The grave and unforgiving nature of war is put on full display in the most brutal war movies. Depicting extreme violence or emotional distress in films and TV can be a risk, as there’s always the potential for it to be deemed exploitative or sensational. However, when done right, these films are lauded for their realism and sincerity when illustrating the harrowing truth about war.
Surprisingly brutal war movies come from all sorts of angles. The expected perspective of war movies is that of the soldiers engaging in the primary conflict. While the atrocities of some war movies occur amid combat, others in the genre are more concerned with the effects on surrounding civilians. Regardless of what particular group of people these war movies are focused on, what they each have in common is their commitment to portraying the ugly, brutal truth about war and its lasting consequences.
10 Go Tell The Spartans (1978)
Directed by Ted Post
Released the same year as The Inglorious Bastards and The Deer Hunter, Go Tell the Spartans hasn’t earned quite the same amount of acclaim. The latter film is based on Daniel Ford’s novel, Incident at Muc Wa, and follows a group of U.S. Army military advisors led by seasoned veteran Asa Barker (Burt Lancaster) during the early days of the Vietnam War. Like a handful of filmmakers and screenwriters in Hollywood, Ford had experience in the Vietnam War, where he worked as a correspondent in Vietnam for The Nation.
The anti-war message of Ford’s novel translates well in the film, leading to critical acclaim around its initial release and years later with the film’s cult following. Much of the brutality in war films comes from the physical and emotional scars left on individuals involved, and while Go Tell the Spartans isn’t completely devoid of this, the film is much more concerned with critiquing America’s involvement in Vietnam.
9 Johnny Got His Gun (1971)
Directed by Dalton Trumbo
One of the most terrifying anti-war films in existence, Johnny Got His Gun was momentarily forgotten by audiences, despite finding success with its initial release. After gaining a second life in the ’80s, the independent film has earned itself a cult following that is still going strong to this day. The film’s chilling tale comes from director Dalton Trumbo’s own novel of the same name.
Johnny Got His Gun sees World War I soldier Joe Bonham (Timothy Bottoms) wake up in his hospital bed after being hit by an artillery shell. Joe discovers the hit has resulted in the loss of his eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and limbs, though he’s still conscious and able to communicate through Morse code. Joe’s main request to be displayed in a freak show to demonstrate the horrors of war is devastating and gets the simple message of the film across to audiences.
8 Das Boot (1981)
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
Both an intense war film and an exemplary submarine movie, Das Boot takes place during World War II. Unlike most of the other brutal war movies mentioned, the cruelty shown in the West German war film isn’t as appalling for audiences. Das Boot sees the crew of the U-96 set out to patrol the Atlantic Ocean, where they’re met with intense naval conflict.
The film does intersperse moments of levity that focus on the crew’s camaraderie, yet it remains a highly intense war movie thanks to its setting. The combination of unforgiving weather, enemy attacks, and limited supplies results in a suspenseful fight for survival that’s guaranteed to have audiences on the edge of their seats. The claustrophobic setting of the submarine adds to the high stakes throughout the film as it affects both the crew’s sanity and safety.
7 Casualties Of War (1989)
Directed by Brian De Palma
As is the case with many films based on true stories, the details of the incident Casualties of War is based on was altered for the 1989 film. Based on Daniel Lang’s article in The New Yorker, and his eventual book, the film tells the story of a Vietnamese woman who was raped and murdered by a squad of American soldiers.
Being released around the same time as other notable war films and having an especially bleak true story attached to it, there’s no wondering why Casualties of War performed poorly at the box office. However, the film has gone on to receive a more positive response. Critics point out that Sean Penn and his character of Sergeant Tony Meserve, in particular, hold a lot of weight in the film, as it is crucial audiences buy into his disdain for the Vietnamese woman and the extreme lengths he’s willing to go to keep others quiet about his actions.
6 Fires On The Plain (1959)
Directed by Kon Ichikawa
After witnessing the effects of the atomic bombings in Japan, director Kon Ichikawa made a shift in his career. Having mostly directed comedies before Fires on the Plain, Ichikawa began making films that spoke out against war. Fires on the Plain takes place during the end of World War II and follows Private Tamura (Eiji Funakoshi) as he and a group of other men are stranded. The men have been cut off from communication and share limited food.
On top of the already dire circumstances, Tamura is battling tuberculosis and fights to survive his illness and the brutality of war. Fires on the Plain balances its gruesome depictions of violence and death with a fascinating character-driven story centered around Tamura. With many of Ichikawa’s films, he aims to be realistic and is unafraid to show the bleakness that comes with tough subject matter, and Fires on the Plain is not an exception.
5 Threads (1984)
Directed by Mick Jackson
Holding its own against many of the brutal war movies released in theaters, the made-for-TV war film Threads depicts a nuclear war that gravely affects the English town of Sheffield. The nuclear war is a result of the mounting conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union. At its core, the film aims to present a moving story about families being separated and individuals forced to survive without their loved ones.
However, Threads also paints a grim depiction of the economic, social, and medical repercussions of the war. The unflinching portrayal of chaos and violence that stems from the nuclear disaster is realistic and dark, turning Threads into a horror film at times. The images throughout the film and the devastation that impacts its characters are sure to stick with audiences for quite some time.
4 Grave Of The Fireflies (1988)
Directed by Isao Takahata
When thinking of classic war movies, animated films don’t usually come to mind, but the genre would be incomplete without Studio Ghibli’s Grave of the Fireflies. The film is based on Akiyuki Nosaka’s semi-autobiographical eponymous short story and tells the story of two orphaned siblings trying to survive as the Pacific War is coming to a close. Like Come and See, the Japanese animated film is told from the perspective of younger victims of war.
Contrasting the whimsical, adventure-filled worlds Studio Ghibli would eventually be widely associated with, the imagery throughout Grave of the Fireflies is truly heartbreaking and bleak. Audiences are forced to confront the reality of siblings Seita and Setsuko’s war-torn world, where they’re exposed to inhumane conditions, namely starvation. There are several themes addressed throughout the film related to war and the loss of innocence, and Grave of the Fireflies’ ending ties them together in a way that’s guaranteed to earn a tearful response from audiences.
3 Platoon (1986)
Directed by Oliver Stone
Having served in the Vietnam War himself, director Oliver Stone uses his first-hand experiences to better inform the events of Platoon, one of the best war movies of the 1980s. Acting as the first of Stone’s trilogy of Vietnam War movies, the film sees a U.S. Army volunteer (Charlie Sheen) caught in the middle of the growing conflict between the pessimistic Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger) and the sympathetic Sergeant Elias (Willem Dafoe).
One of the film’s main messages comes from Barnes and Elias’ opposing views on the purpose and morality of the war. Amidst the two men’s conflict and the action of the war itself, Platoon still makes sure to never lose focus on Sheen’s Chris Taylor and the life-changing events he witnesses. The action throughout the film is brutal and is captured with authenticity thanks to its cinematography and Stone’s expertise. Platoon also boasts some strong performances and an iconic, goosebump-inducing shot in Elias’ final stance.
2 Hamburger Hill (1987)
Directed by John Irvin
Where Hamburger Hill differentiates itself from other movies about the Vietnam War is by focusing on one particular battle, the Battle of Hamburger Hill, and the soldiers involved. Over the course of 10 days, the squad members found themselves in intense attacks that resulted in a significant number of casualties on both sides. The choice to frame the action and characters within the film in a short amount of time is unique but could have been detrimental to the film’s quality.
Luckily, the movie’s performances and attention to every gruesome historical detail prevented Hamburger Hill from being a disaster. The film has been praised by military historians for its accuracy in both the physical and emotional effects of the battle. In the middle of the battle’s attacks, the soldiers dealt with many psychological stressors, such as racism among soldiers and the anti-war sentiment expressed by people at home.
1 Come And See (1985)
Directed by Elem Klimov
Regarded as one of the best war movies of all time, Come and See has influenced a variety of harrowing war films in the years after its 1985 release. The violence and suffering seen throughout the film is tough to stomach, but it remains important for audiences to watch as it paints an honest portrait of the realities of war. Come and See is certainly a war movie audiences can only watch once, and walk away from being forever changed by its message and brutal nature.
The film highlights the inhumanity and intense day-to-day during the Nazi occupation of Belarus. Teenager Flyora (Aleksei Kravchenko) joins a group of resistance fighters, and the film is told from his perspective as he witnesses unspeakable inhumane acts. Come and See combines existential, political, and apocalyptic themes with both hyperreal and surrealist imagery and has earned praise for its storytelling alone, in addition to its powerful performance from Kravchenko.