30 Best World War 2 Films of All Time – Top WW2 Movies List

WW2 Movies

Honorable Mentions for WWII Movies 

Some films set during World War 2 may not be considered WWII movies in the most traditional sense, but they're often such amazing films that it would be unfair to leave them off the list. 

These include films that focus on events peripheral to the strategic battles and conflicts between the warring nations. This includes events the Holocaust, civilian life during the war, and the aftermath of WWII. 

We’ve decided to create a miniature list for these films set during World War 2 so you don’t miss these great films, but also have an idea of where the combat-based WWII films stack up against each other.

Top World War 2 Movies

10. Black Book (2006)

Black Book is a great example of a film that takes during World War II, had an important effect, but that didn’t take place on the battlefield. I think there are more opportunities for a great WWII espionage movie, but there have been some recent flops that suggest an uphill battle. 

If you’re a fan of Japanese animation, World War II movies, and the struggle to rebuild a life, you will want to check out Grave of the Fireflies. The movie has a great soundtrack and while the American bombings are the catalyst for much of the drama, the film is very mature about showing the internal complications that arose in Japan after the war.

Beyond the wonderful acting and cinematography, The Pianist is one of the best World War 2 films of all time because it tackled difficult and somewhat familiar subject matter through a unique approach.

When you combine the subject of World War 2 with a great filmmaker like Fritz Lang you will get something unique. This is one of the best WW2 films to be made and was completed before the end of the war.

World War II Movies

5. Life is Beautiful (1997)

Life is Beautiful is a top WW2 movie that some find charming and others find offensive. I like the give the film the benefit of the doubt, though both sides bring up good questions. Is it right to deceive your child in an attempt to shield them from a truly terrible situation? In the end, is joy and love the only things that matter in this world?

Good WW2 Movies

4. Empire of the Sun (1987)

This films is wonderfully directed and expertly shot. What might have been a good WW2 film with another director becomes a great World War II movie under Spielberg, and launched Christian Bale’s career.

World War Two Movies

3. Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Casablanca is considered to be a near perfect film, and should serve as an example to many filmmakers that a great way to create drama in your own films is to set great characters inside an already interesting conflict.

Schindler’s List is one of the greatest World War 2 films of all time and as a film that showed the Holocaust. The script, character arcs, use of cinematic techniques combine to make one of the best films ever made.

Good World War II Movies

World War 2 Combat Movies

Now, let’s look at a list of the best World War 2 movies that prominently feature real life, combat based events that took place during WWII.

Stalingrad may not be the best World War II movies to ever be made, but it definitely brings something unique to the table due to some interesting visual choices and a Russian perspective seldom seen on this scale. 

The battle of Stalingrad was one of the most important events to take place during World War II, and Enemy at the Gates does a great job at showing this significance to western viewers. This particular story focuses on the information war and the rise in the usage of the Sniper.

This isn’t a perfect World War II movie, but it is definitely a good WW2 movie, and the battle scenes, performances, and pacing keep this film entertaining through to the very end of the film.

Now, a lot of people love this film and would rate it higher, but as far as World War II films go this movie is pretty basic. The gruff style of the filmmaking, take no prisoners script, and performances make this one of the most beloved World War II movies. 

Best World War 2 Movies

17. Fury (2014)

Fury might be the most masculine and muscular of modern World War II films, but it also has a nice little section that touches on the cost of war and the blurred lines of ally, enemy, good, and bad. 

There are also a good number of really entertaining tank scenes, and this is one of the only films that kept the focus on the armored vehicles used in World War 2 rather than aerial combat or general infantry.

This is one of the best WWII movies both from a filmmaking standpoint but also as a study of war, the spiritual cost and the relationship between a soldier’s personal beliefs weighed against the military objective.

This World War II film is based on a true story, and one thing I think is important to mention is not only how unique this story is with regard to the main character but also how this story could only have occurred in the United States at the time. 

Do you think the court ruling that allowed Doss to avoid fighting have been allowed in Germany, or Japan, or Russia, or even Great Britain?

Best World War 2 Movies of All Time

15. Valkyrie (2008)

I believe this particular World War 2 movie is pretty great and should get much more credit than it does, but I also understand why people prefer other films. The movie has an awesome cast and Bryan Singer is a great director. He knows how to move the camera and create suspense even when we generally know how things ultimately will play out.

As a companion piece to Flag of our Fathers, this is considered to be the better of the two films, and in many ways is the best World War II film to show a battle from the perspective of the Japanese.

This is one of the most unique WWII films on this list. There are some seriously great plot devices and complicated relationships built into this script and it makes for an unforgettable movie watching experience.

The movie does a great job of stringing together a simple mission with twists and turns, double crosses, and hidden explosives.

Best World War Two Movies

12. The Great Escape (1962)

The Great Escape is one of the best WW2 films of all time, but I’ll admit that it has a bit of a rah rah sensibility that may have worked in the 1960’s, but I highly doubt would have worked as well during the 1940’s. The ending of the film makes it work, and if they had gone about it any other way I wonder if it would have been deemed too far fetched.

This is one of the most expensive and largest World War II films ever made when accounting for inflation. This movie also made great use of interesting camera decisions, in some cases hovering above the battle in some sort of flying machine while a massive number of extras duke it out below complete with moving vehicles and effects.

Best World War II Films of All Time

10. Downfall (2004)

Downfall is another unique film in that it follows Hitler’s last weeks as the leader of Germany with the perfect level of intended accuracy and dispassionate portrayal of someone universally despised. Hitler is humanized in this film, and while some may object, I think it’s important to show Hitler in as straightforward a manner as possible.

Battle of Britain is a great World War II movie that focuses on the aerial combat over the English Channel that allowed the British to avoid invasion from the Nazi forces at the edge of France and elsewhere. While the film jumps around to several personal relationships, it always returns back to the action in the air and shows everything to the British the high command, radar rooms, and Nazi perspective.

Best World War II Movies

8. The Big Red One (1980)

This World War II movie has the unique benefit of the director having actually been a part of “The Big Red One”, which was the 1st Infantry Division, and they fought all over Europe including in North Africa, Normandy, and Western Germany. The group eventually liberate a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia.

Best World War 2 Movies

7. Patton (1970)

Patton is one of the best World War II movies of all time because there are a ton of big battle scenes with lots of production design, but it also does a great job of showing the unique qualities that made Patton such an interesting character. Patton was complicated. He had a big ego, but loved his troops and he was more interested in winning rather than fear which meant he was able to, at times, back that ego up through action.  

Come and See is the most haunting of the World War II films out there, and it does a great job of making the visuals resemble the inner feelings of the troop and civilians that saw the terrible cost of war. It would be a truly terrifying thing to go to war, and this is shown through the events, the camera placement, movement and the performances.

The Bridge on the River Kwai won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Writing, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Music. That’s quite a list, and this should tell you exactly why this is one of the top WW2 films ever to be made.

Das Boot is a wild and claustrophobic ride onboard a Nazi U-Boat, which was the German equivalent of a submarine. This World War 2 films was meant to be a mini-series but instead was made into a movie. 

Dunkirk is one of the greatest World War 2 movies of all time and it’s a wild ride from beginning to end. While there are a few small plot points that take historical liberties, the film is pretty accurate to the retreat from Dunkirk beach, and this film works as a thriller as much as a war film.

This is the best WW2 movie ever, and it combines Steven Spielberg’s directing with a killer script and wonderful performances. There are so many great concepts and lines laced throughout the film, as well as a group of soldiers that each have a unique voice and perspective. 

It also has some of the best battle scenes in a film which includes the Omaha Beach scene near the beginning of the film.