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.
123556Zulu
Michael Caine, Stanley BakerReleased: 1964
Directed by: Cy Endfield
Zulu is a 1964 epic film depicting the Battle of Rorke's Drift between the British Army and... more on Wikipedia
2127181917
George MacKay, Dean-Charles ChapmanReleased: 2019
Directed by: Sam Mendes
1917 is a 2019 British war film directed by Sam Mendes. Two British soldiers are tasked with... more on Wikipedia![Master and Commander]()
313644Master and Commander
Russell Crowe, Paul BettanyReleased: 2003
Directed by: Peter Weir
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a 2003 epic historical drama film... more on Wikipedia![The Cruel Sea]()
410625The Cruel Sea
Denholm Elliott, Stanley BakerReleased: 1953
Directed by: Charles Frend
The Cruel Sea is a 1953 British war film starring Jack Hawkins, Donald Sinden, Denholm... more on Wikipedia![Lawrence of Arabia]()
516062Lawrence of Arabia
Omar Sharif, Peter O'TooleReleased: 1962
Directed by: David Lean
Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 British epic adventure drama film based on the life of T. E.... more on Wikipedia![A Bridge Too Far]()
614660A Bridge Too Far
Sean Connery, Anthony HopkinsReleased: 1977
Directed by: Richard Attenborough
A Bridge Too Far is a 1977 epic film based on the 1974 book of the same name by Cornelius... more on Wikipedia![Ice Cold in Alex]()
78919Ice Cold in Alex
John Mills, Harry AndrewsReleased: 1958
Directed by: J. Lee Thompson
Ice Cold in Alex is a British film based on the novel of the same name by British author... more on Wikipedia![Bridge over the River Kwai]()
813759Bridge over the River Kwai
Alec Guinness, William HoldenReleased: 1957
Directed by: David Lean
The Bridge on the River Kwai is a 1957 WWII epic film directed by David Lean, based on the... more on Wikipedia![The Wild Geese]()
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8438The Eagle Has Landed
Robert Duvall, Michael CaineReleased: 1976
Directed by: John Sturges
The Eagle Has Landed is a 1976 British film directed by John Sturges and starring Michael... more on Wikipedia![The Great Escape]()
1112377The Great Escape
Steve McQueen, Richard AttenboroughReleased: 1963
Directed by: John Sturges
The Great Escape is a 1963 American WWII epic film based on an escape by British and... more on Wikipedia12
5932Hope and Glory
Sarah Miles, Colin HigginsReleased: 1987
Directed by: John Boorman, Lasse Hallström
Hope and Glory is a 1987 British comedy-drama-war film, written, produced and directed by John... more on Wikipedia![Where Eagles Dare]()
139976Where Eagles Dare
Clint Eastwood, Richard BurtonReleased: 1968
Directed by: Brian G. Hutton
Where Eagles Dare is a 1968 WWII action film starring Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood and Mary... more on Wikipedia![The Heroes of Telemark]()
144623The Heroes of Telemark
Kirk Douglas, Richard HarrisReleased: 1965
Directed by: Anthony Mann
The Heroes of Telemark is a 1965 war film directed by Anthony Mann based on the true story of... more on Wikipedia![The Way Ahead]()
153515The Way Ahead
David Niven, William HartnellReleased: 1944
Directed by: Carol Reed
The Way Ahead is a British Second World War drama released in 1944. It stars David Niven and... more on Wikipedia16
210Dunkirk
Richard Attenborough, John MillsReleased: 1958
Directed by: Leslie Norman
Dunkirk is a 1958 British war film directed by Leslie Norman and starring John Mills, Richard... more on Wikipedia17
210Sink the Bismarck!
Kenneth More, Dana WynterReleased: 1960
Directed by: Lewis Gilbert
Sink the Bismarck! is a 1960 black-and-white CinemaScope British war film based on the book... more on Wikipedia18
210The Battle of the River Plate
Christopher Lee, Patrick MacneeReleased: 1956
Directed by: Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell
The Battle of the River Plate is a 1956 British war film by director-writer team of Michael... more on Wikipedia19
200Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst
William Hartnell, Richard ToddReleased: 1957
Directed by: Michael Anderson
Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst is a British war film that tells the story of... more on Wikipedia![Went the Day Well]()
203922Went the Day Well
Thora Hird, Elizabeth AllanReleased: 1942
Directed by: Alberto Cavalcanti
Went the Day Well? is a 1942 British war film adapted from a story by Graham Greene and... more on Wikipedia21
3418Aces High
Christopher Plummer, Malcolm McDowellReleased: 1976
Directed by: Jack Gold
Watch for Free with Amazon Prime Free TrialAces High is a 1976 British-French war film directed by Jack Gold and starring Malcolm... more on Wikipedia22
202The Four Feathers
Ralph Richardson, June DuprezReleased: 1939
Directed by: Zoltan Korda
The Four Feathers is a 1939 Technicolor adventure film directed by Zoltan Korda, starring John... more on Wikipedia23
170Sea of Sand
Richard Attenborough, Michael CraigReleased: 1958
Directed by: Guy Green
Desert Patrol is a 1958 film directed by Guy Green.24
50Too Late the Hero
Michael Caine, Henry FondaReleased: 1970
Directed by: Robert Aldrich
Too Late the Hero is a 1970 Anglo-American war film directed by Robert Aldrich, and starring... more on Wikipedia25
182Khartoum
Charlton Heston, Laurence OlivierReleased: 1966
Directed by: Basil Dearden, Eliot Elisofon
Khartoum is a 1966 film written by Robert Ardrey and directed by Basil Dearden. It stars... more on Wikipedia
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