Best World War II Movies

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World War II Movie Reviews & Information

World War II movies have been popular since World War II, and they continue to be popular today. John Wayne made several World war II movies during his career including The Sands of Iwo Jima, The Longest Day, Flying Leathernecks and Sergeant Stryker. In 1955, Audie Murphy, who was the most decorated American soldier in world War II, made a movie about his experience called To Hell And Back. Other great WWII movies include 1970's Patton with George C. Scott and Tora! Tora! Tora! also from 1970.

Popular recent WW2 movies include 1998's Saving Private Ryan and 2001's Pearl Harbor, as well as other Second World War movies I have reviewed below. World War II movies have also been popular as made-for-TV movies and television miniseries. World War II movies are popular all year, but especially great viewing for 4th of July, Veteran's Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day and other patriotic celebrations. I will be adding more World War II movie reviews, so check back!

This lens is part of the Christian Movie Reviews network.

The WWII Movie Lens Is Part of the Christian Movie Reviews Network

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Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor (Two-Disc 60th Anniversary Commemorative Edition)

Amazon Price: $5.50 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

Pearl Harbor is probably one of the most popular modern World War II movies and is one of my favorites.

Tora! Tora! Tora!

Tora Tora Tora [Blu-ray]

Amazon Price: $19.79 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

A relatively historic Hollywood account of the bombing of Pearl Harbor

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World War II Movie Reviews

The Brylcreem Boys
The Brylcreem Boys is set in an internment camp in Ireland during World War II. The film stars Billy Campbell and Angus Macfadyen as two pilots who fall in love with an Irish woman played by Jean Butler. Gabriel Byrne plays the internment camp commander in this entertaining war flick.

Defiance with Daniel Craig Another Outstanding World War II Movie on DVD June 2
Defiance with Daniel Craig joins The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Miracle at St. Anna and Valkyrie as another great 2008 movie about World War II. I would rank Defiance right up there next to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and Miracle at St. Anna as one of the best movies I have seen recently. Based on a true story.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - Brilliant Holocaust Movie Now on DVD
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is the tragic story of Bruno, an innocent, inquisitive eight-year-old, and the son of a Nazi officer who is promoted to direct the operations at a concentration camp.

Miracle at St. Anna Now on DVD and Blu-Ray
Miracle at St. Anna is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. Released in theaters on September 26, 2008, Miracle at St. Anna just came out on Blu-Ray and DVD on February 10, 2009. This movie deals with faith and features a strong Christian character.

Pearl Harbor
WWII film about the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor during World War 2, starring Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, Alec Baldwin, Jon Voight, Kate Beckinsale, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Dan Aykroyd, and Jennifer Garner.

Valkyrie with Tom Cruise Takes Flight on DVD on May 19
The movie Valkyrie starring Tom Cruise is based upon the true story of Colonel Claus Von Stauffenberg, the Nazi officer who was a leader in the conspiracy to assassinate Adolf Hitler in July 1944 during World War II. The war movie released in theaters in North America on December 25, 2008 and will be released on DVD on May 19, 2009.

The Brylcreem Boys

The Brylcreem Boys

Amazon Price: $62.97 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

The Brylcreem Boys, a World War II movie, is reviewed below.

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Hogan's Heroes

Hogan's Heroes - The Complete Series

Amazon Price: $149.00 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

When I was a kid, I loved watching the TV show "Hogan's Heroes" with my father. "Hogan's Heroes" is a sitcom about allied prisoners in a German prisoner of war camp,

WWII Television Miniseries

Some television miniseries made the lis: "The Pacific," a 2010 television series produced by HBO and the 2001 ten-part, 11-hour television World War II miniseries "Band of Brothers" as well as the "Winds of War" series and "War and Remembrance."
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World War II Movies for Patriotic Events

The 6 Best World War II Movies to Watch

There are so many good World War II movies to choose from for the 4th of July, Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, Flag Day and other patriotic celebrations. Here are the Best World War II Movies to Watch for July 4 and other patriotic holidays, listed in alphabetical order.

Top Ten World War II Movies for 4th of July & Other Patriotic Celebrations

For 4th of July, Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, Flag Day, D-Day, and other patriotic celebrations, what do you do after you go to the parade, eat bar-b-cue and watermelon, and watch the fireworks? You watch a good patriotic movie, of course!
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The Dirty Dozen

The Dirty Dozen

Amazon Price: $5.24 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

"The Dirty Dozen" was so successful as a movie in the 1960s, that several related movies and sequels were made through the 1980s which as still telecast today

The Dirty Dozen Franchise

The Dirty Dozen

One of the most popular WWII movies of the 1960s was "The Dirty Dozen" (1967) with a cast of actors who became Hollywood icons including: Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, John Cassavetes, George Kennedy, Trini Lopez, Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland and more. "The Dirty Dozen" was about a group pf twelve soldiers convicted of felony offenses, either serving sentences of hard labor or condemned to death, and turn them into a unit capable of carrying out a top-secret pre-invasion mission.

The Dirty Dozen Sequels

Following the popularity of "The Dirty Dozen," which was the #1 moneymaker of 1967, several made-for-TV movies sequels were produced in the mid- to late-1980s. Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine reprised their roles for "The Dirty Dozen: The Next Mission" (1985), leading a group of military convicts in a mission to kill a German general who was plotting to assassinate Adolf Hitler. In "The Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission" (1987), Telly Savalas, who had played the role of the psychotic Maggott in the original movie, assumed the role of Major Wright, an officer who leads a group of military convicts to extract a group of German scientists who are being forced to make a deadly nerve gas. Ernest Borgnine again reprised his role of General Worden. "The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission" (1988) depicts Savalas's Wright character and a group of soldiers culled from military prison attempting to prevent a group of extreme German generals from starting a Fourth Reich, with Erik Estrada co-starring and Ernest Borgnine again playing the role of General Worden. In 1988, FOX aired a short-lived television series, with no major stars, that lasted only eleven episodes.

"The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission" is 1988 made-for-TV film and is the third sequel to the original "The Dirty Dozen." It features an all-new 'dirty dozen,' with the exception of the returning Joe Stern, under the leadership of Major Wright (now played by Telly Savalas).The new dirty dozen are sent to the Middle East, where 12 Nazi officers are organizing a Fourth Reich. Encore showed this movie on July 4, 2011, demonstrating the enduring popularity of "The Dirty Dozen" franchise.
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Defiance

Defiance

Amazon Price: $2.70 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

Defiance has a little bit of everything: family drama, love story, struggle against nature and World War II action.

More World War II Movies

Von Ryan's Express

This 1965 World War II movie, starring Frank Sinatra and Trevor Howard, follows the adventures of the predominantly British prisoners in a prisoner-of-war camp in Italy after an American pilot (Sinatra) is capture and becomes the ranking officer.
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Bridge on the River Kwai

The Bridge on the River Kwai (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

After decades of hearing about it, I saw "Bridge on the River Kwai" for the first time in Feb. 2012. I was pretty quickly drawn in by the story. Although some of the movie was somewhat predictable, much of the movie, including the ending, were completely unexpected. "Bridge on the River Kwai" is is a 1957 British World War II film starring William Holden, Jack Hawkins, Alec Guinness and Sessue Hayakawa.

Related Movies

Movies Related to World War II

These movies feature World War II as a subplot.

Australia
Australia with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman features WWII as a background for much of the movie.

Brideshead Revisited on DVD
Brideshead Revisited, based on Evelyn Waugh's novel by the same name, is a story of love, power, and desire in patrician England during the 1920's and into the 1940s. Part of the movie takes place during World War II.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button a Slow, Bleak Look at Life - Now on DVD
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a curious movie starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Julia Ormond, Tilda Swinton and Jared Harris. Part of the movie is set in World War II.
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Patton

Patton (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

Amazon Price: $10.00 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

My father, a decorated WW II soldier, was impressed by General George Patton, and this movie is shot in an almost documentary style. I remember watching this movie with my dad when I was young.

Remembering Our World War II Soldiers

The World War II Movies lens is dedicated to my father

My father, Lt. Col. William A. Darden, being awarded the Bronze Cross in World War II.

Vote Your Favorite World War II Movie Up or Add a New One!

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

From Miramax Films, the studio that brought you the more...2 points

Miracle at St Anna [Blu-ray]

Miracle at St Anna [Blu-ray]

From award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee comes Miracle more...2 points

Pearl Harbor [Blu-ray]

Pearl Harbor [Blu-ray]

History comes alive in the unforgettable motion pi more...2 points

World War II in Color

World War II in Color

When the war came to America in December of 1941, more...1 point

Defiance [Blu-ray]

Defiance [Blu-ray]

Paramount Defiance (Blu-ray)Three ferociously comm more...1 point

Valkyrie (Two-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy)

Valkyrie (Two-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy)

Studio: Tcfhe/mgm Release Date: 05/19/2009 Run tim more...1 point

World War II: Behind Closed Doors

World War II: Behind Closed Doors

Joseph Stalin - the supreme leader of the Soviet U more...0 points

World War II Collection, Vol. 1 - Battlefront Europe (The Big Red One Two-Disc Special Edition / The Dirty Dozen / Battle of the Bulge / Battleground / Where Eagles Dare)

World War II Collection, Vol. 1 - Battlefront Europe (The Big Red One Two-Disc Special Edition / The Dirty Dozen / Battle of the Bulge / Battleground / Where Eagles Dare)

The Battle of the Bulge: Nazi Panzer forces stage a more...0 points

The History Channel Ultimate Collections: World War II

The History Channel Ultimate Collections: World War II

Studio: A&e Home Video Release Date: 11/28/200 more...0 points

World War II - The Lost Color Archives

World War II - The Lost Color Archives

Studio: A&e Home Video Release Date: 08/15/200 more...0 points

The Bielski Brothers

The Bielski Brothers

Living in the Soviet Republic of Belorussia during more...0 points

The Scarlet and the Black

The Scarlet and the Black

SCARLET AND THE BLACK - DVD Movie0 points

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  • Reply
    SoonerOrLater Oct 24, 2011 @ 8:29 pm | delete
    I love the movies from the 40s; I saw an oldie recently, it's kind of a chick flick from the 40s. "The Girls of Pleasure Island". This is a great lens.
  • Reply
    KathrynDarden Dec 7, 2011 @ 3:30 pm | delete
    Thanks for visiting the World War II Movies Lens!
  • Reply
    LuckyLongShot Oct 10, 2011 @ 12:49 am | delete
    I'm working on a World War II movie. Maybe one day you'll review mine!
    http://www.squidoo.com/the-battle-off-samar

    Who knows :)
  • Reply
    KathrynDarden Dec 7, 2011 @ 3:29 pm | delete
    I replied to this in October! I wonder where my response went? Anyway, I visited your lens back then and I look forward to you project.
  • Reply
    Emily Sep 28, 2011 @ 9:13 am | delete
    I wasn't a big fan of the Benjamin Button movie. It wasn't BAD perse, but it dragged on a bit. What did you think?

    I tend to like WWII novels better than movies - perhaps because so much more detail can be given in a book as opposed to two hours of film. A recent favorite of mine is "Top Secret Flight" by Dale Cox (http://topsecretflight.com). It's about a secret mission to Japan after the Pearl Harbor attack, and it's a great read for war buffs.
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