When it comes to anti-war cinema, it’s important to understand what it actually is. A lot of films claim to be “anti-war” but don’t fit the description, because they still show war as something glorious, where heroes reign and any person who dies is making a noble sacrifice. But war ain’t like that. True anti-war films will take the opposite route, instead showing war as something where nobility and heroism no longer exist, contrary to what propaganda might lead the young to believe.
Of course, not every sad war movie is anti-war either; some filmmakers have explicitly denied their movies as having anti-war messages. But for those that have confirmed anti-war narratives, there are many that have come out over the years that aren’t just brilliant, but that are historically and culturally important. Everyone should watch them, as they’re enough to scare anyone off the idea of conflict. These are the best anti-war movies ever made, ranked based on their overall execution, the effectiveness of their message, and their legacy.
10
‘Waltz with Bashir’ (2008)
Waltz with Bashir is an animated war docudrama written and directed by Ari Folman, who also stars in the film. The movie is based on Folman’s experiences fighting in the 1982 Lebanon War. Much of the film is about what comes after, and how Folman had to seek therapy and support after his mental health was ruined by the trauma of war. It also depicts how he becomes disillusioned with his country’s cause, and how he eventually comes to cope with the scars that never heal.
The war might be over, but Ari Folman’s struggle was just beginning. Though the animation does sugarcoat things a bit, there’s a lot to be said for how well the movie emphasizes the human cost of war. It’s just one man’s experience, and each person who fought and died in any conflict ever was a living, breathing individual with a history, with emotions, and with people who loved them. By bringing the audience closer to himself, Folman provokes thoughts about what conflict does to people, both living and dead, and subtly pleads with the world to bring an end to the fighting.It’s a brilliant passion project that is an absolutely essential watch.
Stanley Kubrick‘s classic Full Metal Jacketis a gritty look at the inside of Marine life during the Vietnam War. Before even facing active combat, the recruits are thrust into brutality, with a hardass drill sergeant demeaning them and abusing them to break them down into nothing, all so that they can be rebuilt into the perfect killing machine. But of course, everyone responds differently, and some come out of it more damaged than others.
The actual combat that does occur in the movie is chock-full of atrocities, with the recruits realizing how wrong everything they’re doing is. From the deaths of innocent civilians to the feeling that the US might not belong in Vietnam in the first place, Full Metal Jacket was pretty on the nose in its anti-war message. The ending is bleak, yet powerful, and the overarching theme of American imperialism is hard not to detect. It’s a movie that is definitely against America invading other nations, or any country doing it for that matter, and deals with how meddling in another country’s affairs only harms one’s own people, on top of those already harmed by the conflict.
8
‘Das Boot’ (1981)
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Das Bootis a German film that takes place during World War II. The story focuses on officers of the German Kriegsmarine, who man a U-boat during the Battle of the Mediterranean. Turns out that being in a submarine is not at all as safe as it sounds, and the crew is subject to terrors beyond what ordinary sailors have to deal with. The crew has a particular mission to carry out, and they spend much of the film trying to see it through, battling through numerous obstacles.
Without spoiling too much, be aware that this movie has a real downer of an ending, as it should. The movie is supposed to be about the claustrophobia and chaos that come with being in active combat. A lot of it deals heavily with the German sailors’ realization that they are fighting for the wrong cause and are destined to fail because of it. It’s also about how war is ultimately futile; no matter how hard people try to survive, no matter what nightmares they endure, most will eventually meet the same fate.
7
‘Paths of Glory’ (1957)
Another Stanley Kubrick film, Paths of Gloryis set during World War I, a conflict known for its squalid conditions and apparent pointlessness, as most combatants did not passionately believe in the cause they were fighting for: political alliances and the assassination of a royal. Starring Kirk Douglas as an American officer sent to train British soldiers on the front lines, Paths of Glory wastes no time showing how putrid life in the trenches really was.
Like most anti-war movies, Paths of Glory has an appropriately bleak ending, emphasizing the trauma and pain that will haunt the main characters for the rest of their lives. Of course, it also begs the question, “for what?” The movie does a good job of showing how this conflict is destroying people’s lives, whether physically or emotionally, and how the purpose of it is pretty questionable. It’s one of the finest and most famous anti-war films in history.
6
‘The Human Condition’ (1959-1961)
The Human Condition is actually a trilogy of films, but they are commonly regarded as one distinct entity, albeit a very long one. Sitting at just under 10 hours in total runtime, the Japanese movie trilogy takes place during the Second World War, following a Japanese soldier who experiences all the worst sides of the conflict. He oversees Japanese labour camps, watching people toil and bleed in slave-like conditions, only to end up drafted into the conflict before becoming a prisoner himself.
As the title implies, the series is largely focused on the human cost of conflict and how prolonged trauma can affect the psyche. The characters endure numerous horrific events that no human should ever have to witness, which largely contribute to how much they change over time. One of the most culturally important film series ever made, The Human Condition is a precious piece of anti-war cinema that really likes to hammer its point home.
5
‘Come and See’ (1985)
Come and See is a movie that one shouldn’t watch unless they’re absolutely certain, as there’s no way to prepare for the violence depicted within. The film is set during World War II, specifically when the Germans invaded the Soviet Union. In present-day Belarus, a teenager named Flyora (Aleksei Kravchenko) joins the partisans, but is reduced to a shell of his former self at the hands of the Third Reich and the brutality of World War II.
This movie was so distressing that veterans of the very event attested to its unflinching accuracy, stating that everything they saw was the absolute truth and didn’t sugarcoat anything. Come and See doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to showing loss, trauma, torture, and acts too unspeakable to put into writing, all of which are commonplace during wartime. It’s a movie that really shows the ugly side of things that doesn’t get talked about very much in some of the most famous war films, which is why it does such a fantastic job of being an anti-war piece.
4
‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ (1930)
There have been multiple adaptations of All Quiet on the Western Frontby Erich Maria Remarque, but the best is widely considered to be the 1930 version, which came out just one year after the book. This story is considered by many to be one of the only true anti-war movies for the way it portrays conflict. The protagonist is a German adolescent who is brainwashed by propaganda and volunteers to join the First World War, meeting only unimaginable horror.
Much of the narrative deals with the contrast of propaganda, depicting war as some great crusade or adventure, slapping youth in the face with the harsh reality of what war is really like. Conditions are filthy, the violence is gruesome, and any death that does occur is utterly worthless. There are no heroes, no great sacrifices or moments of nobility, just death. The characters are reduced to statistics rather than human beings and don’t accomplish anything at all. All Quiet is a classic movie that effectively paints a bloody picture of the futility of conflict, something that the original author held dear to his heart, as he based the book on his experiences.
3
‘The Battle of Algiers’ (1966)
The Battle of Algiers is pretty underrated, but it is a necessary watch nonetheless. The movie takes place during the Algerian War, which ran from 1954-1962 and was largely fought for independence from France, ultimately being successful. When the movie came out, however, it was still a fresh wound for the French government and was criticized by the general public. Six decades later, though, The Battle of Algiers has aged like a fine wine.
Its anti-imperialist message has resonated with modern viewers, allowing the film a mild resurgence in popularity. A joint project between Algerian, French, and Italian filmmakers, The Battle of Algiers isn’t afraid to get real and provide all of the nitty-gritty details, depicting the oppression that the Algerian public felt during the war. Ultimately, it’s a great movie with a harrowing anti-war message that was way ahead of its time, and which needs more appreciation.
2
‘Apocalypse Now’ (1979)
Apocalypse Nowis based on the novellaHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. The original novel was primarily a critique of colonialism in the Congo region, but the movie decided to take things in a different direction. The movie decided to keep things current and more accurate to the time period, instead centring on a critique of American intervention in the Vietnam War. The basic premise is still pretty much the same, though, involving a mission to find a military officer who has gone AWOL in the wilderness.
Apocalypse Now centres on a group of American soldiers manning a patrol boat as they travel upriver in search of their missing officer, with all of them slowly beginning to lose their sanity in the process. Apocalypse Now isn’t just a thrilling movie visually, but it’s also a horrific film about the lasting effects of trauma and how anyone can easily grow disillusioned with a cause once they’ve witnessed the true horrors of combat. The anti-war message might not be as powerful as some other films on this list, but the quality is quite a bit higher.
1
‘Threads’ (1984)
Threadsis a TV movie originally broadcast by the BBC on September 23, 1984. While director Mick Jackson expected complaints from disgruntled viewers, he was instead met with dead silence because he presented a war film so truly horrifying, so deeply scarring, and so shockingly realistic that it presented a unique effect. There was a whole lot that could be said about it, but at the same time, there was nothing anyone could say when faced with the reality of the current nuclear arms race. Threads is about a fictitious nuclear war and shows what happens in the days, months, and years afterwards. To call the movie “bleak” would be an understatement.
Throughout the film, it makes it pretty clear that there is no recovering from such an event and that humanity is utterly doomed. Worse still, it actually seems to make the point that those who died instantly in the nuclear blast were the lucky ones, as depressing as that sounds. The movie ends with a bit of text pleading with world leaders to disarm their nuclear arsenals or face what awaits them in the film. Threads is definitely the greatest anti-war film ever made because it’s just so effective. No other film can make its viewers experience the horrors of war quite like this, and if you dare to watch it, you’ll likely jump right in with the movie’s message. But do be warned, if it hasn’t been made apparent already: it’s nightmare fuel.
