The best war movies of all time

TOPICAL scores 426 films listed as war; here are the top 250, best first. The top three are Schindler's List (1993), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Apocalypse Now (1979). A film can be in more than one genre. The last column is each film's rank among all 6,624 films.

Rank	Film	Year	Score	All-time rank
1	Schindler's List	1993	98.3	5
2	Lawrence of Arabia	1962	97.7	8
3	Apocalypse Now	1979	97.4	10
4	Gone with the Wind	1939	96.4	17
5	The Bridge on the River Kwai	1957	95.2	28
6	Saving Private Ryan	1998	94.5	35
7	Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb	1964	94.2	38
8	The Pianist	2002	94.0	41
9	The Deer Hunter	1978	93.3	50
10	Platoon	1986	91.5	76
11	The Best Years of Our Lives	1946	89.8	106
12	The Great Dictator	1940	89.3	114
13	Dunkirk	2017	88.2	137
14	The Hurt Locker	2008	88.1	140
15	Patton	1970	87.1	161
16	From Here to Eternity	1953	86.8	168
17	Pan's Labyrinth	2006	86.7	170
18	Inglourious Basterds	2009	86.5	175
19	The Battle of Algiers	1966	86.2	182
20	The English Patient	1996	85.7	195
21	All Quiet on the Western Front	1930	85.5	200
22	Grave of the Fireflies	1988	85.4	201
23	Paths of Glory	1957	84.8	216
24	The African Queen	1951	84.5	225
25	The Imitation Game	2014	83.9	240
26	Hacksaw Ridge	2016	83.8	243
27	1917	2019	83.3	257
28	Glory	1989	82.9	269
29	Doctor Zhivago	1965	81.7	304
30	Das Boot	1981	81.4	311
31	All Quiet on the Western Front	2022	81.3	314
32	The Longest Day	1962	79.5	371
33	Full Metal Jacket	1987	79.4	376
34	Braveheart	1995	79.1	386
35	Incendies	2010	78.3	414
36	Mrs. Miniver	1942	78.1	421
37	Quo Vadis, Aida?	2020	77.1	455
38	The Zone of Interest	2023	77.1	456
39	Ivan's Childhood	1962	77.0	457
40	The Thin Red Line	1998	76.6	473
41	The Killing Fields	1984	76.3	484
42	The General	1926	76.3	485
43	Battleship Potemkin	1925	76.2	489
44	MAS*H	1970	76.0	496
45	Waltz with Bashir	2008	75.7	505
46	The Cranes Are Flying	1957	75.5	513
47	Son of Saul	2015	74.9	538
48	Downfall	2004	74.9	539
49	Au Revoir les Enfants	1987	74.7	545
50	Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World	2003	74.2	565
51	The Great Escape	1963	74.2	566
52	Grand Illusion	1937	73.9	576
53	Wings	1927	73.6	588
54	Forbidden Games	1952	72.9	619
55	War and Peace	1965	72.2	646
56	Jojo Rabbit	2019	72.1	651
57	The Guns of Navarone	1961	71.4	683
58	Letters from Iwo Jima	2006	71.3	687
59	Rome, Open City	1945	70.6	716
60	Hotel Rwanda	2004	70.5	719
61	Kagemusha	1980	70.4	726
62	20 Days in Mariupol	2023	69.3	773
63	Underground	1995	69.2	778
64	Come and See	1985	68.9	793
65	Coming Home	1978	68.7	802
66	Empire of the Sun	1987	68.6	807
67	Sophie's Choice	1982	67.5	858
68	Sergeant York	1941	67.0	885
69	Good Morning, Vietnam	1987	66.9	886
70	Twelve O'Clock High	1949	66.8	895
71	The Dirty Dozen	1967	66.7	900
72	No Man's Land	2001	66.6	902
73	Born on the Fourth of July	1989	66.5	907
74	The Wind That Shakes the Barley	2006	66.5	910
75	Two Women	1960	66.3	918
76	Black Hawk Down	2001	65.8	941
77	American Sniper	2014	65.4	963
78	War Horse	2011	64.7	999
79	The Shop on Main Street	1965	63.6	1,054
80	Duck Soup	1933	63.2	1,076
81	Mister Roberts	1955	63.1	1,084
82	Timbuktu	2014	62.9	1,091
83	Virunga	2014	62.9	1,092
84	Stalag 17	1953	62.1	1,138
85	Henry V	1989	61.3	1,180
86	The Last Samurai	2003	61.2	1,183
87	To Be or Not to Be	1942	61.2	1,184
88	Legends of the Fall	1994	60.9	1,201
89	Cold Mountain	2003	60.7	1,215
90	The Tin Drum	1979	60.6	1,218
91	War for the Planet of the Apes	2017	60.4	1,231
92	The Great War	1959	60.2	1,239
93	The Last of the Mohicans	1992	59.7	1,271
94	The Last Metro	1980	59.4	1,287
95	Land of Mine	2015	59.2	1,297
96	The Train	1964	58.8	1,320
97	To Have and Have Not	1944	58.4	1,345
98	Paisan	1946	57.8	1,379
99	Closely Watched Trains	1966	57.3	1,408
100	Henry V	1944	57.3	1,411
101	The Caine Mutiny	1954	57.0	1,429
102	The Bridge	1959	56.7	1,450
103	Shanghai Express	1932	56.6	1,453
104	Fury	2014	55.9	1,498
105	Tropic Thunder	2008	55.7	1,506
106	Crimson Tide	1995	55.4	1,529
107	The Breadwinner	2017	55.4	1,530
108	Mediterraneo	1991	54.8	1,564
109	Gallipoli	1981	54.7	1,571
110	Ballad of a Soldier	1959	54.3	1,596
111	The Counterfeiters	2007	54.2	1,605
112	Friendly Persuasion	1956	54.1	1,608
113	For Whom the Bell Tolls	1942	53.4	1,652
114	Birdy	1984	53.1	1,670
115	The Long Voyage Home	1940	53.0	1,682
116	The Sand Pebbles	1966	52.7	1,698
117	The King	2019	52.5	1,715
118	Before the Rain	1994	52.1	1,739
119	The Last Command	1928	51.9	1,750
120	Tora! Tora! Tora!	1970	51.8	1,757
121	The Quiet American	2002	51.8	1,759
122	Fail Safe	1964	51.5	1,775
123	Enemy at the Gates	2001	51.4	1,783
124	Hope and Glory	1987	51.3	1,794
125	A Farewell to Arms	1932	50.9	1,818
126	The Patriot	2000	50.9	1,819
127	Tangerines	2013	50.6	1,840
128	Michael Collins	1996	50.1	1,871
129	The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!	1966	50.1	1,874
130	Ship of Fools	1965	50.1	1,875
131	Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan	2007	49.9	1,888
132	Greyhound	2019	49.8	1,891
133	Beasts of No Nation	2015	49.7	1,900
134	Richard III	1995	49.5	1,916
135	Ashes and Diamonds	1958	49.0	1,946
136	Joyeux Noel	2005	48.9	1,958
137	Rob Roy	1995	48.6	1,975
138	300	2006	48.5	1,982
139	In Which We Serve	1942	48.5	1,984
140	Kanal	1957	48.4	1,992
141	Casualties of War	1989	47.8	2,029
142	Black Book	2006	47.8	2,033
143	The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas	2008	47.5	2,056
144	Three Kings	1999	47.2	2,077
145	Hearts and Minds	1974	47.0	2,089
146	Lone Survivor	2013	46.7	2,113
147	General Della Rovere	1959	46.6	2,118
148	A Very Long Engagement	2004	46.5	2,125
149	Lacombe, Lucien	1974	46.5	2,127
150	Kingdom of Heaven	2005	46.4	2,132
151	49th Parallel	1941	46.0	2,158
152	The Birth of a Nation	1915	45.8	2,178
153	The Big Parade	1925	45.7	2,185
154	Don't Look Now... We're Being Shot At!	1966	45.4	2,208
155	Brothers	2009	45.3	2,215
156	Gunga Din	1939	45.0	2,235
157	Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport	2000	44.8	2,248
158	The Fall of the Roman Empire	1964	44.7	2,255
159	Breaker Morant	1980	44.7	2,259
160	Seven Beauties	1975	43.9	2,314
161	The Alamo	1960	43.6	2,336
162	Where Eagles Dare	1968	43.6	2,342
163	Europa Europa	1990	43.5	2,345
164	Lifeboat	1944	43.5	2,348
165	Katyn	2007	43.4	2,351
166	Alexander Nevsky	1938	43.2	2,372
167	A Bridge Too Far	1977	43.1	2,379
168	The Messenger	2009	42.9	2,390
169	Unbroken	2014	42.6	2,413
170	Kelly's Heroes	1970	42.5	2,424
171	Black and White in Color	1976	42.3	2,437
172	Salvador	1986	42.2	2,448
173	Flags of Our Fathers	2006	41.7	2,488
174	El Cid	1961	41.6	2,489
175	Nicholas and Alexandra	1971	41.6	2,495
176	Operation Petticoat	1959	41.1	2,528
177	Valkyrie	2008	41.1	2,529
178	Paradise Now	2005	40.7	2,559
179	Hail the Conquering Hero	1944	40.4	2,584
180	Battleground	1950	40.3	2,595
181	War and Peace	1956	40.1	2,612
182	Khartoum	1966	40.0	2,619
183	The Burmese Harp	1956	39.7	2,640
184	The Bridges at Toko-Ri	1954	39.6	2,652
185	Sahara	1943	39.5	2,655
186	The Gatekeepers	2012	39.0	2,695
187	Johnny Got His Gun	1971	39.0	2,697
188	Da 5 Bloods	2020	38.8	2,712
189	Under Fire	1983	38.5	2,736
190	The Young Lions	1958	38.3	2,757
191	Beau Geste	1939	37.9	2,787
192	Allied	2016	37.8	2,797
193	Sands of Iwo Jima	1949	37.7	2,806
194	Five Graves to Cairo	1943	37.5	2,819
195	Civil War	2024	37.4	2,828
196	Sunflower	1970	37.3	2,838
197	The Enemy Below	1957	37.2	2,841
198	We Were Soldiers	2002	37.2	2,842
199	Waterloo	1970	36.8	2,880
200	The Secret of Santa Vittoria	1969	36.7	2,882
201	Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison	1957	36.7	2,887
202	Restrepo	2010	36.6	2,890
203	Entre Nous	1983	36.5	2,905
204	Escape to Victory	1981	36.4	2,913
205	The Assault	1986	36.2	2,926
206	In Darkness	2011	36.1	2,934
207	Cavalcade	1933	35.6	2,973
208	The Eagle Has Landed	1976	35.6	2,975
209	The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc	1999	35.6	2,981
210	Exodus	1960	35.5	2,985
211	They Were Expendable	1945	35.2	3,009
212	The Americanization of Emily	1964	34.9	3,035
213	U-571	2000	34.7	3,057
214	Defiance	2008	34.6	3,062
215	Story of G.I. Joe	1945	34.5	3,066
216	Is Paris Burning?	1966	34.5	3,070
217	A War	2015	34.3	3,086
218	Prisoner of the Mountains	1996	33.8	3,129
219	The Pied Piper	1942	33.7	3,142
220	Decision Before Dawn	1951	33.4	3,168
221	Jarhead	2005	33.0	3,202
222	The Flowers of War	2011	32.8	3,217
223	Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo	1944	32.8	3,218
224	A Walk in the Sun	1945	32.8	3,219
225	The Four Days of Naples	1962	32.7	3,223
226	War Witch	2012	32.5	3,245
227	Five Broken Cameras	2011	32.2	3,267
228	The Long Way Home	1997	32.1	3,275
229	Courage Under Fire	1996	31.9	3,292
230	Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie	1988	31.7	3,315
231	Heartbreak Ridge	1986	31.4	3,337
232	Northwest Passage	1940	31.2	3,355
233	K-19: The Widowmaker	2002	31.1	3,365
234	The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell	1955	31.1	3,370
235	Battle of Britain	1969	30.9	3,382
236	The Dawns Here Are Quiet	1972	30.6	3,406
237	Battle for Sevastopol	2015	30.5	3,421
238	The Cardinal	1963	30.5	3,423
239	Air Force	1943	30.3	3,439
240	Twin Sisters	2002	30.2	3,448
241	The Sound Barrier	1952	30.1	3,452
242	Cross of Iron	1977	29.9	3,470
243	13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi	2016	29.8	3,479
244	Senso	1954	29.5	3,513
245	Pearl Harbor	2001	29.2	3,538
246	Morituri	1965	28.9	3,562
247	Days of Glory	2006	28.9	3,565
248	Battle of the Bulge	1965	28.7	3,582
249	Captain Newman, M.D.	1963	28.0	3,643
250	The North Star	1943	28.0	3,648