For fans of war movies, Max is a must-have streaming service, as the combined film libraries of HBO and Turner Classic Movies (TCM), with some Criterion Collection masterpieces sprinkled in as well, provide a number of great choices. Among the over 2,200 films currently available to stream on Max are some classic films of the genre, including several from the American Film Institute's Top 100 Films of All Time. They include war films from Hollywood's golden age, as well as modern masterpieces from legendary directors.
War films are a unique genre, combining elements of action and drama, and often adding historical aspects and biographies to form a narrative. The result is a film unlike other cinematic offerings, offering both exhilaration and a moral lesson. We've assembled a list (in alphabetical order) of the best war movies available to stream on Max right now. For this list, we're limiting our selection to films that focus on battle and the soldier's experience. That means films like Casablanca and Gone With The Wind, romantic dramas set against the backdrop of war, aren't included.
9 Dunkirk (2017)
Dunkirk is a hybrid war film that has the makings of a survival drama told at the pace of a thriller. The film stays true to Christopher Nolan’s stylistic tendencies, working on parallel timelines paired with larger-than-life action sequences and Hoyte Van Hoytema’s nightmarishly claustrophobic cinematography.
Based on the Dunkirk evacuation of WWII, the film shed light on the rescue of more than 300,000 Allied soldiers, saved from death at the hands of the marching Germans. Much like most of Nolan's work, Dunkirk packs a visceral punch that stays with the viewer long after the credits have rolled.
8 The Battle of Algiers (1966)
Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers is more than a film, it's a deep dive into the reality of war, oppression, and violence. Revolving around the Algerian war, Pontecorvo’s film feels and tastes like a documentary, it's that visceral. With The Battle of Algiers, Pontecorvo chose to simulate the authenticity of the battle by using actual locations and setups, where the conflict took place.
Primarily fought between the Algerian people and the French colonial government, The Battle of Algiers isn't a propaganda film that picks a side from the distance, it rather stays neutral, offering a humanistic perspective on both parties involved in the war.
7 Battleship Potemkin (1925)
Considering the current context of the Russian-Ukrainian war and the Wagner mutiny, Battleship Potemkin serves as an apt reminder of the harsh realities of war and the cost it comes at. Battleship Potemkin is based on the 1905 mutiny that took place on the Russian Battleship Potemkin where soldiers rebelled against their superiors after being treated like animals and fed a diet of rancid meat and infested food, causing catastrophe and mayhem to ensue onboard the ship. It's simply one of the most important films ever made.
6 Braveheart (1995)
Mel Gibson's populist masterwork Braveheart tells the true story of William Wallace, the Scottish warrior who led his people's fight for independence from England and King Edward I. Braveheart isn't a traditional war film, as Wallace was initially a rebel with a small band of fighters. However, the uprising becomes an all-out medieval war, with Wallace leading an army of thousands as he defeated England's army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297, when he was only 27 years old.
Despite the 700+ years that have passed since the film's events, the motivations and dedication among warriors ancient and modern remains the same. It's those similarities that make Braveheart a relatable film (if not the most historically accurate), while Gibson's direction and Randall Wallace's epic screenplay make it a timeless classic.
5 The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
The Oscar winner for Best Picture of 1957, The Bridge on the River Kwai is based on the Pierre Boulle novel, which was loosely based on real-life events. Set in Burma during World War II, the film tells the story of British POWs forced to build a bridge by their Japanese captors. A team of American soldiers, however, is planning to blow up the bridge before the Japanese can use it. Alec Guinness, William Holden, Jack Hawkins, and Sessue Hayakawa all give outstanding performances, and the film's ending is legendary.
Guinness, who would go on to play Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars 20 years later, won the Academy Award for Best Actor, and David Lean (Lawrence of Arabia) won Best Director. The film took home seven Oscars of the eight it was nominated for, and has a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
4 The Hurt Locker (2008)
The 2008 Oscar winner for Best Picture, The Hurt Locker explores the chaos of the Iraq War through the dangers faced by a bomb disposal unit, led by SSgt. William James (Jeremy Renner). More than a decade before they would pair up for the Avengers films for Marvel, Renner is joined by Anthony Mackie, who thinks Renner's James is too reckless and will get them all killed. The film is both a thrill ride and a sobering reflection on the effects of the war.
Director Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win the Oscar for Best Director, and Jeremy Renner earned a Best Actor nomination for his performance. The film would win six Oscars in all, and Bigelow would go on to direct the 2012 Best Picture nominee Zero Dark Thirty.
3 Platoon (1986)
Oliver Stone drew upon his own experiences as a Vietnam veteran when he wrote the screenplay for Platoon in 1971. He had approached The Doors' frontman Jim Morrison to play the lead, but the singer died soon after, with the script found in his apartment (Stone would later make a film about Morrison, The Doors). He finally brought it to the screen in 1986, after winning a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for Midnight Express. Charlie Sheen took the lead role as a naive new arrival in-country, only to find the Vietnam War is not the noble cause he thought it would be.
Stone cast both Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe against their usual type, as sergeants whose conflicting personalities have devastating consequences. The two earned Best Supporting Actor nominations for their performances, and Platoon would win four Oscars, including Best Director for Stone. The film struck a nerve with the country, which seemed ready to come to terms with the war, a little more than a decade after it ended.
2 Seven Samurai (1954)
Hear us out. Director Akira Kurosawa's epic Seven Samurai embraced all the best elements of war films. The logistics of combat, the motivations of duty and responsibility, and the brotherhood of warriors who fight together. It is also a story about the nobility of sacrifice, and the film's themes have inspired countless war films since.
The film follows seven warriors who take a job protecting a farming village from raiders who come and steal their food. When the threat from the raiders is more than they can handle, the samurai must decide if they will stay and fight for honor and the sake of the farmers and their families. Kurosawa's storied career produced a number of cinematic classics, but Seven Samurai remains among his best. The film earned two Oscar nominations upon its release.
1 Windtalkers (2002)
Director John Woo's epic, Windtalkers, tells the true story of the Navajo Marines who used their own language to create an unbreakable code that saved thousands of lives during World War II. Nicolas Cage is fantastic as a soldier who is assigned to protect the Navajo soldiers (including Adam Beach). Although Woo focuses a bit too much on the action scenes, there's an excellent, often overlooked story from Native American history at its core, making the film required viewing. Cage was so impressed by the real-life story, he learned to speak Navajo fluently while making the film.