War: 96

The war film, The Monuments Men (2014), was both directed and written by George Clooney with Grant Heslov as producer. As the Allies made progress pushing back the Axis powers in Italy in 1943, Frank Stokes convinced President Roosevelt that preserving the artistic treasures of Western civilization was crucial. In response, Stokes was tasked with assembling a specialized Army unit, known as the ‘Monuments Men’, consisting of museum directors, curators, art historians, and an architect. Their mission was two-fold: to advise Allied units and recover stolen art ...

Fury (2014), an American war film written and directed by David Ayer, follows the experiences of a seasoned staff sergeant named Don ‘Wardaddy’ Collier during the Western Allied invasion of Germany in April 1945. Wardaddy leads a crew on board an M4 Sherman tank called Fury, consisting of gunner Boyd ‘Bible” Swan, loader Grady ‘Coon-Ass’ Travis, driver Trini ‘Gordo’ Garcia, and assistant driver–bow gunner ‘Red’. The team has been together since fighting in North Africa. However, after Red is killed in a tank battle, Private First Class Norman Ellison joins as ...

The film The Imitation Game (2014), directed by Morten Tyldum and written by Graham Moore, is based on the biography Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges. In 1951, two policemen named Nock and Staehl investigate mathematician Alan Turing after a possible break-in at his home. During his interrogation with Nock, Turing recounts his time at Bletchley Park during World War II. In 1928, the young Turing struggles with being bullied at boarding school but finds solace in his friendship with Christopher Morcom, who ...

Unbroken (2014) is an American biographical war drama film directed by Angelina Jolie and written by a team including the Coen brothers, Richard LaGravenese, and William Nicholson. Inspired by Laura Hillenbrand’s 2010 non-fiction book, also titled Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, the story follows Louis ‘Louie’ Zamperini during his time as a bomber in World War ...

The Mule (2013), an adaptation of Juan Eslava Galán’s novel, features Mario Casas and María Valverde alongside Secun de la Rosa. However, the production was marred by a well-known legal dispute over finances during the final days of shooting in October 2009. The clash involved British director Michael Radford and Spanish producer Alejandra Frade. Eventually, a theatrical ...

Act of Valor (2012) is an American action film, directed and produced by Mouse McCoy and Scott Waugh, and written by Kurt Johnstad. In Manila, a Chechen terrorist known as Abu Shabal assassinates the United States Ambassador to the Philippines. His violent actions also result in the deaths of dozens of children at an international primary school in a bombing. Shabal manages to escape to an Indonesian training camp. Meanwhile, in Costa Rica, CIA officers Walter Ross and Lisa Morales combine their intelligence on their ...

Directed by Zhang Yimou, The Flowers of War (2011) is a Chinese-Hong Kong historical drama that takes place during the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937. With the invasion of Japan, China’s capital city Nanjing falls to the Imperial Japanese Army in December, resulting in the brutal Nanjing massacre. As the Chinese army is overtaken, a group of desperate schoolgirls seeks refuge at a Western-run Roman Catholic cathedral. In their midst is John Miller, an American mortician on a mission to bury the head priest. He befriends George, an orphan boy who was raised by the deceased priest and taught English. Soon after, a ...

Angelina Jolie wrote, produced and directed the war drama film In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011). Set in Sarajevo during 1992, it follows Ajla Ekmečić, an ethnic Bosniak artist living with her single mother sister and baby nephew. One night, she meets her boyfriend Danijel Vukojević, a police officer from the Serb community at a club. Sadly, the evening is cut short when artillery fire destroys the club and leaves Danijel injured. This event marks the beginning of the Bosnian War. As time passes and the city becomes besieged, Ajla and her sister plan to flee but are unable to do so before their neighborhood falls ...

War Horse (2011) is a drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg, written by Lee Hall and Richard Curtis. It is adapted from Michael Morpurgo’s book of the same title and its stage version from 2007. In 1912, a bay Irish Hunter is born in Devon, England. At an auction, farmer Ted Narracott outbids his landlord Lyons for the colt Joey. His wife Rose is not pleased as they need a working horse for ploughing, not an Irish Hunter. Their son Albert and his friend ...

Based on journalist Rajiv Chandrasekaran’s non-fiction book Imperial Life in the Emerald City, Green Zone (2010) is an action thriller directed by Paul Greengrass and written by Brian Helgeland. On March 19, 2003, Iraqi Army General Mohammed Al-Rawi flees his residence during the bombing of Baghdad. Before leaving, he gives a notebook to his aide Seyyed with instructions for his officers to go into hiding and wait for his signal. Four weeks later, Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller and his team search a ...

The Pacific (2010) follows a U.S. Marine Corps squad during their campaign against the Japanese Empire in WWII. Created by the same team as Band of Brothers, it portrays the struggles of ordinary soldiers during war. This fast-paced series appeals to action enthusiasts, but also showcases the emotional bonds between Marines on the battlefield. However, unlike its ‘older brother’ Band of Brothers, The Pacific takes a unique approach by delving into the lives of soldiers who were chosen to return home and promote war bonds. Through this, it explores the journey of these men from initial excitement to eventual regret and even shame towards ...

The Messenger (2009) is a war drama film, marking the directorial debut of Oren Moverman, who co-wrote the screenplay with Alessandro Camon. After returning from fighting in the Iraq War, U.S. Army staff sergeant Will Montgomery discovers that his girlfriend Kelly is now engaged to someone else. Before his discharge, he is assigned the role of casualty notification officer, under the guidance of Gulf War veteran Captain Tony Stone. Their superior, Lieutenant Colonel Dorsett, emphasizes the importance of this task as many have failed in the past. Captain Stone then briefs ...

Inglourious Basterds (2009) is an alternative history war film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The plot centers around two intersecting plans to assassinate the leaders of Nazi Germany at a Paris cinema. One operation is carried out by a team of Jewish American soldiers under the command of First Lieutenant Aldo Raine, while the other is led by French Jewish cinema owner Shosanna Dreyfus, seeking revenge for her family’s murder. Both are up against SS colonel Hans Landa, infamous for his brutal persecution of Jews. The title was inspired by a 1978 Euro War film called The Inglorious Bastards, ...

The film Che: Part Two (2008), directed by Steven Soderbergh, tells the story of Argentine Marxist revolutionary Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara. In Part Two, titled Guerrilla, we see Guevara’s efforts to bring revolution to Bolivia and his eventual downfall. The film follows the timeline of his time in Bolivia, starting with his arrival in La Paz on 3 November 1966. Disguised as a middle-aged representative from Uruguay, he meets with his men in the mountains. As the days pass (Day 26 and Day 67), we see the strong bond among Guevara’s followers despite being a foreigner. However, by Day ...

In the film Che: Part One (2008), directed by Steven Soderbergh, we follow the life of Argentine Marxist revolutionary Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara. During an interview in Havana in 1964 with Lisa Howard, Guevara is questioned about the potential impact of reform on the message of the Cuban Revolution. In 1955, Guevara first encounters Fidel Castro at a gathering in Mexico City and joins the July 26th Movement after hearing Castro’s plans. Fast forwarding to 1964, we witness Guevara delivering a passionate speech against American imperialism at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. He also ...

An American seven-part television miniseries titled Generation Kill (2008), aired on HBO from July 13 to August 24, 2008. It is an adaptation of Evan Wright’s book about his time as an embedded reporter with the US Marine Corps’ 1st Reconnaissance Battalion during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, developed for television by David Simon, Ed Burns, and Wright. The production was helmed by director Susanna White and producer ...

Valkyrie (2008), a thriller directed by Bryan Singer and written by Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander, features Tom Cruise. Set during World War II, the film follows Wehrmacht Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg in Tunisia as he becomes increasingly disillusioned with Hitler’s regime. After his battalion is attacked by P-40 fighter-bombers, Stauffenberg is gravely injured and returned to Germany for treatment. However, he ultimately loses his left eye, right hand, ...

Stop-Loss (2008), directed by Kimberly Peirce, is a war drama following U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Brandon King and his squad stationed in Tikrit during the Iraq War. The film opens with footage from their tour, highlighting their remaining 28 days before they return home to the United States. While on duty at a checkpoint, they encounter gunshots as a car filled with insurgents speeds past. In response, the squad pursues them into an alley where they are ambushed from rooftops. Amidst the chaos, two soldiers are killed when an RPG is fired and another is injured when an Iraqi vehicle explodes. Fortunately, Pvt. Rico ...

Redacted (2007) is an American war film written and directed by Brian De Palma. It is a fictional dramatization, loosely based on real events that occurred in Mahmoudiyah, Iraq in 2006. Private First Class Angel Salazar, an ambitious young soldier serving in the U.S. Army during the Iraq War, hopes to use his military experience to gain admi’ Carolina near Samarra, Iraq, Salazar documents his deployment through his camcorder for an amateur documentary called Tell Me No Lies. Meanwhile, a French documentary crew embedded with Salazar’s platoon is also filming their own project titled Barrage.

Rescue Dawn (2006), an epic war drama film written and directed by Werner Herzog, is based on an adapted screenplay from his 1997 documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly. In February 1966, Lt. Dieter Dengler, a German-born U.S. Navy pilot in squadron VA-145 on the USS Ranger, is shot down over Laos while on a combat mission. Despite surviving the crash, he is captured by the Pathet Lao and taken to a prisoner of war camp. There, he meets other prisoners such as American pilots Gene DeBruin and Duane W. Martin, Hong Kong Chinese radio operator Y.C. To, Procet and Thai Air America freight employee Pisidhi Indradat ...