The history of mankind is full of violence and armed conflicts. We do not need to look far into the distant past for examples. It is enough to mention the 20th century with the first or second world war, Vietnam, Iraq or bleeding Yugoslavia. Films with war themes hold up a true mirror to us, in which we can see what atrocities and cruelties a person is capable of committing against another person. The war films that we will introduce to you in the following lines capture the events of World War II from the perspective of soldiers as well as ordinary people. Even though this genre is sought out mainly by men, women should definitely not miss these films either.
The Birth of a Hero
To start, we offer you the war film Hacksaw Ridge by Oscar-winning director Mel Gibson, which is inspired by the true story of a 23-year-old American young man, Desmond Doss. Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, he enlisted to serve his country, but refuses to carry a weapon. He becomes a medic in the 307th Infantry Regiment of the 77th Infantry Division. Even though he moves in the front lines unarmed and equipped only with steady nerves and a first aid kit, he becomes a hero who is never forgotten.
In March 1945, the ruthless Battle of Okinawa breaks out. Doss's company is tasked with capturing a cliff rising to a height of 120 meters. When the soldiers manage to climb to the top using ropes, heavy enemy artillery and machine-gun fire arrives. Medic Doss seems to fear nothing. He stays in the middle of the unleashed hell with his fellow soldiers and lowers the wounded from the cliff to safety using a rope. During 12 hours of continuous shelling, soldier Doss saves the lives of 75 soldiers. But does our hero make it to safety himself?
Saving Private Ryan
When mentioning the war film genre, two cult war films immediately come to mind. Platoon and the film Saving Private Ryan. We will leave Platoon by director Oliver Stone from 1986, set during the Vietnam War, aside today and stay with the topic of World War II. Saving Private Ryan is still considered to this day to be the most realistic depiction of World War II. Director Steven Spielberg is a guarantee of a gripping plot, but the experience is also offered by stars dressed in camouflage such as Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Matt Damon, and Vin Diesel.
The film is about the landing in Normandy, about the hell that the soldiers had to experience, and about the effort of Captain John Miller, who must find Private Ryan with his unit. Ryan's brothers fell in battle, and he is therefore to be brought back home. However, this task is not easy at all, because Private Ryan is lost somewhere behind enemy German lines.
Stalingrad (1993)
War films of a somewhat different kind are represented by the drama Stalingrad, directed by Joseph Vilsmaier. Unlike the films mentioned above, the drama Stalingrad is not the result of American production, and therefore it offers a somewhat different perspective on the events in which more than 2 million men died.
This one is even more distinct, as we watch the unfolding brutality through the eyes of the German soldier Hans von Witzland. In the film, you can follow the stories of ordinary German soldiers who learned the bitter truth and became sober from their enthusiasm for „building“ the Nazi Third Reich. Their only desire eventually becomes survival at any cost and returning home.
Schindler's List
An excellently crafted take on the theme of the Holocaust, based on true events of World War II, is offered by the film of director Steven Spielberg, which at the time managed to win seven Oscars, including the award for Best Director and Best Picture of the Year. Although this film does not genre-wise belong among typical war films, we could not leave it unmentioned.
The plot of the film takes place in the Polish city of Krakow, to which in 1939 arrives the factory owner Oskar Schindler (played by actor Liam Neeson), who is interested in using cheap Jewish labor. Oskar Schindler, incidentally a member of the Nazi Party, wants to acquire a factory for himself and thus concludes a deal to buy it out. In the factory he employs Jews, but towards the end of the war the government of the Third Reich decides to move all the Jews of Krakow to Auschwitz. Schindler, however, wants to prevent this at any cost, and in order to save as many people as possible, he does not hesitate to sacrifice his entire fortune. Oskar Schindler ultimately manages to save 1098 Jews, who without his help would not have had the slightest chance of survival.
Battle of Sevastopol
And finally, our list of war films cannot be missing the story of the beautiful young Lyudmila Pavlichenko, who did not hesitate to take up arms and became one of the most successful snipers of World War II. Was she a heroine who managed to preserve her femininity even during demanding military operations, or was she merely a cold-blooded shooter with 309 kills to her name? In the film, you will find answers not only to these questions. The drama will take you through one of the most important battles that took place on the Eastern Front. This war film, with its engaging and gripping plot, will captivate both men and women.
