There have been war movies for almost as long as there have been movies. One of the foundational genres of cinema, war films have entertained and instructed audiences for generations, some by glorifying the heroism of soldiers and others by critiquing the unforgivable human cost of military conflict. The Warner Bros. Discovery streaming service Max is home to a large collection of war films, including ones that belong to both categories. But considering the sheer scale of the streamer’s catalog, it can be difficult to find the truly great ones. That’s why we’ve done the work for you! Read on to discover our handpicked selection of the very best war movies on Max right now.
For more recommendations, be sure to check out our lists of the best drama movies on Max, the best thrillers on Max, and the best movies and shows on Max in general.
Disclaimer: These titles are available on US Max.
'Civil War' (2024)
Rotten Tomatoes: 81% | IMDb: 7.0/10
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Civil War
R
Action Drama9 10
- Release Date
- April 12, 2024
- Runtime
- 109 Minutes
- Director
- Alex Garland
Cast
-
Kirsten Dunst
Lee
-
Wagner Moura
Joel
WHERE TO WATCH
Streaming
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Written and directed by Alex Garland, Civil War tells the story of America in a dystopian future where a rebel group begins a secessionist movement to fight against the despotic federal government. Amid the war-torn landscape, a group of military-embedded journalists race against time to reach Washington, D.C., with an agenda to interview the president before the secessionists take over the White House. The dystopian action thriller stars Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sonoya Mizuno, Jefferson White, and Nelson Lee as the journalists reporting on the titular civil war. Garland’s frequent collaborator, Nick Offerman, stars as the President of the United States.
On its release, Civil War was critically acclaimed for its hard-hitting narrative about war and a nation in crisis, not to mention wildly successful at the box office. Using a civil war as its premise, Garland offers a disturbing look at the uncertainty of life through powerful cinematography and fantastic cast performances.
'When Trumpets Fade' (1998)
Rotten Tomatoes: 74% | IMDb: 7.0/10
When Trumpets Fade
- Run Time
- 1 hr 32 min
- Director
- John Irvin
- Release Date
- June 27, 1998
- Actors
- Ron Eldard, Frank Whaley, Zak Orth, Dylan Bruno
Set during WWII, When Trumpets Fade focuses on the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, which lasted 88 days between September and December 1944, becoming the longest battle on German ground and the second-longest single battle ever fought by the United States Army. The plot focuses on Private David Manning, played by Ron Eldard — the sole survivor of his platoon after the rest of his fellow soldiers are killed in action. Disturbed by the violence and seeking medical assistance, Manning requests for leave. Instead, he gets promoted to Sergeant and is immediately assigned to another platoon with inexperienced recruits, leading them into a brutal war.
Directed by John Irvin, the HBO television film also stars Frank Whaley, Zak Orth, and Dylan Bruno in major roles. When Trumpets Fade has been praised for highlighting the horrors of war in a raw narrative, emphasizing soldiers’ survival struggles rather than portraying conventional patriotic themes.
'The Tuskegee Airmen' (1995)
Rotten Tomatoes: 86% | IMDb: 7.1/10
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The Tuskegee Airmen
PG-13
Drama HistoryWar
- Release Date
- August 26, 1995
- Runtime
- 106 Minutes
- Director
- Robert Markowitz
Cast
-
Laurence Fishburne
-
Allen Payne
-
Malcolm-Jamal Warner
-
Courtney B. Vance
WHERE TO WATCH
Streaming
Directed by Robert Markowitz, The Tuskegee Airmen is a dramatized retelling of the groundbreaking real-life events surrounding the first African-American combat pilots in the United States Army Air Corps who fought during WWII. The film centers on the experiences of Captain Hannibal "Iowa" Lee, Jr. (Laurence Fishburne) and his fellow aspiring pilots, exploring how they overcome racist opposition as they join the Air Force and begin training at the titular unit in Tuskegee, Alabama, under the watchful eye of their white commanding officer, Colonel Noel Rogers (Daniel Hugh Kelly). Cuba Gooding Jr., Courtney B. Vance, Andre Braugher, John Lithgow, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner also star in supporting roles.
While the film is based on the real Tuskegee Airmen, the characters and the narrative of the war drama are a combination of fact, fiction, and historical impact. On its release, The Tuskegee Airmen was nominated for several Primetime Emmy Awards, with Fishburne earning a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.
'They Were Expendable' (1945)
Rotten Tomatoes: 92% | IMDb: 7.2/10
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They Were Expendable
Approved
DramaWar
- Release Date
- December 31, 1945
- Runtime
- 135 Minutes
- Director
- John Ford, Robert Montgomery
- Writers
- William L. White, Frank Wead, Norman Corwin, George Froeschel, Jan Lustig
Cast
-
Robert Montgomery
-
John Wayne
-
Donna Reed
-
Jack Holt
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Based on the 1942 novel of the same name by William Lindsay White, They Were Expendable follows the exploits of the Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three as Lieutenants John Brickley and “Rusty” Ryan fight to prove the battle-worthiness of the United States PT boats that defended the Philippines against the Japanese invasion during the Battle of the Philippines in WWII. Robert Montgomery and John Wayne star as Lt. Brickley and Lt. Ryan, with Donna Reed and Jack Holt in supporting roles.
While a work of fiction, both the book and the film take inspiration from real-life events and actual people. Montogomery and Wayne’s characters are a dramatized composition of fictionalizations of PT-Boat Squadron Three Commander John D. Bulkeley, while some combat scenes are based on events that actually occurred during the war. They Were Expendable is regarded as one of the most underrated but finest WWII films ever made, with an exceptionally detailed depiction of the naval warfare of its time.
'Captain Horatio Hornblower' (1951)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% | IMDb: 7.3/10
Captain Horatio Hornblower
Documentary
Drama HistoryWar
- Release Date
- April 10, 1951
- Runtime
- 117 minutes
- Director
- Raoul Walsh
Cast
-
Gregory Peck
-
Virginia Mayo
-
Robert Beatty
-
Moultrie Kelsall
WHERE TO WATCH
Streaming
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Directed by Raoul Walsh, Captain Horatio Hornblower is based on C.S. Forester’s novels featuring the titular fictional officer of the British Royal Navy and takes materials from three of his novels, The Happy Return, A Ship of the Line, and Flying Colours. A swashbuckling adventure set during the Napoleonic Wars, at the dawn of the 19th century, the war film follows Captain Hornblower as he helms the HMS Lydia for a perilous transatlantic mission with a faithful crew and battles a Spanish warship and a ragged group of Central American rebels. Meanwhile, Horatio also saves Lady Barbara Wellesley, the sister of the Duke of Wellington, embarking on a complicated love story.
Gregory Peck stars as the titular captain alongside Virginia Mayo, Robert Beatty, and Terence Morgan. Shot in Technicolor, Captain Horatio Hornblower boasts eye-catching visuals and epic action set pieces and has been praised for its remarkable cinematography and music score.
‘The Zone of Interest’ (2023)
Rotten Tomatoes: 93% | IMDb: 7.3/10
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The Zone of Interest
PG-13
Drama HistoryWar
8 10
- Release Date
- December 15, 2023
- Runtime
- 105 Minutes
- Director
- Jonathan Glazer
Cast
-
Christian Friedel
-
Sandra Hüller
WHERE TO WATCH
Streaming
Loosely based on Martin Amis’s eponymous 2014 novel, The Zone of Interest is a historical drama film written and directed by Jonathan Glazer. Starring Christian Friedel and Sandra Hüller, the movie is centered around an Auschwitz commandant and his family, who live next to the concentration camp within the titular zone of interest. Unlike most movies inspired by books, the film isn’t a direct page-to-screen adaptation; instead, the movie explores the stories of the real-life people who inspired Amis’s novel.
The Zone of Interest premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival to near-universal acclaim, taking home the Grand Prix award. The film has been praised by critics and audiences for its direction, writing, cinematography, sound design, and atmosphere — not to mention the stellar performances of its cast. The movie received several accolades, winning the Academy Awards for Best International Feature and Best Sound, as well as nominations in three other categories. Though its subject easily lends itself to melodrama, The Zone of Interest stands out among the vast canon of World War II movies by choosing to divest itself of excessive dramatization, presenting a clear-eyed and dispassionate look at the ordinary, mundane people who were involved — voluntarily or otherwise — in the exceptional cruelty of the Holocaust.
‘The Battle of Algiers’ (1966)
Rotten Tomatoes: 99% | IMDb: 8.1/10
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The Battle of Algiers
Not Rated
DramaWar
- Release Date
- September 20, 1967
- Runtime
- 121 Minutes
- Director
- Gillo Pontecorvo
Cast
-
Brahim Hadjadj
-
Jean Martin
-
Yacef Saadi
-
Samia Kerbash
WHERE TO WATCH
Streaming
RENT
BUY
A 1966 Italian-Algerian war film co-written and directed by Gillo Pontecorvo, The Battle of Algiers is inspired by the real-life Algerian War, in which rebel fighters fought against the French colonial government in North Africa. Pontecorvo also composed the movie’s score with the legendary Ennio Morricone, and the film stars mostly non-professional actors who lived through the real events that inspired the movie. Presented in a black-and-white newsreel style, the film is often considered a prime example of Italian neorealism.
The Battle of Algiers premiered at the 1966 Venice Film Festival, where it received international critical acclaim and won the Golden Lion award. Several other accolades followed, including the unique achievement of receiving three Academy Award nominations in non-consecutive years (Best Foreign Language Film in 1966 and Best Screenplay and Best Director in 1968). While the film was understandably controversial in France, it was largely hailed by audiences of its time as one of the greatest films ever made. In 2008, The Battle of Algiers received its crowning achievement when the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage announced that the film would be among 100 Italian films released between 1942 and 1978 that would be preserved for the impact they had on the nation’s collective memory.
‘The Red Badge of Courage’ (1951)
Rotten Tomatoes: 87% | IMDb: 7.1/10
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The Red Badge of Courage
NR
War
- Release Date
- September 27, 1951
- Runtime
- 69 minutes
- Director
- John Huston
- Writers
- Albert Band
- Producers
- Dore Schary
Cast
-
Audie Murphy
The Youth
-
Bill Mauldin
The Loud Soldier
-
Douglas Dick
The Lieutenant
-
Royal Dano
The Tattered Man
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A 1951 Civil War film co-written and directed by John Huston and produced by MGM, The Red Badge of Courage is adapted from Stephen Crane’s eponymous 1895 novel. The film stars WWII veteran-turned-actor Audie Murphy as a young Union soldier forced to overcome his cowardice after witnessing the terrible consequences of desertion. Other cast members include Bill Mauldin, Douglas Dick, Royal Dano, John Dierkes, Arthur Hunnicutt, and more.
At the time of its release, The Red Badge of Courage was one of MGM’s least successful films, but the movie has retrospectively been re-evaluated as a brilliant work of art that was ruined by studio interference. The film is probably better known today for its behind-the-scenes problems than for what’s actually on the screen, as MGM chose to cut down Huston’s original two-hour version to the 69-minute film that we see today despite protests from the director and star. But while this move on the part of the studio may have diluted Huston’s vision, The Red Badge of Courage remains an exceptionally artistic movie that presents a focused and layered perspective on the life of a soldier — one that was still fairly fresh to audiences of its time.
