The 10 Most Realistic War Movies, Ranked

Hundreds of war movies exist, designed to thrill audiences, sometimes at the behest of the summer movie season – we're looking at you "Pearl Harbor." Too often, Hollywood neglects to tell the whole story, resulting in cookie-cutter pictures like John Wayne's "The Green Berets" or generic action extravaganzas like John Woo's "Windtalkers." Sure, they may contain state-of-the-art special effects, A-list stars, and rousing battle scenes, but they too often rely on genre cliches or wrap their historical backdrops around sappy romantic subplots.

What's missing? Well, all great war movies contain a pivotal ingredient: realism. Far too many pictures nix this key element and wind up as shallow cash grabs that exploit history for their own benefit. Luckily, plenty of directors also went to great lengths to achieve optimal realism, ensuring audiences walked away from their pictures with a greater understanding of the strength and sacrifices of those who died on the battlefield. 

Here are the 10 most realistic war movies, ranked from great to legendary. 

In terms of historical accuracy, you can't do much better than "Tora! Tora! Tora!" An epic retelling of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, this massive production spends much of its runtime in offices and cubicles, slavishly laying out the complex details that resulted in the Day of Infamy. Rather than follow the same Hollywood approach that would later make Michael Bay's "Pearl Harbor" a running joke among war veterans, "Tora! Tora! Tora!" sticks closely to the facts, nixing any fictional characters or love story for an incredibly realistic, even rigid approach.

Those willing to patiently endure the lengthy history lesson will be treated to an impressively staged battle sequence that captures the horror of Pearl Harbor in spectacular detail. Directed by no less than four filmmakers, including Akira Kurosawa, and starring Martin Balsam, Joseph Cotten, So Yamamura, E.G. Marshall, James Whitmore, and Jason Robards, "Tora! Tora! Tora!" is a fine example of history accurately depicted on the big screen.   

Stanley Kubrick went to hell and back for "Full Metal Jacket," a holds-no-bar depiction of American Marines training and eventually serving in Vietnam. No, really, the behind-the-scenes drama was almost as grueling as the war itself, with a then 60-year-old Kubrick pushing himself to the brink to capture the essence and horror of combat. Luckily, his arduous journey resulted in one of the greatest war films ever made, a colossal achievement that digs deep into the psyche of boys suddenly thrust into the violent world of Vietnam.

Starring Matthew Modine, Adam Baldwin, Vincent D'Onofrio, and bats*** crazy R. Lee Ermey, "Full Metal Jacket" follows a group of United States Marine Corps recruits during their time in basic training where they deal with an unruly drill instructor (Ermey) and prepare for war. The second half then jumps headfirst into the treacherous jungles of Vietnam. Working with cinematographer Douglas Milsome, Kubrick stages elaborate action sequences but never loses sight of his characters. "Full Metal Jacket" explores the effects of war on the human soul and the way it turns innocent people into bloodthirsty killers.

Leave it to Mel Gibson, the creative mind behind the grisly "Passion of the Christ," to produce perhaps the most graphic war film ever. Telling the story of Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), a devout Seventh-day Adventist who refused to pick up a weapon during World War II, earning the Medal of Honor in the process, Gibson and screenwriters Robert Schenkkan and Andrew Knight don't shy away from extreme violence. At times, it almost feels cartoonish.   

Ironically, for all its depictions of bloody carnage, "Hacksaw Ridge" is primarily a film about unwavering faith in the face of terrifying adversity. Gibson hammers home the message with a 200-pound battle axe, ensuring audiences get the point. While his approach may leave many feeling squeamish, others will walk away with a deeper appreciation of religion — or, at least, the people who cling to their ideologies no matter the consequences.

Inspiring, well-acted, and incredibly realistic, "Hacksaw Ridge" is a damn fine film and a powerful exploration of faith, even if you have to watch it through your fingers.

In 2003, Russell Crowe teamed up with director Peter Weir to adapt Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series about the exploits of Captain Jack Aubrey (Crowe) during the Napoleonic Wars. The film was a moderate success, earning $211.6 million worldwide against a $150 million budget, strong reviews from critics, and 10 Academy Award nominations. Plans for a sequel were discussed but never came to fruition, although we may get a prequel.

Too bad, because "Master and Commander: Far Side of the World" is a fabulous, brutal, realistic look at naval combat in the early 1800s, featuring stellar performances from Crowe and Paul Bettany, stunning battle sequences, and tremendous cinematography by Russell Boyd. Ironically, Weir's devotion to realism might have been the film's undoing, as audiences were busy shelling out their money for fantasy epics like "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Lord of the Rings." If released today, moviegoers might be more keen to explore O'Brian's vast, richly detailed world and journey alongside Captain Jack as he battles the French navy and explores the unexplored terrain on the far side of the world.  

Released the same year as Steven Spielberg's more commercial-friendly "Saving Private Ryan," Terrance Malick's "The Thin Red Line" takes a decidedly different approach in its view on war, leaning more on character and atmosphere than grizzly, bloody violence. In many ways, the film feels like a poem, packed with lengthy monologues about the nature of war and long passages in which American soldiers try to make sense of the seemingly pointless and never-ending conflict.

Typically, this approach was reserved for movies centered around Vietnam, but Malick sets his tale smack dab in the middle of Guadalcanal during WWII, where American forces took on hordes of Japanese troops. Amid this conflict, a batch of uniquely drawn characters, including the war-weary 1st Sgt. Edward Welsh (Sean Penn), the peace-seeking Pvt. Robert E. Lee Witt (Jim Caviezel), the ferocious Lt. Col. Gordon Tall (Nick Nolte), and the conflicted Capt. James Staros (Elias Koteas), all dealing with personal struggles exasperated by war.

Ultimately, "The Thin Red Line" may not present the same visceral violence as Spielberg's epic, but it still offers a realistic, somber look at men in combat, trying in vain to cling to their humanity. Featuring gorgeous cinematography by John Toll, an all-star cast, and one of Hans Zimmer's finest scores, "The Thin Red Line" is a haunting piece of cinema.

Submarine movies are typically hit or miss. After all, there's only so much you can do within the narrow corridors of a steel beast slowly moving through the ocean, its crew forced to battle an unseen enemy while torpedos zip past their hull. In 1981, Wolfgang Peterson may have directed "the single greatest submarine movie ever made" with "Das Boot," casting a shadow over later genre entries. That's not hyperbole. "Das Boot" is an astonishing motion picture, presenting a gritty look at submarine combat as seen through the eyes of a German crew in 1941.

Peterson takes us through the smokey, dimly lit, oil-laden bowels of U-96, where soldiers valiantly work to keep their fortress afloat while enemies close around them. We witness the psychological and physical toll incurred by the men during an exhaustive patrol mission in the Atlantic as they deal with everything from relentless depth charge attacks, environmental elements, and destroyers sent to blow them sky high.

"Das Boot" is more than a film, it's an experience. 

Jumping back into Vietnam, Oliver Stone's 1986 Best Picture winner, "Platoon," deserves mention for its realism because, well, it's based on his own experience. In other words, it's tough to watch and presents a dark view of American soldiers stuck in a war riddled with drugs and murder. If "Saving Private Ryan" is the quintessential WWII movie, then "Platoon" holds the mantle for the Vietnam War.

Charlie Sheen (who nearly walked away during the arduous production) stars as Chris Taylor, an idealistic young soldier serving under the leadership of two sergeants with contrasting ideals: Tom Berenger's battle-hardened and ruthless Staff Sergeant Barnes and Willem Dafoe's compassionate Sergeant Elias. As the war rages on and the discipline and humanity of his squad members deteriorate, Taylor must choose which ideology to follow, all the while making his way through the treacherous jungles dominated by the Viet Cong.

Dark, powerful, and beautifully directed, "Platoon" remains one of the most realistic depictions of war ever produced for the silver screen. 

We heaped a ton of praise on "Platoon" and "Master and Commander" for how they expertly recreate their war-ravaged eras and must do the same for Sam Mendes' "1917," an enthralling journey through the treacherous terrain of World War I. Working with cinematographer Roger Deakins, Mendes constructs the picture to feel like one long take, which only adds to the realism.

The story concerns two British soldiers (George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman) tasked with crossing "No Man's Land" to deliver an important message. Along the way, they stumble into one arduous roadblock after the other, battling everything from the German air force to deadly snipers. It's incredible how much tension Mendes and co-writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns can milk out of every sequence, resulting in a technical marvel bound to leave viewers as shell-shocked as its two protagonists.

Shout out to Thomas Newman for his impressive score and Deakins for once again proving he's the best in the business.

Few films capture the ferocity of combat like Ridley Scott's "Black Hawk Down." A stunning recreation of the Battle of Mogadishu that left 18 American soldiers and over 1,000 Somalis dead, this 2001 epic ditches character development in favor of two-plus hours of horrific violence, planting viewers smack dab in the middle of a massive gun battle that seems to escalate by the second.

That's not to say there aren't any likable characters. Scott and producer Jerry Bruckheimer deploy an impressive arsenal of talented actors to tell their story, namely Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, William Fichtner, and Sam Shepard. Each man carries distinctive traits that allow them to stand out amongst their peers and are formed well enough that you empathize with them when the bullets start flying.

Still, this is Scott's show, and the iconic director delivers some of the best work of his illustrious career, presenting war in its most visceral form. Working with screenwriter Ken Nolan, based on the book by journalist Mark Bowden, Scott keeps the politics in the background, instead focusing on the brotherhood of the soldiers thrust into action. As one character points out, the only thing that matters to these guys is the man standing beside them.

Finally, we've mentioned it several times throughout the list, but Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" remains the most brutally realistic depiction of war. From its opening sequence, in which Germans mow down hundreds of American soldiers during the Normandy invasion on D-Day, to its unbelievable, even thrilling finale, in which Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) and a small squad of soldiers defend a bridge from a German assault, this 1998 motion picture showed the realities of WWII with stunning accuracy.

Written by Robert Rodat, the story concerns a company of soldiers sent behind enemy lines to retrieve James Ryan (Matt Damon) after all of his brothers are killed in combat. Led by Miller, this hodgepodge outfit begins to question their directive — why risk their lives to save one? Spielberg certainly gives his characters, notably Jeremy Davies' skittish Corporal Upham, plenty of room to meditate on the complexities of war, especially in a sequence involving a captured German soldier. Yet, while the film isn't as philosophical as "The Thin Red Line," its directive is more straightforward – toss audiences into the grinder for nearly three hours, allowing them to see what the brave soldiers witnessed so many years ago.

To that end, Spielberg delivers, and you can practically feel every ounce of the man's heart dripping all over the screen as he pays respect to those who fought and died in WWII. "Saving Private Ryan" is a cinematic wonder to behold.