Yahoo! Users' Top-Rated War Movies

12/23/08

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Hollywood has gone to war this holiday season. Specifically, World War II. No fewer that seven films set in and around WWII are being released between November and the end of the year. And with the highest profile picture, Tom Cruise's "Valkyrie," marching into theaters on Christmas Day, we have compiled this list of the top war movies, as voted by Yahoo! users. By comparing the average grade and the number of ratings, we've ranked your thirty favorites.

And if you don't agree with where a particular movie is ranked, click the link in the film's title to add your own review.

Photo by Warner Bros. Pictures, Everett Collection30. THREE KINGS (1999)

"Three Kings is by far one of the greatest war films I've ever seen." -- movieman031992

Photo by Warner Bros. Pictures, Everett Collection29. GUNGA DIN (1939)

"Anyone who's seen Star Wars or Indiana Jones knows that Steven and George both love this movie! Large parts of it have shown up in other movies over the years - but this was the first and best of them." -- crowswork

Photo by Casbah/Igor/The Kobal Collection, WireImage28. THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS (1967)

"Watch this film! You will see the world in a different perspective." -- RVDe

Photo by Universal Pictures, Everett Collection27. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)

"This brutally honest portrayal of warfare as a loss of innocence is ahead of its time. The characters give stark performances of honesty, displaying real emotions. There is no fashioned heroism here and none of the plot seems contrived." -- mitchelloplis2

Photo by United Artists, Everett Collection26. PATHS OF GLORY (1958)

"This was a wonderful movie. Very few war movies are of this caliber. This is a must see if you are into World War One history." sirius_m42

Photo by Columbia Pictures/The Kobal Collection, WireImage25. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)

"From Here to Eternity may not be one of my all time favorite movies, but it is surely a great one. A masterpiece of sorts." -- joshuabsa

Photo by Columbia Pictures, Everett Collection24. DAS BOOT (1981)

"Absolute hanging-by-your-fingernails suspense. Superb acting and story." -- gregorysawyer

Photo by United Artists/The Kobal Collection, WireImage23. THE GREAT ESCAPE

"One of my all time favorite movies. The story, direction, acting are all top class. The film is non-stop entertainment from start to finish." -- arm238

Photo by Constantin Film/The Kobal Collection, WireImage22. DOWNFALL (2005)

"I had my doubts at first, considering the potentially dangerous topic of the film. But after seeing this, I was shocked and amazed." -- eb_sameer

Photo by Warner Bros. Pictures, Everett Collection21. SERGEANT YORK (1941)

"I'm not an 'old movie' buff. Just the opposite, I'm more a fan of sci-fi and/or action adventure, brainless comedies, etc. However, this movie is just plain great. If you've never seen it, rent it." -- davejoy

Photo by United Artists, Everett Collection20. THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1952)

"This film is so enjoyable that I hate it when it's over. Rosey and Charlie are just about my favorite Hollywood characters of all time." pico716

Photo by MGM, Everett Collection19. THE DIRTY DOZEN (1967)

"This is one of my favorite WWII-era films. Excellent film craftsmanship! A true classic!" -- brian_h_1998

Photo by United Artists, Everett Collection18. APOLCALYPSE NOW (1979)

"Apocalypse Now is an absolutely fantastic movie that deserves to be ranked with the best. It combines action, thrilling moments that are as scary as the best horror movies, and very dark humor to deliver an experience that can only be embodied in cinema." -- ninjacat112

Photo by Columbia Pictures, Everett Collection17. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)

"Great story. Great acting. Great direction. Great dialog... I can go on forever, man." dl_maniac

Photo by Universal Pictures, Everett Collection16. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)

"I had seen a lot of war films before this, but I believe that this one is the greatest." -- rockfreak

Photo by Warner Bros. Pictures15. LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA (2006)

"Who would have thought Clint Eastwood would make a better movie about the Japanese experience on Iwo Jima than the American?" cashelguy_59

Photo by Columbia Pictures, Everett Collection14. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)

"Lawrence of Arabia is the greatest film ever created and if God could create movies he could not have done it any better." a_dark_one

Photo by Paramount Pictures, Everett Collection13. ENEMY AT THE GATE (2001)

"This is my favorite movie. A lot of suspense and action. A perfect WWII movie!" -- zerobolt

Photo by Paramount Pictures, Everett Collection12. STALAG 17 (1953)

"Stalag 17 is the great Billy Wilder's best movie. Better than Sunset Blvd, better than Some Like it Hot." -- bernardmrrs

Photo by Warner Bros. Pictures, Getty Images11. THE KILLING FIELDS (1984)

"A masterpiece, probably the best picture ever made about Cambodia's genocide. The destiny of astonishing and courageous people, who risked their lives to show the world the reality of war." -- svaisenberg

Photo by Columbia Pictures10. GLORY (1989)

"I think that every person should watch this movie... not just because it is an important part of our past, but it gives us insight as to how we should unite in future." -- carments

Photo by 20th Century Fox, Everett Collection9. PATTON (1970)

"In my opinion, Patton may be the greatest movie of all time. Sometimes people refer to George C. Scott as being a better Patton than Patton himself. Scott's performance is incredible and very real." thevac99

Photo by Warner Bros. Pictures, Everett Collection8. FULL METAL JACKET (1987)

"The best depiction of the Vietnam War since Apocolypse Now!!!!! One of Kubrick's Finest!!!! A Must See for Kubrick Fans!!!! Two Thumbs up for the cast!!!" -- raidersnakelira

Photo by United Artists7. HOTEL RWANDA (2004)

"Ever get the feeling that they just don't make heroes anymore? Well they do, and the proof is in this true to life story." -- everlast1965

Photo by Focus Feature/The Kobal Collection, WireImage6. THE PIANIST (2002)

"This is cinema at its best. A beautiful and gripping movie that touches us and teaches us about one of the most painful and saddest times in our history." -- ttorris

Photo by Orion Pictures, Everett Collection5. PLATOON (1986)

"Platoon in my opinion was the best war movie ever. Everything about this movie was perfect." pjohn8200

Photo by Columbia Pictures4. BLACK HAWK DOWN (2001)

"This is the greatest combat movie I've seen. The visuals and graphics are great. It follows history perfectly." -- ct_killer_aj

Photo by Universal Pictures, Everett Collection3. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)

"In my opinion, one of the greatest movies ever made. Everything about it was perfect... This movie will probably make you cry and want to stand up and cheer." -- pjohn82000

Photo by Paramount Pictures/The Kobal Collection, WireImage2. BRAVEHEART (1995)

"When I try to write a review for a masterpiece like this, there are no real words to perfectly describe the beauty of this epic." -- jbjohanu

Photo by DreamWorks/The Kobal Collection, WireImage1. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)

"This was arguably the best World War II film ever. I have personally seen the film over 20 times and it never gets boring because there's always something that you have missed." -- shocker506

Do you have a favorite that isn't on the list? Tell us in the comments below.

160 comments

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  • Yes its true this movie is truly awesome n genuine........................but u guys frogot battle of the bulge..............one of the greatest war movies ever made.............................
    report abuseviktor posted December 25, 2008, 12:25 am PST
  • THE LONGEST DAY HAS TO BE ON THIS LIST SOMEWHERE. DEFINITELY A TOP 5. ALSO MISSING ARE TORA, TORA, TORA AND MIDWAY. THE BEST MINI-SERIES HAS TO BE "WINDS OF WAR" AND "WAR AND REMEMBERANCE".
    report abuseTHE COLONEL posted December 25, 2008, 10:54 am PST
  • I'm surprised The Thin Red Line is not on this list. It's release was stalled because of Speilbergs's Private Ryan but it's just as good if not better! An all star cast too.
    report abuseGary posted December 25, 2008, 11:24 am PST
  • Even though this movie isn't really a true war movie, it was still a great movie with good action and story line and it was very entertaining, i loved it
    report abuseAndrew posted December 25, 2008, 12:32 pm PST
  • I cannot believe that someone even mentioned the Green Berets as one of the best war flicks. That was one of the worst examples of a war movie, which dramatized in the wrong way the war in Viet Nam. Sorry John Wayne fans but it sucked.
    report abuseGary S posted December 25, 2008, 12:47 pm PST
  • Hey Kelly I know what movie you are talking about,but it was not lee marvin it was James Corburn it was called the Iron Cross which was a awesome movie. They both look alot alike when they were young.
    report abuseRobert P posted December 25, 2008, 2:01 pm PST
  • The Longest Day is one of my all time favorates. I believe it is one of the first movies that tries to capture the significance of the D-Day invasion and its complexities.
    report abuseRonald posted December 25, 2008, 8:45 pm PST
  • OMG. This movie was dumb, pointless. It could have been set to any backdrop. On that note, it can not be a "great" war movie, if you can set it to any background and have the same movie. The Great Escape, gret film, can not be set to any other relm but are, so........
    report abuseHom posted December 26, 2008, 7:55 am PST
  • These are not individual movies....but how about the mini series "Winds of War" " War and Remembrance" "Band of Brothers" "North and South"
    report abuseTammi posted December 26, 2008, 9:27 am PST
  • I'm not particularly a fan of war movies,but of those listed-and with what I've seen or heard-seems to be pretty solid("All Quiet on..." was magnificent,especially in its view of WW1 from the Germans' side. And "Schidler's List" was a triumph!) However, there is one movie I might have added:"Mrs. Miniver". Made a
    report abuseYahoo! Movies User posted December 26, 2008, 12:06 pm PST
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