All 22 War Movies That Won Best Picture, Ranked (2024)

In 1970, Edwin Starr asked, “War, what is it good for?” in a protest song literally called ‘War,’ and it’s not a difficult sentiment to get around. Destructive, violent, and deadly by its very nature, war, at its core, is an event that pits two or more states/countries against each other for any number of reasons, and history has shown that such fighting on a frequently immense scale has been good for very few. War movies, on the other hand, have arguably been good for Oscar voters, given numerous movies that either wholly or partially revolve around various wars have done well, come awards season.

In being generous with what could be considered a war movie, there are a total of 22 Best Picture winners at the Oscars that could qualify as titles belonging to such a genre. Some are more focused on war than others, with some featuring brief war segments and a select few being war movies that don’t actually have any combat, instead choosing to focus on characters who aren’t necessarily soldiers. Close to a quarter of all Best Picture winners can be considered war movies or films that deal with war in some capacity, and all 22 of these are ranked below.

22 'Cavalcade' (1933)

Director: Frank Lloyd

Just about every single war or war-related movie that’s won Best Picture at the Oscars is worth watching, with the exception of Cavalcade. This early winner of the top prize at the Academy Awards is one of the least popular winners in ceremony history, and it’s a case where it’s kind of understandable why the film in question is mostly forgotten; those hoping for a hidden gem will likely be disappointed.

For its time, Cavalcade clearly did something right, at least in the eyes of Oscar voters, telling a rather ambitious story about various people living through the first few decades of the 20th century, which leads to time being spent covering things like the Boer War and World War I. It’s more than just a war movie, as a result, but such conflicts do have a significant impact on the narrative. Sadly, the dramatic weight of Cavalcade is lacking, and even considering its age, it’s pretty lackluster when watched today.

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21 'The English Patient' (1996)

Director: Anthony Minghella

An epic romance film that plays out in the lead-up to World War II, as well as during its early years, The English Patient is overlong and perhaps a little melodramatic, but still undeniably well-made. Much of the movie plays out as a series of flashbacks, with a badly wounded survivor of a plane crash describing his past – particularly his involvement in the war and his romantic endeavors – to the nurse treating him.

The worst thing that can be said about The English Patient is that it does feel a little like Oscar bait, given it’s rather blatantly trying to be a tearjerker that mixes romance, historical events, and heightened drama in a way that seems perfectly designed to get Oscar voters salivating. The attempt worked (it won eight other Oscars on top of Best Picture), and even non-Oscar voters should still be able to get something out of the quality of acting on offer, as well as the general spectacle of it all.

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20 'The King's Speech' (2010)

Director: Tom Hooper

Certain war movies take place once combat is over, but The King’s Speech is a film where the main story plays out during the lead-up to a war. Admittedly, that makes it more of a historical drama than a war film per se, but it is largely about King George VI having to overcome his speech impediment in the years leading up to World War II, principally because a monarch purportedly needs to have authority and confidence in trying times.

Sure, the UK also has a Prime Minister and other people who can do such country-leading tasks in times that are either good or bad, but The King’s Speech argues that having a king or queen capable of doing the same is important. Those cynical about the continued existence of monarchies might not be convinced, but there is a compelling underdog story (of sorts) to The King’s Speech that is admittedly interesting… though it probably shouldn’t have won Best Picture for its year, considering the competition.

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19 'Gone with the Wind' (1939)

Director: Victor Fleming

Gone with the Wind is a huge film in several ways. For example, it runs for almost four hours, it’s one of the biggest box office earners of all time, and it has a legacy that’s also hugely complicated. Its story concerns a rocky romance shared between two people during a tumultuous and dramatic time in U.S. history: that of the American Civil War and its aftermath.

The way Gone with the Wind handles themes surrounding race leaves something to be desired, when watched today, but the segments of the film that focus on the Civil War are often spectacular. It’s a grand film, and it’s understandable why it was such a big deal at the time of release, with certain aspects of it appreciable to this day, albeit they’re alongside other things that aren’t quite so great.

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18 'The Last Emperor' (1987)

Director: Bernardo Bertolucci

There weren’t a huge number of truly epic movies that won Best Picture throughout the 1980s, ensuring The Last Emperor stands out. It’s primarily a biopic, but it’s also hard to deny the fact that it’s also an epic movie, given its narrative spans more than half a century, telling the dramatic life story of the titular last emperor of China, known as Puyi.

Beginning in the early 20th century and ending in the 1960s (with a 1980s-set epilogue), it’s natural that The Last Emperor ends up dealing with war throughout its duration, given the way the 20th century was more or less defined by immense global conflict. There’s a particular focus on the way the Second Sino-Japanese War – itself a part of World War II – impacted the life of Puyi, making The Last Emperor one historical drama/biopic that also functions partly as a war movie.

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17 'Dances with Wolves' (1990)

Director: Kevin Costner

Dances with Wolves was the directorial debut of Kevin Costner, and an impressive one, considering it got him a Best Director win at the Oscars with the film itself also winning Best Picture (additionally, Costner played the protagonist). Dances with Wolves admittedly feels more like a Western, but it dips into the war genre as well, given the main character is a Civil War soldier who ends up living with – and coming to understand the lives of – a Sioux tribe.

In some ways, it’s aged alright, and in other ways, it hasn’t aged the best, but it’s still a largely compelling epic that predominantly works and manages to impress. Those intimidated by long runtimes may want to cautiously stay away from Dances with Wolves, but anyone who doesn’t mind a large-scale film taking its time (and spanning just over three hours) might well find a good deal to like here.

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16 'Gandhi' (1982)

Director: Richard Attenborough

A biopic about Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhi is a long, sometimes slow, but ultimately rewarding look at a fascinating historical figure and his rather eventful life. It’s a film that does more or less belong to Ben Kingsley, who gives one of his best performances in the titular role, though it is worth noting that future Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis also shows up here, albeit in a fairly small role.

Gandhi is comparable to The Last Emperor in that it’s a biographical film released in the 1980s that spans a good many decades, meaning that war ultimately plays something of a role in the overall narrative. In the case of Gandhi, parts of it revolve around World War II, and what happened to Gandhi when he didn’t support the conflict (India also gained independence shortly after World War II, which is something Gandhi was shown to fight for throughout much of the film).

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15 'Wings' (1927)

Director: William A. Wellman

It takes a lot for a movie from 1927 to stand out, given it was a surprisingly great year for cinema. The days of the silent era were numbered, given this year started to see the release of talkies, but that also meant the silent films that did come out were among the most advanced and compelling. One of these was undoubtedly Wings, which also has the distinction of being the very first Best Picture winner.

Its premise is relatively straightforward, with it focusing on two pilots during World War I and the conflict that comes about when they realize they both have feelings for the same woman. It’s a little sappy as a romance film, but the dogfighting sequences are amazing, with the more action-packed side of Wings still holding up and ensuring the overall film remains worth watching, even to this day.

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14 'From Here to Eternity' (1953)

Director: Fred Zinnemann

From Here to Eternity isn’t super well-remembered, as far as Best Picture winners go, but it is still a good film overall, and one that deals with World War II at a time when the event was still fresh in people’s memories. It takes place mostly in the lead-up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, which got the U.S. involved in World War II, and depicts the professional and romantic lives of various military personnel.

It's perhaps most well-remembered for the romance side of things, being more of a melodrama than a war movie of the action-packed variety, but it works well in this regard. It’s also definitely well-acted, with a rather remarkable cast of talented actors from Hollywood’s Golden Age, including the likes of Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Donna Reed, and Frank Sinatra.

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13 'Forrest Gump' (1994)

Director: Robert Zemeckis

The titular character from Forrest Gump lives a remarkably eventful life by accident, consistently getting involved in numerous important U.S. historical events that took place throughout the latter half of the 20th century. This even involves a brief stint fighting in the Vietnam War, the combat side of things being briefly depicted, but the ramifications of which have a considerable impact on the film as a whole.

Sure, Forrest Gump isn’t explicitly a war film either before and after the character goes to Vietnam, but the conflict's an important part of the story as a whole in any event, particularly when it comes to the side characters of Lieutenant Dan Taylor and Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue. Some might call the film a little schmaltzy or corny, but Forrest Gump is still entertaining and moving for the most part, and one of the more impressive movies in Robert Zemeckis’s filmography.

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12 'Mrs. Miniver' (1942)

Director: William Wyler

There are too many World War II movies released post-1945 to count, but movies dealing with the global conflict that were released while fighting was still going on are considerably rarer. This is one reason why Mrs. Miniver is so fascinating and compelling from a historical perspective; it’s all about how a family unit coped with the early stages of World War II, showing the toll fighting took on civilians.

It's a film that demonstrates how war-related movies can still be engaging, even if they don’t feature soldiers battling on the frontlines of a conflict as the primary characters. Mrs. Miniver does feel like a product of its time, but it wouldn’t be nearly as interesting or historically significant if it didn’t, and as such, it’s a must-watch for any film fans who’d also consider themselves history buffs.

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11 'Patton' (1970)

Director: Franklin J. Schaffner

General George S. Patton was a prominent member of the U.S. Army during World War II, and by all accounts a larger-than-life figure who’d require a rather bombastic actor to do him justice on screen. Thankfully, George C. Scott was up to the task, portraying Patton in Patton and earning a Best Actor award for his role, with the film itself also winning Best Picture.

It spends its nearly three-hour runtime showcasing what General Patton did throughout the Second World War, and how his behavior and approach to leadership were equal parts controversial and effective. It doesn’t exactly rewrite the book on how to make a biographical film, but it’s more than worth watching for the large-scale entertainment it provides, as well as for the fact that it contains an all-time great George C. Scott performance.

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10 'All Quiet on the Western Front' (1930)

Director: Lewis Milestone

Alongside Wings, All Quiet on the Western Front was another early Best Picture winner that was all about World War I, and like that 1927 film, it still holds up quite well in many regards. It stands as a textbook example of how to craft an effectively tragic and uncompromising anti-war story within a film, following several young soldiers who have their lives ruined through their involvement in the First World War.

Some might say that the 2022 adaptation of the novel of the same name is more effective (it’s certainly more brutal, and does have the benefit of featuring German actors and dialogue), but this 1930 version is still a classic. It paved the way for many future war movies, and still packs quite an emotional punch, which is impressive, considering it’s a movie that’s not too far away from turning 100 years old.

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9 'Braveheart' (1995)

Director: Mel Gibson

Brutal, undeniably bloody, and quite action-packed, Braveheart is another epic movie that won Best Picture during the 1990s, alongside Titanic and the aforementioned Dances with Wolves and The English Patient. It’s all about a warrior from Scotland seeking revenge for the murder of his beloved, with such a mission evolving to the point where he finds himself leading an army and rebelling against English forces occupying Scotland.

Some of these wartime events did occur, but much of Braveheart de-emphasizes historical accuracy, which could potentially alienate certain viewers. However, at the end of the day, the core story of Braveheart is compelling, the narrative is undeniably moving in parts, and the battle sequences impress with how large-scale and visceral they are, inevitably making this an epic worth watching (and devoting approximately three hours of one’s time to).

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8 'The Hurt Locker' (2008)

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

A war movie that also functions as a massively intense thriller, The Hurt Locker is a highlight of Kathryn Bigelow’s remarkable filmography and a truly impressive movie overall. It takes place during the Iraq War (and was released at a time when said war was still ongoing), and follows an Explosive Ordnance Disposal team who are tasked with defusing various explosives.

Such a concept naturally sounds stressful, and in this regard, The Hurt Locker is immensely successful at being consistently tense. It’s about the way warfare and frequent danger can warp one’s mind, even to the point where one finds wartime situations oddly thrilling. In this way, The Hurt Locker is dark and certainly successful from a psychological perspective, remaining gripping for just about every single second of its 131-minute runtime.

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7 'The Best Years of Our Lives' (1946)

Director: William Wyler

Like Mrs. Miniver, The Best Years of Our Lives is a film that’s about World War II, but centering on the perspective of people not directly engaged in combat. In the case of this film, it’s all about people returning from fighting overseas and trying to readjust to their old ways of life in the U.S., dealing with the psychological and physical harms that came from being wrapped up in the conflict.

It’s a sometimes sad yet ultimately life-affirming film, suggesting that there’s always a way to deal with and move on from various hardships, coming to terms with tragic events and living with such wounds, with the hope they such things become easier to deal with as time goes on. The Best Years of Our Lives was perfectly timed, too, coming out the year after World War II ended and undoubtedly striking a chord with Oscar voters and general audiences alike.

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6 'Platoon' (1986)

Director: Oliver Stone

Platoon is up there with the best movies of the 1980s, and stands as a bombastic war film where the big emotional moments do largely work and feel honest, even if some might view certain scenes as overly dramatic. It’s about the experiences of a young man who’s sent to fight in Vietnam, tracking how he goes from idealistic to both jaded and broken with every passing horror he sees and/or takes part in.

It's one of the most critically acclaimed American films about the Vietnam War, and deservedly so, undeniably being impactful and well-crafted, alongside justifiably feeling difficult to watch at times. Charlie Sheen proves surprisingly capable of playing the lead role in what turns out to be a very serious film, though it helps that there’s also a great supporting cast here, including the likes of Willem Dafoe and Tom Berenger.

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5 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' (1957)

Director: David Lean

Taking place in a prisoner of war camp during World War II, The Bridge on the River Kwaisucceeds as an intriguing character study, a war film, and an adventure movie. It follows British soldiers who are ordered by their Japanese captors to construct a bridge, which the commander ends up taking so seriously that he finds himself in conflict with Allied forces who are plotting to destroy the bridge in question.

The Bridge on the River Kwai successfully explores the madness of war and what it can do to the people involved, becoming an anti-war film that’s not necessarily miserable or overly violent, but is still powerful in any event. It’s rather unique to this day, and stands as a deserving Best Picture winner that can count itself as one of the finest films to ever win that top prize at the Oscars.

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4 'The Deer Hunter' (1978)

Director: Michael Cimino

The first thing that jumps out about The Deer Hunter is just how good the cast is, and how remarkable each big-name actor featured throughout really is. Robert De Niro is as compelling as always in the lead role, a young Meryl Streep truly impresses, Christopher Walken steals many scenes, and the late John Cazale is also great in what ended up being his final film role.

It’s a movie about the Vietnam War that’s distinctly divided into three acts, showing life for a group of young men before going to Vietnam, during the conflict, and then what happens to them once their service is over. It’s an oftentimes grueling and inevitably tragic film, but as a war drama, it has true power that’s hard to not feel emotionally affected by, and it’s a fantastically effective piece of anti-war cinema.

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3 'Casablanca' (1942)

Director: Michael Curtiz

Like Mrs. Miniver, Casablanca originally premiered in 1942, though its wide release in 1943 ensured it competed against a different set of movies to Mrs. Miniver, allowing both to win Best Picture. It also deals with World War II at a time when fighting was still ongoing, telling a story about two ex-lovers who unexpectedly reunite in the titular Moroccan city during the middle of said global conflict.

Movies that combine romance and war don’t get much more iconic than Casablanca, given its humor, exciting narrative, memorable characters, and relatable themes about lost love and coming to terms with one’s past before moving on. It’s expertly bittersweet and emotional in all the right ways, and of all the movies that won Best Picture in the 1940s, none hold up quite as well as this one does.

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