The 55 Best World War 2 Movies in USA We’ll Never Forget

Best-World-War-2-Movies

World War II has long been considered the best and most intense war of all time. It was a global conflict that took place between 1939 and 1945, with major battles taking place in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. The best World War 2 movies represent this history beautifully by telling stories about the bravery of those who fought for their country.

In this article, we will present you with 55 best world war 2 movies in USA
– we hope they will live on as some of the best movies you’ve seen!

Atonement (2007)

Atonement is a best-selling novel written by British author Ian McEwan. The novel tells the story of a young girl’s part in the aftermath of her sister’s rape and murder. Two traumatized young people—a writer (the narrator, Briony) and his talented young cousin (her best friend, Robbie)—are positioned to watch the crime unfold. They are also on the verge of entering adulthood at a time when they are coming face-to-face with the temptations that will shape their future lives.

The duration of the movie is 123 minutes. The movie earned $129 million at the box office. The cast includes Saoirse Ronan, James McAvoy, and Keira Knightley.

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

One of Quentin Tarantino’s best movies, Inglourious Basterds, tells the story of a fictional German movie theater owner living in Nazi-occupied France who decides to enact a daring rescue plan for a Jewish theater owner from his past. The best part, though, is that it’s all about toeing the line between good and evil, as the Basterds are assassinating Nazis, one by one. In short, Inglourious Basterds is a terrific mix of humor and horror, and it features excellent performances from the cast.

The duration of the movie is 2h 33 minutes. The cast includes well-known actors such as Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Mélanie Laurent, Michael Fassbender, Daniel Brühl, Diane Kruger, Eli Roth, and many more.

Fury (2014)

Fury (2014) is a World War II movie written and directed by David Ayer. It is set in 1945, towards the end of the war, and tells the story of a battle-hardened US tank crew. The movie is best remembered for its brutal depiction of the events of the war, such as death and murder.

The movie stars Brad Pitt, who plays Wardaddy, a commander of a Sherman Cruiser Tank that is called into service during the last few days of the European theater. It co-stars Shia LaBeouf, who plays Grady “Coon Dog” Williams, one of Wardaddy’s best tank gunners with known skill in survival. Across their journey, they are supported by their comrades, played by Logan Lerman, Michael Peña, and Jon Bernthal.

The duration of the movie is two hours. The movie earned $211 million against a $68 million budget.

The Wind Rises (2014)

the wind rise tells the story of Japanese engineer Jiro Horikoshi, designer of the World War II fighter plane Mitsubishi A-0M. As a boy, Jiro dreams of flying and designing beautiful airplanes. His world is turned upside down by the war, but he perseveres and continues to work toward his dream.

The duration of the movie is 130 minutes. The movie earned $306 million. The cast includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elijah Wood, Emily Watson.

Unbroken (2014)

In December 1943, Olympic athlete Louis “Louie” Zamperini is a bombardier on a US Army Air Forces bomber in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. One evening, his aircraft experiences trouble and crashes into the ocean. Louie (O’Connell) manages to escape the sinking aircraft and survives for 47 days on a life raft with two fellow crewmen. After several weeks adrift, they are rescued by the Japanese navy and taken from Naoetsu to an interrogation camp in Tokyo. Louie recognizes one of his captors as Mutsuhiro “The Bird” Watanabe (Miyavi), whom he personally hates because of brutal treatment before the war.

‘Unbroken is a 2014 American biographical drama film directed by Angelina Jolie and starring Jack O’Connell, Miyavi, Domhnall Gleeson, and Garrett Hedlund. The duration of the movie is 127 minutes. The movie earned $90 million against a $65 million budget.

Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

Hacksaw Ridge is an American biographical war drama film directed by Mel Gibson and written by Andrew Knight and Robert Schenkkan. It stars Andrew Garfield in the lead role as Desmond T. Doss, a conscientious objector who served as a combat medic during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945 in the United States Army, even though he was both opposed to violence and war. The story depicts Doss besting his demons with the help of his wife before achieving the rank of sergeant. Doss faced violence from Japanese soldiers when he single-handedly rescued 75 men under heavy fire on Mount Hacksaw but refused to touch a gun throughout the battle.

The movie focuses on Doss’ life from when he decides to enlist in the army and becomes a conscientious objector. Doss served as a combat medic during World War II, without carrying a gun or using one. The duration of the movie is two hours and twenty-nine minutes. The movie earned $164 million against a $40 million budget.

Escape to Victory (1981)

Escape to Victory is a soccer film about an Allied prisoner of war camp that forms a football team after discovering that the Germans plan to hold a match in the camp. The high-profile game, which was organized as a propaganda tool for the Third Reich, is to be played by an international squad headed by John Colby (Michael Caine), a seasoned British player. While the team prepares for the match, Robert Hatch (Sylvester Stallone) plots an audacious mass breakout from the camp.

The duration of the movie is 118 minutes. The movie earned $0 million at the box office. The cast includes Michael Caine, Max von Sydow, and Sylvester Stallone.

Stalingrad (1993)

On 20 August 1942, the German combat engineer platoon was resting and recuperating in Italy after battling in North Africa. Lt van Witzland, a brand-new, green platoon commander, was badly wounded during the action and has just taken command of the unit. The squad is shortly to be assigned to an elite company and sent to a location behind the lines in Russia. The squad takes a jeep and begins driving to the base when they are overtaken by two German motorcycle riders, one of whom is killed when his machine crashes into an old church tower after taking fire from soldiers along the road.

The running time of the film is 2h 14 minutes. The cast includes Dominique Horwitz, Thomas Kretschmann, Jochen Nickel, and Sebastian Rudolph.

The Keep (1983)

A team of retired American military officers who served in Vietnam is sent to a Romanian mining village to evaluate the terrain and possible exploitation by the US Company. The visit coincides with a full moon, and soon they find themselves under attack from a horde of bestial creatures, seemingly summoned by the sorcery of a wealthy aristocrat who has been studying black magic.

Faced with a holocaust from which there appears no escape, the Americans fight back with gunfire and grenades to save themselves from certain death. It stars Scott Glenn as Captain Anderson, the leader of the group who is confronted by his ghosts from Vietnam in this supernatural horror film written and directed by Michael Mann.

The duration of the movie is 111 minutes. The cast includes Scott Glenn as Captain Anderson, Jürgen Prochnow as Major Kaempffer,  Albert Bandiero, Daniel Massey, and Ian McKellen.

Days of Glory (2006)

North African soldiers endure prejudice and unfair treatment from their French counterparts during World War II, even though they bravely fight for a nation, they have never seen. Others, such as Abdelkader (Sami Bouajila), feel that fighting for France is the only way to achieve equality, but Martinez hides his Arab heritage and mistreats his troops.

The duration of the movie is 120 minutes. The movie earned $22.5 million at the box office. Jamel Debbouze, Samy Naceri, Roschdy Zem, and Sami Bouajila are among the cast members.

The Pianist (2002)

As the Polish capital was bombarded by Allied forces during World War II, a Polish Jewish radio station pianist records the city’s evolution throughout the war. Szpilman is conscripted into the Warsaw Ghetto but is later separated from his relatives during Operation Reinhard. During this time, Szpilman hides in various locations in Warsaw’s ruins as the concentration camp prisoners are liberated.

The movie shows how Wladyslaw Szpilman’s talent for playing the piano allows him to avoid death in Nazi-occupied Poland. The story is based on a real person because his family was hidden by Polish Christians; however, it does dramatize things that did happen during World War II, like German soldiers raiding Jewish homes and stealing silverware.

The movie earned $67.93 million at the box office. The cast includes Adrien Brody, Maureen Lipman, and Emilia Fox. The running time of the movie is 2h 30 minutes.

The Dam Busters (1954)

The Dam Busters (1954) is a film that tells the story of an Allied mission to destroy German dams deep in the heart of Nazi Germany. How the British used an innovative method to bomb German dams during World War II. The tale of how the British attacked German dams in World War II by using an ingenious technique to drop bombs where they would be most useful.

The duration of the movie is 133 minutes. The cast includes Richard Todd, Michael Redgrave, and Ursula Jeans. The movie earned $11 million worldwide on a $500,000 budget.

I Was a Male War Bride (1949)

“I was a Male War Bride” is a 1949 comedy film and stars Cary Grant and Ann Sheridan. It was directed by Howard Hawks with the screenplay written by Howard Koch and Charles Brackett. The film tells the story of an American soldier who gets married to a British woman. Rochard must find a means to accompany Gates under the War Bride Act’s conditions when she is ordered to return to the United States.

The duration of the movie is approximately 92 minutes. The movie earned $650,000 in the USA during its first year of release.

Black Book (2006)

Rachel Rosenthal, a young Dutch woman who narrowly avoids death after being captured by the Nazis, joins the Jewish resistance and assumes the identity of Ellis de Vries. Ellis is sent to seduce a Gestapo officer named Ludwig (Sebastian Koch) by her superior officers. She completes her assignment, but she soon discovers that she’s fallen in love with her mortal foe.

The duration of the movie is approximately 2h 25 minutes. The movie earned $27 million worldwide on a $21 million budget. The cast includes Carice van Houten and Sebastian Koch.

Battle of Britain (1969)

Hugh Dowding (Laurence Olivier) must galvanize his outnumbered airmen against Hitler’s feared Luftwaffe at a critical period of World War II. The British retaliated with an aggressive air campaign of their own, beset by German bombing raids. Within months, the Nazis are on the run owing to Dowding’s tactical genius and the contributions of skilled squadron commanders (Michael Caine) and other brave patriots.

The Battle of Britain is a 1969 British war film, depicting the eponymous aerial campaign fought principally by the Royal Air Force against the German Luftwaffe in 1940. Set in 1940, it stars Michael Caine as Squadron Leader Canfield. The duration of the movie is 133 minutes. The movie earned $31,000,000 worldwide on a $20 million budget.

The Inglorious Bastards (1978)

In France, the deserter American soldiers Robert Yeager, Private Fred Canfield, murderer Tony, thief Nick, and coward Berle are incarcerated in a military prison in 1944. In the meantime, a German military transport is assaulted by the Germans and escapes to cross into Switzerland. They battle a German platoon along their journey and capture Adolf Sachs, who offers to lead them to the Swiss border. They shoot and kill several German soldiers while searching for the V2 warhead, but they soon learn that they were an American commando on a mission led by Colonel Buckner to steal a German V2 charge. Lt. Yeager, Fred, Tony, and Nick volunteer to put their lives on the line to finish the job.

It stars Bo Svenson, Peter Hooten, Fred Williamson, Michael Pergolani.

Where Eagles Dare (1968)

Where Eagles Dare (1968) is a World War II action film starring Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood as two officers of the Allied forces who must capture a German commander on a high-altitude mountain. After parachuting into the Alps, they meet with three guides and set out across an Austrian countryside studded with Bavarian castles. They also have to try to avoid being captured or killed by Nazi troops stationed in fortress Schloss Adler.

The duration of the movie is approximately two hours, and it is best watched with a full stomach because the action scenes can be quite intense. The movie earned $14 million at the box office, becoming MGM’s highest-grossing film of 1969.

A Walk in the Sun (1945)

During World War II, a GI platoon arrives on the beaches of Italy and faces uncertainty and danger with every stride. Sgt. Tyne (Dana Andrews) and Sgt. Ward (Lloyd Bridges) are among the soldiers who survive the initial landing and pursue a goal to seize control of a farmhouse and destroy a nearby bridge. When the troops are not involved in combat, they may engage in casual conversation while touring the Italian countryside, but they keep their goals in mind at all times.

The movie earned $2,250,000 at the box office. The duration of the film is 1h 57 minutes. The cast includes Richard Conte as Capt. Sergio Morelli, Dana Andrews as Lt. Red Winkleman, Lloyd Bridges as Pvt. Eddie Flynn.

Kelly’s Heroes (1970)

Kelly’s Heroes (1970) is a movie about three American soldiers who steal gold from Nazi Germany by blowing up a bridge. The film takes place in France near the end of World War II in 1944-45. Nazis have occupied France for four years and have just been driven out of Paris by the Allied forces. Colonel Joe Kelly (Paul Newman) is leading a battalion of men to attack an important crossroads at Clermont, France. The Allies are attempting to gain control of this area to prevent German reinforcements from counterattacking Paris and regaining control there.

The duration of the movie is approximately two hours. The film earned $22 million at the box office. The cast includes Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Don Rickles, Carroll O’Connor.

The English Patient (1996)

A bomb detonates in the English countryside during World War II, severely burning the face of a Canadian intelligence officer. Hana (Juliette Binoche), a nurse, rushes to Laszlo de Almasy’s bedside at the end of World War II, after he has suffered third-degree burns in an Italian monastery near Turin. Through flashbacks, a married Englishwoman (Kristin Scott Thomas) is shown in his life and career as an explorer of the African terrain. Hana learns to heal her wounds while assisting the dying man.

The duration of the movie is 161 minutes. The movie earned $213,643,768 at the box office. The cast includes Ralph Fiennes, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Juliette Binoche.

Germany, Pale Mother (1980)

In the 1930s, Hans is drawn to Lene, the only dark-haired member of a German family of seven sisters. Because Ulrich is a member of the Nazi party, Lene is hesitant to see Hans; but, after determining that he is not a Nazi, she agrees to see him, and they eventually marry. On Lene’s birthday, she finds out that Hans has been conscripted to fight in Poland because he is a low-level civil servant who is not a member of the party, while Ulrich has been spared. In Poland, Hans commits massacres and has difficulties adjusting to battle like many other soldiers. He and Lene conceive Anna, who is born later, but Hans is killed in battle.

Lene marries Ulrich and has three more children with him. Anna grows up to become a doctor who takes care of Holocaust survivors at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp after World War II ends in 1945.

The duration of the movie is 2 hour and 3 minutes. The cast includes Eva Mattes, Ernst Jacobi, Elisabeth Stepanek, Angelika Thomas, Rainer Friedrichsen, Gisela Stein, Fritz Lichtenhahn, and Anna Sanders.

Letters From Iwo Jima (2006)

The Japanese troops’ accounts of their experiences during World War II on Attu are unearthed in long-forgotten letters from the island. Several others have been announced, including a baker named Saigo (Kazunari Ninomiya), an Olympic winner known as Baron Nishi (Tsuyoshi Ihara), and a farmer named Shimizu (Ryô Kase). Lt. Gen. Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) knows his troops have almost no chance of surviving, yet he utilizes his superior military skills to fight the Americans as long as possible.

The duration of the movie is about two and a half hours. The movie earned $15.0 million in its opening weekend, ranking number two at the box office behind The Departed. The cast includes Ken Watanabe as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi and Kazunari Ninomiya as Saigo.

Millions Like Us (1943)

Millions Like Us is the story of the women of Britain during World War II. The movie starts with Britain’s declaration of war on Germany in 1939, and by 1943 it explores how the effects of the war are impacting people’s lives. Celia is invited to work in a munitions factory during World War II when her coworkers represent a range of social strata. She falls in love with Fred Blake (Gordon Jackson), a youthful pilot, and they marry. However, due to his deployment, Fred is gone before Celia must deal with the harsh realities of being a military spouse while continuing her important work on the home front.

The duration of the movie is 103 minutes. The movie earned $21,000 at the box office and was made in England. The cast includes Eric Portman, Margaret Lockwood, and Patricia Roc.

Ice Cold In Alex (1958)

Captain Anson (John Mills) is weary and parched. When it became clear his North African station would be invaded, Anson was rushing to Alexandria, Egypt, where he planned on getting a nice cold beer. He arrives late, but circumstances force him to transport numerous people. Sister Diana Murdoch (Sylvia Syms) and Captain van der Poel (Anthony Quayle) are excellent traveling companions, but Anson soon discovers that one of them is a German spy.

The duration of the movie is 129 minutes. The cast includes John Mills, Anthony Quayle, and Sylvia Syms. The movie earned $24,500 at the box office and was made in England. The cast includes Richard Burton and John Colicos.

Hell in the Pacific (1968)

Hell in the Pacific (1968) is a strangely obscure John Wayne film best known as the first collaboration by John Wayne and Toshiro Mifune. It tells the story of World War II combat pilots who end up stranded on an island. The only weaponry they have are those taken from downed planes, and one of them will eventually win, and the other will die. Hell in the Pacific was filmed entirely on location in California, which to some degree lessens its impact as a war movie.

The duration of the movie is 118 minutes. The cast includes John Wayne, Toshiro Mifune, and Patricia Owens. The movie earned $45,000 at the box office and was made in the USA.

Empire of the Sun (1987)

Empire of the Sun is a 1987 British epic war film written by James Fox and directed by Steven Spielberg. Set in China during World War II, it stars a then 14-year-old Christian Bale as Jamie “J.J.” Christopherson, an English boy who becomes separated from his parents and is subsequently captured by the Japanese military and taken to Shanghai. His captors try to use him for propaganda purposes, but he escapes with another prisoner, Bobby (played by John Malcovich), and sets out across China on foot to find his way home. Along the journey, he encounters many different people: Mr. Matsui (a Japanese soldier who had been captured by Chinese guerrillas); Dr. Rawlins (a British doctor who is captured and held in the same camp), Mr. Maxted (a British businessman whose son was killed while serving on a battleship at Pearl Harbor); Basie, an American sailor; and Suzie, a young Chinese woman who has been employed as a prostitute by the Japanese soldiers.

The duration of the movie is 153 minutes. The movie earned $22,000 at the box office and was made in the USA. The cast includes Christian Bale, John Malcovich, and Nigel Havers.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Steven Spielberg’s best movie of his best decade with the best cast and the best screenplay? It’s an understatement to say that audiences were excited to see Saving Private Ryan. Tom Hanks gives one of his best performances in this emotionally resonant World War II epic with a strong anti-war message (one of the most famous lines: “Earn this!”). The narrative follows a group of soldiers on a dangerous mission behind enemy lines to find and bring back Private James Ryan (Matt Damon), one of three brothers who has been declared missing in action. Their battles on foreign soil and within their hearts make for one of the best war movies ever made.

The duration of the movie Saving Private Ryan is 2h 49m. The movie earned $216 million at the box office since its release on July 24, 1998 (USA). The cast includes Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, and Edward Burns.

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

After World War II in 1945, Lieutenant Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) of the British Army is stationed in Burma, captured by Lieutenant Colonel Saito (Toshiro Mifune) of the Imperial Japanese Army. The bridge over the River Kwai that is to be constructed between these two parts of Thailand will be an important strategic passage through which will flow Japanese troops and arms.

Saito announces that the British officers will work in a prison camp, but Nicholson refuses to take orders from his captor and denies Saito’s authority over him. The two eventually agree after negotiations by Major Clipton (James Donald) for an honorable surrender of Nicholson’s men. However, things go differently than expected.

The duration of the movie is 161 minutes. The movie earned $16,000 at the box office and was made in GB. The cast includes Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins & Sessue Hayakawa.

Army of Shadows (1969)

Army of Shadows is a French movie set during World War II. It was directed by Jean-Pierre Melville and released in 1969. It tells the story of Resistance members who are led by Robespierre, played by Lino Ventura, and who are fighting against the German occupation. The film adaptation of Joseph Kessel’s book depicts a modest, unglamorous portrait of the French Resistance during World War II. Philippe Gerbier (Lino Ventura) is trapped in a horrible Nazi concentration camp after being betrayed by an informant. Gerbier flees to join the Resistance in occupied Marseilles, France and goes on a bloody rampage against the informant, but he must continue a muted, seemingly endless war with the Nazis in an atmosphere of tension, suspicion, and distrust.

The duration of the movie is about 83 minutes. The cast includes: Lino Ventura, Simone Signoret & Paul Meurisse.

Attack (1956)

Attack (1956) is an American black-and-white film directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Jack Palance. The film was released by Warner Bros. Pictures in 1956 and also stars Gary Merrill, Lee Marvin, and Ernest Borgnine.

The movie depicts the battle for a strategic bridge over the Rhine River at Remagen that had been captured shortly before by American forces during World War II. The movie centers on a fictional tank commander named Captain Rennard Stransky (Lee Marvin), who is under pressure to hold off German tanks as reinforcements make their way across the bridge. Captain Stransky gains help from the soldier stationed alongside him (Ernest Borgnine).

The duration of the movie is 95 minutes. The cast includes Jack Palance, Lee Marvin & Robert Strauss. It earned $12.0 million at the box office and was made in the USA.

To Be or Not To Be (1942)

Joseph (Jack Benny) and Maria Tura (Carole Lombard) are the leaders of a theatrical company in Poland when the Nazis invade. Lieutenant Sobinski (Robert Stack) is having an affair with Maria, who believes that Professor Siletsky (Stanley Ridges) is a spy of Nazi. The Siletsky family is shown to have a list of Polish resistance members. Joseph and his group must deceive the Nazis and prevent Siletsky from giving up the list using their talent for impersonation.

The duration of the movie is 93 minutes. The cast includes Jack Benny, Carole Lombard & Robert Stack. The movie earned $21 million at the box office and was made in the USA.

The Great Escape (1963)

The Great Escape is about an escape of allied prisoners of war from a German POW camp during World War II. The film follows the story of two best friends, Steve McQueen, who plays US airman Virgil Hilts, and James Garner, who plays British private ‘Scrounger’ Rawlings. A new arrival poses an immediate threat to the plan, which causes dissension among the ranks. It has some thrilling sequences featuring tunnels under the main street in town and an amazing sequence on top of a mountain where the tunnelers were killed by machine gunners.

The duration of the movie is 178 minutes. The cast includes Steve McQueen, James Garner & Richard Attenborough.

The movie earned $44 million at the box office and was made in the USA.

Son of Saul (2015)

A Jewish worker (Géza Röhrig) at the Auschwitz concentration camp attempts to locate a rabbi so that he may give his infant a genuine burial during World War II. The duration of the movie is 107 minutes.

The cast includes Geza Rohrig, Levente Molnár & Urs Rechn. The movie earned $33 million at the box office and was made in Hungary.

Downfall (2004)

Downfall (2004) is a German film that tells the story of Adolf Hitler’s final days, as his secretary Traudl Junge recalls them. The film portrays Hitler as unworldly, incapable, and apathetic towards the unfolding events of World War II, despite being fully aware of what is happening around him. His negative qualities are not explicitly stated but are implicit to anyone watching the film; he is seen giving superficial answers to questions about world events, he yells at generals and statesmen, and he is unable to motivate his staff.

The duration of the movie is more than two and a half hours. The movie earned $77,346,08 in the United States. The cast includes Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Corinna Harfouch, Juliane Köhler.

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)

It is 1943, World War II is raging on, and the British army needs officers to lead the way. The best is Colonel Blimp. He can’t be best forever; he’s getting old. He’s not the best at everything anymore either – but he’s still best at what counts. As long as he can think like a colonel rather than like a general, “Blimp” will be fine.

This is where his nickname comes in; it is an acronym for “British Intelligence Military Protection of Enemy Reconnaissance Operations.” His officers give him this disguise to help him sneak around with German spies. But all the tricks in the world won’t keep you safe if you are careless, so Blimp takes on new responsibilities.

The duration of the movie is 166 minutes. The cast includes Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr & Anton Walbrook. The movie earned $183 million at the box office and was made in the United Kingdom.

Ivan’s Childhood (1962)

Ivan (Kolya Burlyayev) is a 12-year-old boy who is imprisoned in a German prison camp after the Nazis invade his Russian hamlet and slaughter his family. Ivan flees the camp and makes his way back to Russia, where he is taken under the care of Capt. Kholin (Valentin Zubkov) who wishes to enroll him in military school. Ivan refuses, asking instead that he be allowed to utilize his abilities of concealment to return to Germany and punish the Nazis for murdering his family.

The duration of the movie was 96 minutes. The cast includes Nikolai Burlyaev, Valentin Zubkov, and E. Zharikov. The movie earned $15 million at the box office and was made in the Soviet Union.

Hangmen Also Die! (1943)

During World War II, partisan Franticek Svoboda (Brian Donlevy) kills the ruthless German Governor Reinhard Heydrich (Hans Heinrich von Twardowski). After rescuing him, history professor Stephen Novotny (Walter Brennan) is taken captive, as well as 400 other Czechs through the machinations of Nazi sympathizer Emil Czaka (Gene Lockhart). The Czech POWs are then informed that if Svoboda does not surrender, they will be murdered.

The duration of the movie is 102 minutes. Hangmen Also Die stars Brian Donlevy, Anna Lee & Walter Brennan. The movie earned $85 million at the box office and was made in the United States.

From Here to Eternity (1953)

From Here to Eternity is a story that takes place in 1941 Pearl Harbor about an American Army Sergeant who is a disciplined man and has a lot of respect for the military. He meets a girl named Lorene, he falls madly in love with her, but she doesn’t have the best background, so his friends don’t approve at first. Then when they get married, things to start going downhill because he is away a lot, and she falls in love with another man.

The duration of the movie is 1h 58m, and it is definitely worth the watch. The movie earned $55 million at the box office. From Here to Eternity stars Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr.

Night And Fog (1956)

Night And Fog is a 1956 French documentary by director Alain Resnais dealing with the Holocaust. It was shown for the first time on April 26, 1955, at Cannes Film Festival, and won the best directing prize. Night And Fog is a story that takes place in Germany, Poland, and France. The story is about the concentration camps that have been liberated by Russian soldiers. They are trying to find survivors so they can help them get back home because there were dead bodies everywhere.

The duration of this film was 30 minutes long, but it’s definitely worth watching. The movie earned $21 million at the box office. The cast includes Alain Renais, Olga Goloubeva & Michel Bouquet.

Listen to Britain (1942)

A story about people who live in England during World War II. The film starts with a voice-over from broadcaster Edward R. Murrow, who states: “We see here what is best about England.” The next few minutes are devoted to outdoor sports, showing groups of people playing cricket, golf, tug of war, and other sports. There are also scenes of large crowds enjoying themselves at football games or watching boxing matches on big screens.

The duration of the movie is 20 minutes. The movie earned $150,000 in its first week of release. The cast includes Leonard Brockington, Joseph Macleod, Bud Flanagan, Chesney Allen.

The Dirty Dozen (1967)

The Dirty Dozen follows a band of criminal convicts who are drafted to participate in a suicide mission during WWII. The dangerous mission is considered by everyone to be a death sentence, but the convicts would rather be killed than languish in prison and go completely insane. After training for several weeks, the group is dropped into France and navigates their way to a château, where they find German officers and their ladies enjoying a party. Suddenly, the Germans spot the group and quickly find themselves under fire from all sides. The action-packed thrill ride that follows sees these dirty dozen fighting tooth-and-nail against overwhelming odds, using every dirty trick in the book to survive long enough so one of them can plunge an ax into Hitler’s head.

The duration of the movie is 120 minutes long, and it earned $15 million in its first week of release. The cast includes Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson & Ernest Borgnine.

Rome, Open City (1945)

The best war film ever, Rome Open City, is a black and white film set in Rome during the height of World War 2. This movie tells the story of an Italian man who goes into hiding to escape being captured by Nazis. He hides among Roman citizens who are also hiding from the regime. The city itself transforms into a living hell as citizens are rounded up, tortured, and killed.

The duration of the movie is 1h 45m. The cast includes Aldo Fabrizi, Anna Magnani, Marcello Pagliero, Vito Annichiarico.

Cross of Iron (1977)

Cross of Iron is a story about a German soldier during the Second World War. The story is inspired by the novel “The Willing Flesh” and follows a platoon of German soldiers who are fighting on the Eastern Front. Cpl. Rolf Steiner (James Coburn) is a well-respected member of the German army and an Iron Cross winner during World War II. Capt. Hauptmann Stransky (Maximilian Schell) is envious of Steiner’s award, and they clash while leading troops into battle on the Russian front. Desperate to get his own Iron Cross, Stransky takes all the credit for a major assault, which ignites a fierce rivalry with Steiner.

The duration of the movie is around two hours and forty minutes. The cast includes James Coburn, Maximilian Schell, and James Mason.

Kanal (1956)

Kanal (1956) is a Polish film about the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 made by Andrzej Wajda. The movie is about how Polish Resistance fights against German soldiers in Warsaw, and civilians do what they can to survive while waiting for Allied Forces. The tale of a group of Home Army resistance fighters fleeing the Nazi invasion via the city’s sewers.

The duration of this best world war two movie is around two hours forty minutes which made it one of the best World War Two Movies. The cast includes: Tadeusz Lomnicki, Zbigniew Cybulski and Waclaw Zastrzezynski. It earned around $172 million.

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Grave of the Fireflies (1988) is a story of Seita and his four-year-old sister, Setsuko. They are trying to survive the hardships of World War II. Their mother dies in an air raid in their small town outside Kobe, Japan. After her death, they go live with a relative who doesn’t want them there, so after a while, he decides that it would be best for him if he put them in an orphanage. The kids refuse to go, and their relative gives up on the idea of putting them there; instead, he gets some kind of job with Seita’s father, which allows him to pay for food but not much else. Setsuko falls ill almost immediately; she dies before her fifth birthday (and before they can be reunited with her father).

The duration of the movie is around one hour and forty minutes. The movie earned $12 million. The cast includes Izumi Takahashi, Tsutomu Tatsumi & Ayano Shiraishi.

The Big Red One (1980)

Sergeant (Lee Marvin) leads a squad of U.S. Army soldiers in North Africa during World War II. The film follows them from their training through the landing in Sicily, and then to the liberation of Paris, and finally into Germany, where they encounter concentration camps at Landsberg and Dachau.

The duration of the movie is around two hours. The cast includes Mark Hamill, Robert Carradine, and Kelly Ward. It earned $36 million at the box office, which makes it one of the best World War Two Movies as well as best war movies of all time.

A Matter of Life and Death (1946)

The story begins in 1944, during the height of World War II. RAF pilot Peter Carter (David Niven) suffers from a fear of flying but is ordered into duty despite knowing that the odds of surviving are one to three. In combat, he encounters flak which causes him to lose control of the plane. He attempts to land the plane on its belly but only succeeds in plowing through a house.

A Matter of Life and Death is a British film from 1946, directed by David Lean. It stars David Niven as an RAF pilot who survives a near-suicide mission and believes he has been invulnerable to death.

The duration of the movie is around one hour and fifty minutes. The movie earned $483,000 at the box office, which makes it the best war movie of all time as well as the best World War Two Movies.

The Cranes Are Flying (1957)

The Cranes Are Flying is a 1957 Soviet war film about the Red Army’s Women’s Battalion of Death. It follows the lives of three women, Olga (Natalya Seleznyova), Zhenya (Tatyana Doronina), and Tamara (Lyudmila Solntseva), as they prepare to defend their country from World War II.

Shortly after graduation, best friends Olga, Zhenya, and Tamara are recruited by the Women’s Battalion of Death. Each believes that their service will be brief and their talents best used outside of Russia. Through various letters home, they share the stark realities of the war on the Eastern Front. They soon realize that it is best to be prepared for anything.

The duration of the movie is 93 minutes. The movie earned $11,200 in its initial run.

Dunkirk (2017)

Around the time of World War II, Veronika (Tatyana Samoylova) and Boris (Aleksey Batalov) meet in Moscow. They watch cranes soar overhead as they stroll along the river, agreeing to reunite before Boris boards a train to fight. Veronika awaits on the sidelines as Boris is away on duty, and Veronika misses the meeting and goes to the front lines. After her home is destroyed, Veronika moves in with Boris’ family, where she lives among a friend of his cousin with similar objectives.

The duration of the movie is around one hour and forty-seven minutes. The cast includes Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance. It earned $188 million at the box office, which makes the best World War Two Movies as well best war movies of all time.

Went the Day Well? (1942)

The best thing about this movie is that it’s the most realistic World War II movie, and it’s not based on a book or a play. The story is set in Britain, and the best thing about this one is that it was shot during the war itself. It doesn’t have any of those Hollywood cliches.

In a tiny English town, the arrival of a car is cause for celebration. When lorryloads of Royal Engineers arrive led by Major Ortler, the villagers have no reason to believe they are disguised German paratroopers.

The duration of the movie is around one hour and twenty-three minutes. The best cast includes David Niven, Leslie Banks, Basil Sydney. It earned $22 million at the box office, which makes the best World War Two Movies as well best war movies of all time.

Das Boot (1981)

It’s about the Allied Forces’ hunt for German U-boats in the North Atlantic amidst fears of an Axis victory. During World War II, a German submarine is underway in the Atlantic Ocean, crewed by individuals who must struggle with tense squabbles and lengthy periods of monotonous duty. Werner (Herbert Grönemeyer) is a war reporter assigned to document the daily lives of the crew aboard an underwater vessel. The grizzled captain (Jürgen Prochnow) struggles to maintain his enthusiasm as he attempts to keep up morale in the face of vicious fights,

The duration of the movie is around two hours and thirty-six minutes. The cast includes Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann, Mario Adorf. It earned $80 million at the box office, which makes the best World War Two Movies as well best war movies of all time.

Shoah (1985)

A nine-and-a-half-hour film, Shoah, is a French documentary that explores the Holocaust through interviews with survivors and witnesses. Director Claude Lanzmann spent ten years making this nonfiction epic—without narration or archival footage—that follows his journey through Poland to interview those who survived Nazi death camps. The result was an incredibly powerful film that takes on the task of trying to understand what it means for humanity to do evil.

The duration of the movie is about nine and a half hours. The movie earned $15 million at the box office worldwide. The film is written and directed by Claude Lanzmann, with Simon Srebnik, Michael Podchlebnik, Motke Zaïdl, and Hanna Zaïdl in lead roles.

Schindler’s List (1993)

Schindler’s List is a 1993 film about Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved the lives of more than 1000 Polish-Jewish refugees during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories. The story is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Thomas Keneally. It was directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Steven Zaillian, and stars Liam Neeson as Schindler.

The duration of the movie is 197 minutes (or roughly three and a half hours) long. The movie earned $96 million at the box office. The cast includes Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, and Caroline Goodall.

The Thin Red Line (1998)

The Thin Red Line is a 1998 American epic war film written and directed by Terrence Malick. It depicts the Battle of Mount Austen, which is best known as the Battle of Guadalcanal. The film tells the story of Private Witt (James Caviezel), who joins the battle against Japanese forces after being dropped off by American World War II marines on Guadalcanal’s beach. Initially beset by images of his sweetheart back home, he perseveres with the help of buddies Sergeant Welsh (Sean Penn), Lieutenant Colonel Tall (Nick Nolte), and Medic Fife (John Cusack). He gradually becomes more accustomed to combat before being killed in action.

Time duration of this movie is 171 minutes. The movie earned $36,76 million at the box office.  The cast includes Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Ben Chaplin, and John Cusack.

Come and See (1985)

Florya (Aleksey Kravchenko) leaves his village in Byelorussia to join the weary Resistance fighters after a German attack on his hamlet. While fleeing from the Bolsheviks, Florya meets a young girl who helps him return to his rural home. When Florya returns home, he discovers that his family and fellow peasants have been murdered. His continued survival amid the cruel wreckage of war becomes more nightmarish as a fight between despair and hope ensues.

The duration of the movie is 138 minutes. The cast includes Aleksei Kravchenko as Flora, Galina Vishnevskaya as Mother, Sergei Nikonenko as Father, Anatoly Solonitsyn as Yasha, Nikolay Grinko as Civilian Sender/Villager, Vladimir Etush as Civilian Sender/Villager. It earned $6 million at the box office worldwide.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the best world war two movies should be watched by anyone interested in learning about history. They are the best films you can watch to learn more about this era of human history and the events that took place during it.

Joshua Garner

Joshua calls himself nerd+geek who is also passionate about rugby. He enjoys comics, animes, and science fiction. He finds his comfort in writing about suspense, thrillers and science fiction shows and movies.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *