, Documentary · 1h 47m
82 Echo $288.8K - 70
70. The Earth Is Blue as an Orange2022 · War, Documentary · 1h 14m
82 Echo $48.2K - 70
70. Prosecuting Evil2019 · Biography, History · 1h 23m
82 Echo - 78
78. Night Will Fall2014 · History, War · 1h 15m
82 Blend - 79
79. The Train1965 · Action, Thriller · 2h 13m
82 Blend - 80
80. Bloody Sunday2002 · Drama, History · 1h 47m
82 Blend $1.8M - 81
81. The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara2003 · War, Documentary · 1h 35m
81 Blend $5M - 82
82. The Quiet American2002 · Drama, Thriller · 1h 41m
81 Blend $27.7M - 82
82. Stalag 171953 · Drama, Comedy · 2h
81 Blend - 84
84. The Wind Rises2013 · Biography, Drama · 2h 6m
81 Blend $137.1M - 84
84. Kingdom2019 · Action, History · 2h 14m
81 Echo $50.6M - 84
84. Captain Miller2024 · Action, War · 2h 38m
81 Echo $484.8K - 84
84. The Samurai and the Prisoner2026 · Drama, History · 2h 27m
81 Blend $7.1M - 84
84. 2000 Meters to Andriivka2025 · Documentary, War · 1h 46m
81 Echo $14.9K - 84
84. War Witch2013 · Drama, War · 1h 30m
81 Blend $313.4K - 84
84. Last Days in Vietnam2014 · History, War · 1h 38m
81 Blend $466.1K - 91
91. Full Metal Jacket1987 · Action, Drama · 1h 56m
81 Blend $50.2M - 91
91. Kagemusha1980 · Drama, History · 3h
81 Blend $4M - 91
91. City of Life and Death2011 · Drama, History · 2h 12m
81 Blend - 94
94. Born on the Fourth of July1989 · Biography, Drama · 2h 25m
81 Blend $161M - 94
94. Underground1997 · Drama, Fantasy · 2h 50m
81 Blend - 96
96. Valentino's Ghost2013 · History, War · 1h 33m
81 Blend - 97
97. Paragraph 1752000 · History, War · 1h 21m
80 Blend $99.7K - 98
98. Hotel Rwanda2004 · Drama, History · 2h 1m
80 Blend $33.9M - 98
98. Turtles Can Fly2005 · Drama, War · 1h 38m
80 Blend $1.1M - 100
100. 19172019 · Drama, War · 1h 59m
80 Echo $446.1M
No film in this list matches both filters. Choose "All" in one of them.
Decade by decade
The Best War Movie of Every Decade
From Battleship Potemkin (1926) in the 1920s to Dead to Rights (2025) in the 2020s: the highest-ranked war movie of each of 11 decades. The 2010s place the most films in the top 100 (23).
- 1920s 97 Metascore Battleship Potemkin 1926
- 1930s 91 Metascore All Quiet on the Western Front 1930
- 1940s 100 Metascore Casablanca 1943
- 1950s 90 Metascore Paths of Glory 1957
- 1960s 94 Metascore Chimes at Midnight 1967
- 1970s 94 Metascore Apocalypse Now 1979
- 1980s 94 Metascore Grave of the Fireflies (1988) 1989
- 1990s 95 Metascore Schindler's List 1993
- 2000s 96 Metascore The Battle of Algiers 2004
- 2010s 88 Echo Dunkirk 2017
- 2020s 93 Echo Dead to Rights 2025
Awards
Which War Movies Won the Most Awards?
The English Patient (1996) has the strongest record with 20 wins from 39 nominations, including wins at Oscars, Golden Globes and BAFTA. Wins and nominations are counted across every ceremony on our awards pages.
- The English Patient 20 wins / 39 nom.1996 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 86 Metascore
- Schindler's List 18 wins / 31 nom.1993 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 95 Metascore
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Hacksaw Ridge 16 wins / 35 nom.2016 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 71 Metascore - 1917 16 wins / 34 nom.2019 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 80 Echo
- Ben-Hur 16 wins / 18 nom.1959 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 90 Metascore
- Saving Private Ryan 15 wins / 32 nom.1998 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 91 Metascore
- The Bridge on the River Kwai 14 wins / 16 nom.1957 · Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA · 88 Metascore
- The Hurt Locker 13 wins / 31 nom.2009 · Oscars, BAFTA, Critics' Choice · 95 Metascore
Keep exploring
More Ways to Explore War Movies
The top 100 are the best 14% of 720 ranked war films. The war guide, the full list of 4,536 films and the war box office chart cover the rest of the genre.
FAQ
War Movies: Questions & Answers
Answers from the war ranking above: the best war film, how many war movies there are, the strongest decade and the most awarded war film.
What is the best war movie?
Casablanca (1943) is the best-ranked war movie on What's After the Movie, with a critics & audiences score of 96/100. Dead to Rights (2025) and Schindler's List (1993) follow. 2 of the top 10 are ranked by Echo Score, led by Dead to Rights at 93; the other 8 are ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings.
About Casablanca How many war movies are there?
The site lists 4,536 war films. 720 of them are ranked: features of 60+ minutes with a real audience, critic, award or box office signal and a score. This page shows the top 100.
All war movies Which decade has the best war movies?
The 2010s place 23 films in the top 100, more than any other decade. The oldest film in the list is Battleship Potemkin (1926), the newest American Doctor (2026).
What is the most awarded war movie?
The English Patient (1996) won 20 awards from 39 nominations, ahead of Schindler's List (1993) (18 wins), counted across the Oscars, festivals and guild awards on our awards pages.
Movie awards How is this list different from the war genre page?
This page is only the ranking of the 100 best war films. The war genre page covers the whole genre: new releases, the biggest box office hits, its directors and how it changed over the decades.
War movies guide