World War II produced the most important films of the last 30 years.
From Spielberg’s masterpieces to Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, these films capture the scale of humanity’s darkest chapter.
Here are the 10 best WWII films made since 1990.
1. Schindler’s List (1993) 8.6
Genre: Drama, History, War · Director: Steven Spielberg · Cast: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes
The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.
2. The Pianist (2002) 8.4
Genre: Drama, War · Director: Roman Polanski · Cast: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay
The true story of pianist Władysław Szpilman’s experiences in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation. When the Jews of the city find themselves forced into a ghetto, Szpilman finds work playing in a café;
3. Life Is Beautiful (1997) 8.4
Genre: Comedy, Drama · Director: Roberto Benigni · Cast: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini
A touching story of an Italian book seller of Jewish ancestry who lives in his own little fairy tale. His creative and happy life would come to an abrupt halt when his entire family is deported to a c
4. Saving Private Ryan (1998) 8.2
Genre: War, Drama, History · Director: Steven Spielberg · Cast: Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns
As U.S. troops storm the beaches of Normandy, three brothers lie dead on the battlefield, with a fourth trapped behind enemy lines. Ranger captain John Miller and seven men are tasked with penetrating
5. Hacksaw Ridge (2016) 8.2
Genre: Drama, History, War · Director: Mel Gibson · Cast: Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Vince Vaughn
WWII American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first Conscientious Objector in American history to receive the Congressional
6. The Imitation Game (2014) 8.0
Genre: History, Drama, Thriller · Director: Morten Tyldum · Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode
Based on the real life story of legendary cryptanalyst Alan Turing, the film portrays the nail-biting race against time by Turing and his brilliant team of code-breakers at Britain’s top-secret Govern
7. Dunkirk (2017) 7.5
Genre: War, Action, Drama · Director: Christopher Nolan · Cast: Fionn Whitehead, Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance
The story of the miraculous evacuation of Allied soldiers from Belgium, Britain, Canada and France, who were cut off and surrounded by the German army from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk between M
8. Fury (2014) 7.5
Genre: War, Drama, Action · Director: David Ayer · Cast: Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman
April, 1945. As the Allies make their final push in the European Theatre, a battle-hardened army sergeant named Wardaddy commands a Sherman tank and her five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy
9. Son of Saul (2015) 7.1
Genre: War, Drama, Thriller · Director: László Nemes · Cast: Géza Röhrig, Levente Molnár, Urs Rechn
In the horror of 1944 Auschwitz, a prisoner forced to burn the corpses of his own people finds moral survival trying to save from the flames the body of a boy he takes for his son, seeking to give him
WWII cinema reminds us of the cost of fascism and the courage of those who fought it. These 10 films should be required viewing for every generation.