10 Underrated War Movies That Are Almost Perfect

Hollywood has always had a keen interest in war cinema, as sadly real-life events have made the genre be continuously relevant. Although Hollywood had certainly made many films about significant conflicts before World War II, the war ended up boosting the film industry when many veterans returned back and began sharing their experiences. Similarly, the “New Hollywood” movement emerged as many young filmmakers began exploring the ramifications of the Vietnam War, both literally and through metaphors.

Not every war film is able to become a breakout success in the vein of classics like Saving Private Ryan or Oppenheimher, even if they deserved to be witnessed by a much more significant audience. Although many war films deal with challenging subjects, they have the potential to be both inspirational and engaging. Here are ten underrated war movies that are pretty much perfect.

10

‘Lifeboat’ (1944)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Tallulah Bankhead, Hume Cronyn, Mary Anderson, John Hodiak, and Henry Hull in Lifeboat (1944)
Image via 20th Century Fox

Lifeboat is one of the most underrated films directed by Alfred Hitchcock, as it tends to not receive as much acclaim when compared to other classics like Psycho, Rear Window, and Vertigo. Set during World War II, Lifeboat examines a group of survivors of a naval battle that have to band together on a raft, and must decide what to do when one of them is a member of the German military.

Lifeboat showed just how brilliantly Hitchcock could create tension through the use of a confined location, as the entirety of the film takes place on the raft. Although the film had some interesting things to say about the relative nature of morality in the time of war, it ended up not having the same cultural impact as some of Hitchcock’s other films, even if he did earn a nomination for Best Director at the Academy Awards.

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9

‘A Hidden Life’ (2019)

Directed by Terrence Malick

A Hidden Life’ (2019) (1)
Image via Fox Searchlight

A Hidden Life is another arthouse gem from Terrence Malick, a filmmaker who works so infrequently that it feels like every single one of his projects is an event. Although A Hidden Life is ostensibly based on the inspiring true story of an Austrian farmer who refused to swear loyalty to Adolf Hitler in World War II, it reaches a more spiritual place as it explores themes of loyalty, morality, and spiritualism.

A Hidden Life is one of the most emotionally overwhelming films that Malick has ever made, and marked a major return for him after previous efforts like Song to Song and Knight of Cups received more backlash. Although it sadly was shut out of any major awards consideration, A Hidden Life is a film that may be regarded as an all-time great masterpiece within the next few decades.

A Hidden Life Movie Poster

A Hidden Life

Release Date

December 11, 2019

Director

Terrence Malick

Runtime

180 minutes

Writers

Terrence Malick

Rent on Apple TV

8

‘The Year of Living Dangerously’ (1982)

Directed by Peter Weir

Mel Gibson and Sigourney Weaver in The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
Image via MGM

The Year of Living Dangerously is a powerful true historical drama from director Peter Weir, who is often not given enough credit for being one of the most versatile filmmakers of all-time. Set during the Indian revolution of the 1960s, The Year of Living Dangerously explores a romantic affair between an earnest Australian journalist (Mel Gibson) and a British diplomat (Sigourney Weaver) as they try to make sense of the violence that surrounds them.

The Year of Living Dangerously is an epic that spans several years of time, but is always able to explore its historical information by the ways in which it affects the characters. Although the film was seen as a major step forward for Weir as a director, it did not earn him as much as he would later receive for Witness, The Truman Show, and Master and Commander: Far Side of the World.

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7

‘Tigerland’ (2000)

Directed by Joel Schumacher

Tigerland
Image via 20th Century Studios 

Tigerland had a very different approach to the notion of the Vietnam War, as it was stylistically very distinct from the films that had been made during the “New Hollywood” era. The film explores a group of soldiers who prepare for their upcoming arrival in Vietnam by attending training boot camp, and features a noteworthy performance by Colin Farrell that ended up turning him into a much more significant star.

The films of Joel Schumacher did not always earn the attention that they deserved during his lifetime, as his style was seen as highly experimental, but many have been ripe for cultural rediscovery in wake of his passing and received more praise. Tigerland was not only an interesting deconstruction of masculinity and the psychology of war, but an early example of why Farrell is one of the best actors of his generation.

Watch on Hulu

6

‘Breaker Morant’ (1980)

Directed by Bruce Beresford

Three soldiers standing by in 'Breaker Morant'
Image via Roadside Show Distributors

Breaker Morant is a powerful Australian war film that centers on three soldiers that are court-martialed for executing unarmed combatants during a conflict, even though they were acting under orders from their commander. Although the crimes they are accused of were certainly horrific, Breaker Morant was able to explore the complexity of the situation by cutting in between flashbacks of different events.

Breaker Morant is both an excellent war film and a great courtroom drama, as it goes to great lengths to examine the way that the military legal process worked, and how justice was applied. Although the events within Australian history that it covered were ripe for controversy, Breaker Morant was able to examine the different perspectives involved in this era in history, and ultimately allowed the audience to make their own determination of which party was acting in the right.

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5

‘A Midnight Clear’ (1992)

Directed by Keith Gordon

A Midnight Clear
Image via InterStar Releasing 

A Midnight Clear is an underrated World War II film set during the Christmas season, as it centers on a group of American soldiers that end up reaching a brief ceasefire with a squad of German operatives. Although initially it feels like they might be able to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict, tensions and misunderstandings between the two sides begin to emerge, leading to a violent brawl as the result of a critical miscommunication.

A Midnight Clear examined the dramatic irony of war, and features a truly incredible performance by Ethan Hawke that indicated that he had evolved since his days as a child star. While not one of the most famous World War II films ever made, A Midnight Clear is certainly an underrated gem that is worth revisiting every once in a while, particularly during the holiday season.

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4

‘The Eagle Has Landed’ (1976)

Directed by John Sturges

Steiner (Michael Caine) in a military uniform in 'The Eagle Has Landed' (1)
Image via Columbia Pictures

The Eagle Has Landed is a great World War II adventure thriller that felt like a throwback to the types of films that were made during the war itself. Michael Caine and Donald Sutherland finally teamed up to play German commandos that were assigned the task of kidnapping Winston Churchill, which could end up turning the tide of the war against the Allied Forces.

The Eagle Has Landed combines epic action with the type of suspense often found in espionage films, as the characters are forced to go undercover when they end up infiltrating Great Britain. Although it was one of the few World War II films that portrayed the German characters in a positive light, The Eagle Has Landed was able to stand as its own original adventure story, and did not feel like it was promoting fascism because the plot itself was entirely fictitious.

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3

‘Zulu’ (1964)

Directed by Cy Endfield

Image of the two lead actors from 'Zulu' (1964)
Image via Paramount Pictures

Zulu is often seen as the definitive film about the infamous Battle of Rorke’s Drift in 1979, in which the British Army waged a massive battle with the Zulu Empire. It was a controversial event that has unfortunately been scrubbed from many historical retrospectives, but Zulu was able to show both sides of the conflict in a relatively balanced way.

Zulu was renowned for the incredible set pieces and large scale battles that it depicted, as it was working with significant resources that would be afforded to the war epics of later years. Although the massive running time might be a turn off for viewers who want a more condensed version of history, Zulu is such an engaging work of epic filmmaking that it warrants a viewing by anyone that considers themselves to be a serious cinephile that cares about the artform.

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2

‘The Caine Mutiny’ (1954)

Directed by Edward Dmytrk

Humphrey Bogart as Philip Francis Queeg standing among soldiers in The Caine Mutiny
Image via Columbia Pictures

The Caine Mutiny is based on an acclaimed stage play about two members of a military vessel that begin to suspect that their commanding officer is no longer capable of making sound decisions. Although the source material ended up inspiring many different interpretations, the 1954 film was distinct thanks to the incredible lead performance by Humphrey Bogart, who received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Although Bogart has given many great performances, The Caine Mutiny was one of the few instances in which he got to play a true villain.

The Caine Mutiny explores the ethical ambiguities of warfare, and how loyalty can often come at the cost of the greater good. Although the film does capture the same level of emotional authenticity that is often reserved only for stage productions, it also includes enough epic action sequences that indicate that it could only have been completed as a film production.

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1

‘Ashes and Diamonds’ (1958)

Directed by Andrej Wadja

Ashes and Diamonds - 1958
Image via Janus Films

Ashes and Diamonds is a brilliant film about the post-war era of World War II, as it centers around a Polish operative that is able to infiltrate a Communist movement, and is later assigned the task of executing one of its leaders. Even though the real Cold War was going on at the time that the film was released, Ashes and Diamonds was able to explore the differences between socialism and democracy in an interesting way.

Ashes of Diamonds is one of the most intense films ever made, even though it features less action than other war films. It is not hard to see how the depiction of an undercover agent trying to mask his identity in Ashes and Diamonds inspired many other great films that center on different historical eras, such as Serpico, Donnie Brasco, The Departed, and BlacKkKlansman.

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