The Best War Movie Battle Scenes Of All Time

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Great Movie Battle Scenes

In this lens you will find video clips of some of the best movie battle scenes of all time.

Epic battle scenes are becoming more and more common in movies due to modern special effects, but there are some notable battle scenes from older movies - battle scenes which used thousands of extras.

I have not given these battle scenes a ranking, they just appear on the list as I thought of them. If there are any that you think should be added, leave a comment at the end of the lens.

War Movies 

If you like movies with great battle scenes then you may also be interested in my War Movies lens.
featured lens Ten Great War Movies

My Grandfather fought in Europe in World War 2 and all things military stayed in his blood until he passed away. When I was young, my grandparents used to take care of me on Saturdays when my parents were working and I ended up watching loads of old...

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Zulu 

The Battle of Rourke's Drift

In this battle the British get a mauling from the Zulus but a resilient defence sees them score a narrow victory.

You can learn more about the history of the battle of Rourke's drift and those involved in it here: Rourke's Drift 1879.

The Royal Regiment of Wales's website has lots of interesting associated information too.

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Saving Private Ryan 

D-Day Landings at Omaha Beach

In the opening minutes of this scenes the American troops suffer heavy casualties but with overwhelming numbers they manage a comfortable win.

There is a huge amount of information about the Normandy landings on D-Day here; Normandy Landings and here; D-Day.

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Star Wars, Episode IV 

The Battle of Yavin/Death Star 1

Despite a massive superiority of firepower the rebels score a last minute victory courtessy of their secret weapon - "The Force".

For those wanting to read about the fictional history of this battle, try Wookiepedia.

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Star Wars 

Star Wars Trilogy- A New Hope

Buy at AllPosters.com

The Messenger 

The Battle of Orleans

With manic leadership from Joan of Arc the French charge to a bloody and brutal victory with massive casualties on both sides.

Details on the siege of Orleans can be found here: The Siege of Orleans.

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The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King 

The Battle of Minas Tirith

Faced with a massive army of orcs, hillmen, oliphants, trolls and an assortment of other creatures the men of Gondor take a battering until help arrives to sweep away the enemy.

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Suriyothai 

The Battle of Ayuttaya

Despite a valiant defence the Thai protectors of Ayuttaya are thrashed by an elephant mounted invading Burmese army.

Wikipedia has an article on Queen Suriyothai.

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The Patriot 

The Battle of Guilford Courthouse

An early intentional own goal lures the British into a careless attack and they are then narrowly beaten by a more motivated American force.

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Braveheart 

The Battle of Sterling

Tricked into thinking they would score an easy victory the English are carved apart by the Scots in a very bloody battle.

The battle as depicted in the movie varies considerably with the real Battle of Sterling Bridge.

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Gladiator 

The War in Germania

A bunch of drunken German hooligans never really had a chance against a well-trained Roman army who win easily.

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Spartacus 

The Third Servile War

Despite early promise by the slave army, the Romans' experience and numbers pay off for a decisive win.

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Otoko-tachi no Yamato 

The Sinking of the Yamato

The Japanese offer a spirited and typically frenzied defense but take a real thrashing by the Americans.

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Black Hawk Down 

The Battle of Mogadishu

The Somalians are real underdogs against a far better equiped American army, but an all-out effort gains them a score draw.

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We Were Soldiers 

The Battle of La Drang

An isolated American force defends well but is slowly losing the day until an all-or-nothing final attack gets them an heroic victory.

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Flags of Our Fathers 

The Battle of Iwo Jima

Huge bloodshed on both sides sees much of this battle at a stalemate but eventually the American invaders manage a narrow win.

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Troy 

The Battle at the Gates of Troy

A poorly thought out attack on a well-defended castle sees the inhabitants of Troy thrash the opposition for a convincing win.

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Henry V 

The Battle of Agincourt

A small English army defeats a large and well-armoured French force.

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The Battle of Britain 

The Battle of Britain, WWII

Despite a determined German attack, the English hold on for a legendary win.

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The Empire Strikes Back 

The Battle of Hoth

After a previous defeat the evil Empire comes back with all guns blazing to wipe the floor with the rebel army on Hoth.

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Prince Caspian 

Narnians Defeat The Telmarines

This battle proves that huge armies of well-trained soldiers are all very well but if you have a magical lion and angry trees on your side you are likely to win any fight.

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The Lord of The Rings - The Two Towers 

The Battle of Helms Deep

An overwhelming army of Uru-kai begin to walk over the human defenders until the cavalry show up and win a convincing victory.

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What Is The Best War Movie Battle Scene? 

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More Movies with Great Battle Scenes 

These movies also feature some great battle scenes. You can add your own favourites to this section.

1

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Lawrence of Arabia (Collector's Edition, 2 discs) - DVD

Lawrence of Arabia (Collector's Edition, 2 discs) - DVD

Newly restored - pristine audio & picture qual more...0 points

2

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Midway (Collector's Edition)

Midway (Collector's Edition)

Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 09/02/2 more...0 points

3

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Tora! Tora! Tora! (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

Tora! Tora! Tora! (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

"Tora! Tora! Tora!" is the Japanese sign more...0 points

4

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The Thin Red Line

The Thin Red Line

A powerful frontline cast - including Sean Penn, N more...0 points

5

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Bang Rajan

Bang Rajan

In 1765 during the legendary struggle between the more...0 points

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Your Comments on Movie Battle Scenes 

Have I Got Them All?

Are these the best movie battle scenes of all time?Let me know what you think of these scenes and if there is another that you think is worthy of inclusion let me know.

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  • Reply
    nickupton nickupton Oct 16, 2009 @ 5:21 am
    Have to say I didn't like the battle of Geonosis, too much CGI for me. [in reply to Pete]
  • Reply
    Pete Pete Oct 13, 2009 @ 10:48 am
    good list, but battle of geonosis in star wars ep.2 is awesome, also pearl harbour has an epic bombing scene. all the other scenes are brilliant though.
  • Reply
    nickupton nickupton Oct 1, 2009 @ 6:58 am
    I agree. [in reply to gideon43]
  • Reply
    gideon43 gideon43 Oct 1, 2009 @ 6:44 am
    Saving Private Ryan has easily the best battle scenes ever in war movies, both the beginning and end.
    Zulu also rates pretty highly.
    Excellent lens, check out my own list of top war movies sometimes.
  • Reply
    Paul Paul Sep 5, 2009 @ 11:19 am
    LOTR The Return of the King: The cavalry charge and ensuing batle.
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An Interesting Book About War Movies 

UNDER FIRE: A Century of War Movies

UNDER FIRE: A Century of War Movies

by: Jay Slater

Amazon Price: (as of 11/13/2009) Buy Now

About The Lens Author 

Lensmaster nickupton has been a member since June 23 2007, has rated 149 lenses, favorited 72, and has created 63 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "The Sneetches by Dr Seuss". See all my lenses

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