Spanning nearly a century worth of movies, here are the greatest British war movies of all time, as voted on by cinephiles like you. The British have been involved in a lot of wars in their time: The Boar Wars, World War One, World War Two, The Falklands, Desert Storm, Afghanistan and Iraq, just to name a few. For that reason it was only natural for us to create this list of the best British war movies, with the help of your votes.
Some of the best English war movies are represented here, A Bridge Too Far (World War II), Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (the Napoleonic Wars), and Lawrence of Arabia (World War I).
Plenty of Hollywood legends are represented in the UK war movies below, including Michael Caine (Zulu), Steve McQueen (The Great Escape), Russell Crowe (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World), William Holden (The Bridge on the River Kwai) and it goes on…
Which of the films on this list of movies about British war would you recommend to others Join our other military mavens and give the most conflict-ridden movies on this list a thumbs up, or do battle with our other users in the comment section below.
list ordered by
1
106 30
Zulu
2
85 22
Lawrence of ArabiaOmar Sharif, Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 British epic adventure drama film based on the life of T. E. Lawrence. It was directed by David Lean and produced by Sam Spiegel through his British company, Horizon ...more
3
79 19
A Bridge Too FarSean Connery, Anthony Hopkins, Robert Redford A Bridge Too Far is a 1977 epic war film based on the 1974 book of the same name by Cornelius Ryan, adapted by William Goldman. It was produced by Joseph E. Levine and Richard P. Levine and ...more
4
78 21
The Great EscapeSteve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, James Garner The Great Escape is a 1963 American World War II epic film based on an escape by British and Commonwealth prisoners of war from a German POW camp during World War II, starring Steve McQueen, ...more
5
79 22
Bridge over the River Kwai
6
57 17
Where Eagles DareClint Eastwood, Richard Burton, Michael Hordern Where Eagles Dare is a 1968 World War II action film starring Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood and Mary Ure. It was directed by Brian G. Hutton and shot on location in Austria and Bavaria. ...more
7
45 14
The Cruel Sea
8
61 26
Master and Commander
9
40 15
Ice Cold in AlexJohn Mills, Harry Andrews, Anthony Quayle Ice Cold in Alex is a British film based on the novel of the same name by British author Christopher Landon, and described as a true story in the film's opening credits. Directed by J. Lee ...more
The Way AheadDavid Niven, William Hartnell, Trevor Howard The Way Ahead is a British Second World War drama released in 1944. It stars David Niven and Stanley Holloway and follows a group of civilians who are conscripted into the British Army to fight ...more
12
23 13
Who Dares WinsRichard Widmark, Judy Davis, Edward Woodward Who Dares Wins is a 1982 British film starring Lewis Collins, Judy Davis, Richard Widmark and Edward Woodward, directed by Ian Sharp. The title is the motto of the elite Special Air Service. The ...more
13
23 13
Guns at BatasiMia Farrow, Richard Attenborough, Jack Hawkins Guns at Batasi is a 1964 drama film starring Richard Attenborough, Jack Hawkins, Flora Robson, John Leyton and Mia Farrow. The film was based on the 1962 novel The Siege of Battersea by Robert ...more
14
27 18
Went the Day Well
15
16 9
dazter added Aces HighChristopher Plummer, Malcolm McDowell, John Gielgud Watch for Free with Amazon Prime Free Trial Aces High is a 1976 British-French war film directed by Jack Gold and starring Malcolm McDowell, Peter Firth, Christopher Plummer and Simon Ward. The screenplay was written by Howard Barker. As ...more
16
21 14
Thunderdolly added Hope and GlorySarah Miles, Colin Higgins, Charley Boorman Hope and Glory is a 1987 British comedy-drama-war film, written, produced and directed by John Boorman, and based on his own experiences of growing up in the Blitz in London during World War II. ...more
17
8 2
Heron added The Eagle Has LandedRobert Duvall, Michael Caine, Donald Sutherland The Eagle Has Landed is a 1976 British film directed by John Sturges and starring Michael Caine, Donald Sutherland and Robert Duvall. Based on the novel The Eagle Has Landed by Jack Higgins, the ...more
18
26 20
Carry on up the Kybher
19
21 16
slaft added Eye of the NeedleDonald Sutherland, Bill Nighy, Kate Nelligan Eye of the Needle is a 1981 American spy film directed by Richard Marquand and starring Donald Sutherland and Kate Nelligan. Based on the novel of the same title by Ken Follett, the film is ...more
20
16 12
The Heroes of TelemarkKirk Douglas, Richard Harris, Michael Redgrave The Heroes of Telemark is a 1965 war film directed by Anthony Mann based on the true story of the Norwegian heavy water sabotage during World War II. It was filmed on location in Norway.
21
15 16
Dad's ArmyJohn Le Mesurier, Arthur Lowe, Clive Dunn Dad's Army is a 1971 feature film based on the BBC television sitcom Dad's Army. Directed by Norman Cohen, it was filmed between series three and four and was based upon material from the early ...more
22
14 16
The One that Got Away
23
10 14
My Boy JackDaniel Radcliffe, Carey Mulligan, Kim Cattrall My Boy Jack is a 2007 television drama based on David Haig's 1997 play My Boy Jack. It was filmed in August 2007, with Haig as Rudyard Kipling and Daniel Radcliffe as John Kipling. It does not ...more
24
8 15
An Ungentlemanly ActAidan Gillen, Ian Richardson, Ian McNeice An Ungentlemanly Act is a 1992 BBC television film about the first days of the invasion of the Falkland Islands in 1982.
