Why These 10 War Films Feel Perfect From Start to Finish
Duty and Its Consequences
In David Lean’s The Bridge on the River Kwai, Colonel Nicholson, played by Alec Guinness, leads British prisoners in Burma. He clashes with Colonel Saito, played by Sessue Hayakawa, but becomes determined to build the railway bridge properly as a demonstration of British discipline.
Nicholson’s pride gradually clouds the distinction between honor and madness. The film won seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Guinness; its bridge was built in Sri Lanka, and the final explosion was filmed with a real train in one take.
Friends Changed by Vietnam
The Deer Hunter begins with steelworkers Michael, Nick and Steven in a small Pennsylvania town, before they leave for Vietnam. Director Michael Cimino spends time on a wedding and a hunting trip, establishing the friendships that shape the impact of their later capture and forced Russian roulette.
Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken and John Savage play the three men, while Meryl Streep plays Linda. The film won Best Picture, and Walken received Best Supporting Actor; its Russian roulette scenes are not based on documented real events.
War on the Western Front
All Quiet on the Western Front follows German teenager Paul Bäumer, played by Felix Kammerer, after he enlists in 1914 with classmates encouraged by promises of glory. On the Western Front, he encounters mud and rain, while older soldier Kat, played by Albrecht Schuch, becomes his guide and friend.
Edward Berger directed this German-language adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s 1929 novel. It won four Oscars, including Best International Feature and Best Cinematography; the Nazis burned the novel.
A Battle Seen Through Soldiers
Terrence Malick’s The Thin Red Line is set on Guadalcanal in 1942 and follows an American infantry company fighting up a hill. Private Witt, played by Jim Caviezel, is a quiet deserter who notices the island’s beauty, while First Sergeant Welsh, played by Sean Penn, is a cynical veteran.
Nick Nolte plays Lt. Col. Tall, whose ambition drives the men forward. Malick shot hours of footage and cut many performers’ roles; Adrien Brody, promoted as a lead, ended up with only a few lines.
Key points
- The films emphasize war’s emotional toll alongside its battles.
- Nicholson’s commitment to doing the job properly becomes tangled with pride.
- The Deer Hunter’s Russian roulette scenes are not based on documented events.
- All Quiet on the Western Front won four Oscars.