Blog Best by Genre

10 Best War Movies That Show the True Cost of Conflict

February 07, 2026 5 min read

War movies at their best don't glorify battle — they reveal its cost. These 10 films are the highest-rated war movies in our database, ranked by GoodScore.

How GoodScore works: We combine ratings from IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, and TMDB into a single 0-100 score. Higher = better. No single platform bias.

1
Schindler's List

Schindler's List

1993 · 3h 15m · Dir. Steven Spielberg

Drama, History, War

93
GoodScore

The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.

Amazon Prime Video JioHotstar Amazon Prime Video with Ads
2
Grave of the Fireflies

Grave of the Fireflies

1988 · 1h 29m · Dir. Isao Takahata

Animation, Drama, War

91
GoodScore

In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned...

Netflix
3
Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan

1998 · 2h 49m · Dir. Steven Spielberg

War, Drama, History

89
GoodScore

As U.S. troops storm the beaches of Normandy, three brothers lie dead on the battlefield, with a fourth trapped behind enemy lines. Ranger captain John Miller and seven men are tasked with penetrating German-held territory and bringing the boy home.

Netflix
4
Lawrence of Arabia

Lawrence of Arabia

1962 · 3h 48m · Dir. David Lean

Adventure, History, War

89
GoodScore

During World War I, English officer Thomas Edward 'T.E.' Lawrence sets out to unite and lead the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes to fight the Turks.

Netflix
5
The Great Dictator

The Great Dictator

1940 · 2h 5m · Dir. Charlie Chaplin

Comedy, War

87
GoodScore

Dictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel's regime.

YouTube Lionsgate Play Lionsgate Play Apple TV Channel
6
Dunkirk

Dunkirk

2017 · 1h 47m · Dir. Christopher Nolan

War, Action, Drama

84
GoodScore

The story of the miraculous evacuation of Allied soldiers from Belgium, Britain, Canada and France, who were cut off and surrounded by the German army from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk between May 26th and June 4th 1940 during...

JioHotstar
7
The Hurt Locker

The Hurt Locker

2008 · 2h 11m

Drama, Thriller, War

84
GoodScore

During the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work.

Amazon Prime Video
8
Glory

Glory

1989 · 2h 2m · Dir. Edward Zwick

Drama, History, War

83
GoodScore

Robert Gould Shaw leads the US Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices of both his own Union army and the Confederates.

Netflix
9
Inglourious Basterds

Inglourious Basterds

2009 · 2h 33m · Dir. Quentin Tarantino

Drama, Thriller, War

83
GoodScore

In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. The Basterds, lead by Lt. Aldo Raine soon...

Netflix Amazon Prime Video JioHotstar
10
The Zone of Interest

The Zone of Interest

2023 · 1h 45m · Dir. Jonathan Glazer

Drama, History, War

82
GoodScore

The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig, strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp.

Amazon Prime Video

Done scrolling. Start watching.

GoodWatch picks the right movie in 30 seconds

Get the App — It's Free