Summary

• Realistic war movies can uncover intense moments in history better than works of pure fiction.
• Characters and events taken from real military operations add authenticity to war films.
• Striking a balance between fiction and biopics can make a movie more powerful by showcasing historical truths.

Fans of the war genre often want to see realistic depictions of historical conflicts, so some filmmakers choose to make movies about real moments in history with characters based on real people. These movies can straddle the line between fiction and biopics, especially when the characters or the stories are already well known to the public. The way that a movie shows the events are more important than the actual story beats themselves.

Whether they are hoping to inform audiences about a chapter from history or simply bringing famous stories to life, these movies are often more realistic and powerful than war movies that are works of pure fiction. Realistic war movies can uncover the most shocking and intense moments in human history, and none can do this better than those which are based on real military operations.

20 The Dam Busters (1955)

A group of British World War II pilots bomb a series of German dams

The visual effects in The Dam Busters have long become obsolete, but they are still hauntingly beautiful, even though they aren't realistic. The bombing scenes are packed with genuine, eye-popping explosions, but the dogfights use tiny dots of light on the film to imitate the flashes of gunfire. This doesn't quite sell the effect, but it makes these scenes feel alien and unsettling, which is an even better effect.

The Dam Busters is an ambitious, exciting film, and it's still considered one of the best British war movies of all time.

The Dam Busters chronicles Operation Chastise, a British bombing mission targeted at strategic German dams. Many of the characters are based on the real pilots who flew those missions. The first half of the movie is all about the planning stage, and this sets the scene for the unforgettable bombing runs. The Dam Busters is an ambitious, exciting film, and it's still considered one of the best British war movies of all time.

19 Gettysburg (1993)

A detailed epic of a pivotal battle in the Civil War

Gettysburg has been praised for its historical accuracy, and it has become essential viewing for any Civil War buffs. At just under four hours long, Gettysburg certainly isn't for everyone, but anyone with an interest in the battle will likely appreciate it as both history and fiction. The movie dissects the action from both the Confederate and Union sides, and it features thousands of extras to pull off the battle scenes.

At just under four hours long, Gettysburg certainly isn't for everyone, but anyone with an interest in the battle will likely appreciate it as both history and fiction.

Gettysburg retains just as much thrust and vitality to avoid being a mere educational tool. There are strong performances all round, particularly from Jeff Daniels, who plays Union Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, and Martin Sheen, who plays Robert E. Lee on the other side of the conflict. The battle scenes, while they strive to present the conflict accurately, also have moments of real jeopardy.

18 Jarhead (2005)

A Marine deals with the tedium of the Gulf War

Jarhead stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Anthony Swofford, the former U.S. Marine whose memoir inspired the movie. Swofford drew from his experiences throughout the Persian Gulf War, and this gives Jarhead a sense of authenticity that is rare in most war movies. Swofford has to battle boredom and isolation more than the enemy combatants. In fact, the war ends without him firing a single shot.

Swofford has to battle boredom and isolation more than the enemy combatants. In fact, the war ends without him firing a single shot.

Even from the beginning, before Swofford travels to the Gulf, Jarhead ponders the way that veterans are treated in American society. Swofford finds some comfort in seeing his fellow Marines long after they return home. After all, they are the only ones who can understand the strange kind of shame he feels for being held in the same esteem as veterans of the Vietnam War or other conflicts.

17 American Sniper (2014)

Bradley Cooper shines as an elite sniper

Bradley Cooper was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Chris Kyle, a Navy SEAL Sniper who accrued 160 confirmed kills. Cooper's performance is vital, because American Sniper is a character study that focuses on Kyle's struggles with isolation and sorrow. Kyle first s the Navy to escape his heartbreak, but his glittering career provides him with little comfort when he needs it most.

Cooper's performance is vital, because American Sniper is a character study that focuses on Kyle's struggles with isolation and sorrow.

American Sniper makes a few minor changes to Chris Kyle's life story, but it draws heavily from his autobiography, so there's no need to fabricate his emotional journey. Thanks to this attention to detail, and Clint Eastwood's even-handed direction, American Sniper has found a place as one of the defining movies about modern warfare. There is just as much focus on Chris Kyle's life after the war, and this speaks to the ongoing struggles of military veterans in America.

16 Downfall (2004)

Hitler's final days in the bunker, presented up close

Adolf Hitler tends to feature on the periphery of many World War II movies, if he features at all. The prevailing dogma has always been that his presence might threaten to overpower any war movie, and that there's no need to show him on-screen for audiences to know the role that he plays. Downfall does the seemingly-impossible by taking the audience inside Hitler's bunker during the final days of his life.

Downfall manages to use Hitler as its central character without any hint of sympathy. It's a disturbing portrait of his desperation and rage as his empire crumbles all around him.

Downfall manages to use Hitler as its central character without any hint of sympathy. It's a disturbing portrait of his desperation and rage as his empire crumbles all around him. Bruno Ganz may portray him as occasionally charming, but it's clear that he only uses this as a tool to manipulate people. In the end, there's a delineation between the selfish cowardice of the Nazis who accompany Hitler to the bitter end and those who are at least rational enough to abandon him.

15 Black Hawk Down (2001)

Ridley Scott has always had a reputation for epic, large-scale action set pieces, but Black Hawk Down proved that the director could bring his winning formula into more modern settings. Based on the Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia in 1993, Black Hawk Down details the story of a group of elite American soldiers who find themselves vastly outnumbered by Somali troops when their mission goes awry.

Unlike some war movies which borrow from the horror genre to show that the virtuous may come out unscathed, Black Hawk Down is far bleaker and more callous.

Black Hawk Down has faced criticism that it lacks deep and meaningful characterization, but this could be a feature of the narrative to suggest that war chooses its victims without any discrimination. Unlike some war movies which borrow from the horror genre to show that the virtuous may come out unscathed, Black Hawk Down is far bleaker and more callous. It subverts the norms of the war genre.

14 Sergeant York (1941)

A tale of heroism during the First World War

Made during the Second World War but set during the first, Sergeant York tells the story of a quintessentially American hero who has become something of a folk figure. Gary Cooper is the perfect actor to play the part, as his brave and righteous screen persona allowed him to play many heroes throughout his career. Sergeant York is right in his wheelhouse, and he won an Academy Award for his performance.

It's a patriotic tale that inspired young men to enlist after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and it was probably more effective than any military propaganda the army could have devised.

It's no coincidence that Sergeant York came out just as America was reconsidering its neutrality in the Second World War. It's a patriotic tale that inspired young men to enlist after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and it was probably more effective than any military propaganda the army could have devised. Decades later, Sergeant York is still an inspirational story of courage and conviction.

13 Zulu (1964)

An outnumbered British unit fight for survival in the Anglo-Zulu War

Zulu provided Michael Caine with his breakthrough role. He plays a British soldier at the Battle of Rorke's Drift, a notorious episode in the Anglo-Zulu War when 150 Brits had to fight off 4000 Zulu warriors. The film sets the scene carefully before unleashing a chaotic swell of violence as the two armies clash. The relentless onslaught is an unforgiving spectacle replete with gunfire and pained screams.

Zulu has held up surprisingly well, as it presents both the British and Zulu combatants as victims of a senseless conflict beyond their control.

Zulu has been interpreted as both anti-colonial and as potentially problematic. The consensus is that the film has held up well, as it presents both the British and Zulu combatants as victims of a senseless conflict beyond their control. It's surprisingly nuanced for a war film that could so easily have glorified a moment of British heroism in a colonial war. This has allowed Zulu to endure where other British adventure movies have fallen away.

12 Letters From Iwo Jima (2006)

Iwo Jima from the Japanese side

Clint Eastwood shot Letters from Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers back-to-back, with each movie exploring the Battle of Iwo Jima from a different side. Both movies received positive reviews, but Letters from Iwo Jima is the true masterpiece out of the two. Ken Watanabe stars as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, a Japanese commander at Iwo Jima who has his hands full dealing with his own superiors as well as the American combatants.

Seen together with Flags of Our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima presents a complete picture of a senseless combat that ended many lives.

Letters from Iwo Jima shows the disconnect from within the Japanese ranks, as soldiers are given conflicting orders by their commanders, and they eventually have to decide for themselves whether to surrender, commit suicide or keep fighting. Seen together with Flags of Our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima presents a complete picture of a senseless combat that ended many lives.

11 Glory (1989)

Black Americans form a regiment to take the Civil War to the Confederates

Matthew Broderick plays Colonel Robert Gould Shaw in Glory, the commander of one of the first black regiments during the Civil War. While many of the other characters are fictionalized, the story is true, and their experiences reflect the real-life conditions that the soldiers faced. Denzel Washington won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his performance as a private.

The regiment's journey below the Mason-Dixon line is incredibly tense, but Glory also takes enough time to humanize its subjects.

Glory earned four Oscar nominations in addition to Washington's win, and it still has a wealth of irers thanks to its powerful storytelling. The regiment's journey below the Mason-Dixon line is incredibly tense, but Glory also takes enough time to humanize its subjects, so that the true weight of their experiences can be felt. Each of the main characters has their own backstory that informs their decision to the army, and they also have enough personality for Glory to feel more vibrant than most historical dramas.