War has consequences that very few people in the modern age understand. But if you want to know the real impact, what’s a better source than movies to understand the consequences of naval, land, and air battles? And what better platform than HBO Max that depicts war as its main subject.
Moreover, some movies show the struggles or how war influences people psychologically. On the contrary, countries like China, Indonesia, and Japan have distinct war histories, so they took different approaches. Moreover, they made these movies in various genres, such as action, historical drama, and romance, throughout the battle. So, why not look at the 10 best war movies on HBO Max that we’ve listed for you?
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Black Hawk Down
Director: Steven Quale
Writer: John Swetnam
Cast: Richard Armitage, Sarah Wayne Callies, Matt Walsh
IMDb Rating: 5.8
Runtime: 1hr. 29mins
The film was released on December 28, 2001, for a limited time and then went public on January 18, 2002. The film is based on Mark Bowden’s non-fictional book with the same title. Black Hawk Down received two Academy Awards for Best Film Editing and Best Sound at the 74th Academy Awards.
Its story started when 160 elite US soldiers were sent to Mogadishu to arrest the warlord’s lieutenants. But when they arrive, they find heavily armed Somalis ready to battle.
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Lone Survivor
Director: Peter Berg
Writer: Peter Berg, Marcus Luttrell, Patrick Robinson
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch
IMDb Rating: 7.5
Runtime: 2hrs. 1min
An American biographical film based on a non-fictional book with the same title. The film was released in the US on December 25, 2013, for a limited time before releasing in North America. Critics were happy about Breg’s direction, visuals, realism, story, and the ensemble cast’s performances. The film topped as one of the ten leading films of 2013 by the National Board of Review. In addition, it successfully garnered two Oscars for Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing.
Lone Survivor follows Marcus Luttrell and his surveillance team that went to kill the Taliban Leader Ahmed Shah. But they must fight for their lives once they enter the battle.
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First Blood
Director: Ted Kotcheff
Writer: David Morrell, Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Brian Dennehy, Richard Crenna
IMDb Rating: 7.7
Runtime: 1hr. 33mins
First Blood or Rambo: First Blood is an American action movie and the first part of the Rambo film series. The film was released on October 22, 1982, and critics gave mixed reviews, but it did well at the box office.
Its story starts when a cruel sheriff and his men compel a veteran Green Beret to go into the mountains. He is forced to engage in an intensifying one-man battle with his pursuers.
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Dunkirk
Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Fionn Whitehead, Barry Keoghan, Mark Rylance
IMDb Rating: 7.8
Runtime: 1hr. 46mins
A 2017 war film premiered in the US on July 21, 2017. It became the highest-grossing film about World War II. In addition, the film received the Academy Awards for Best Picture at the 90th Academy Awards.
Dunkirk is a story of four hundred British and French soldiers trapped in the French Port Town of Dunkirk. They can only escape through the sea, but the twist is that they can’t because the German forces have the upper hand.
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Atonement
Director: Joe Wright
Writer: Ian McEwan, Christopher Hampton
Cast: Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Brenda Blethyn
IMDb Rating: 7.8
Runtime: 2hrs. 3mins
It’s a romantic war drama based on Ian McEwan’s novel of the same name. The film was successful and grossed over $129 million against a $30 million budget. Critics were happy with everything, which led the film to garner Academy Awards for Best Film and Production design.
Atonement story revolves around a thirteen-year-old writer Briony Tallis. She accuses her sister’s lover, but no one knows if it’s true.
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The Green Berets
Director: Ray Kellogg, John Wayne, Mervyn LeRoy
Writer: James Lee Barrett, Robin Moore
Cast: John Wayne, David Janssen, Jim Hutton
IMDb Rating: 5.6
Runtime: 2hrs. 22mins
The Green Berets is an American film based on Robin Moore’s 1965 novel. It was nominated for the Golden Laurel Award for Action Drama.
Col. Mike Kirby chooses two elite Green Beret squads for an operation in South Vietnam. The first goal is to construct and maintain control of a base that the opponent is attempting to seize, and the second task is to capture a North Vietnamese general.
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Hart’s War
Director: Gregory Hoblit
Writer: John Katzenbach. Billy Ray, Terry George
Cast: Bruce Willis, Colin Farrell, Terrence Howard
IMDb Rating: 6.3
Runtime: 2hrs. 5mins
A 2002 American war drama based on a John Katzenbach novel. Hart’s war was nominated for the Golden Goblet award for Best Film.
Its story focuses on a student who has recently risen to lieutenant. He is caught and ordered to defend a black POW who has been wrongfully convicted of murder.
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Taking Chance
Director: Ross Katz
Writer: Michael Strobl, Ross Katz
Cast: Kevin Bacon, Tom Aldredge, Nicholas Art
IMDb Rating: 7.4
Runtime: 1hr. 17mins
It’s a 2009 historical drama film modeled on the journal with the same title. Critics were happy with the film, and it received mostly favorable responses.
This film is based on real-life events. A standing military escort officer, Lt. Col. Michael Strobl, follows the remains of Marine Phelps, 19, back to his hometown of Dubois.
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The Mule
Director: Clint Eastwood
Writer: Nick Schenk, Sam Dolnick
Cast: Clint Eastwood, Patrick L. Reyes, Cesar De León
IMDb Rating: 7.0
Runtime: 1hr. 56mins
The Mule is an American crime drama modeled on Sam Dolnick’s New York Times article “The Sinaloa Cartel’s 90-Year-Old Drug Mule.” The film was received well by the critics, praising the Eastwood performance.
The Mules story follows the 90-year-old horticulture Korean War veteran who becomes a drug courier for a Mexican cartel.
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Into the Storm
Director: Thaddeus O’Sullivan
Writer: Hugh Whitemore
Cast: Brendan Gleeson, Clive Mantle, Adrian Scarborough
IMDb Rating: 7.1
Runtime: 1hr. 39mins
Into The Storm, also called Churchill at War, is a biography of Winston Churchill. It’s a sequel to a 2002 film, The Gathering Storm. Into The Storm premiered on HBO and HBO Canada on May 31, 2009.
It’s a film about the real-life experience of an ex-British Prime Minister during World War II. The film shows how his career has been affected throughout the battle.
