With annually, there are fewer individuals who lived or fought through World War II.
After they pass, movies will likely be considered one of the one media keeping their stories alive for brand new generations to find.
Watch With Us recently rounded up the seven best World War II movies and ranked them by their Rotten Tomatoes rankings.
When you know your war movies, lots of these picks won’t be surprising. However the movie that hit No. 1 isn’t the one anyone expected.
7. ‘The Great Escape’ (1963)
Movie lovers in 2026 may not have the ability to understand the star-studded lineup of The Great Escape, but bringing together Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence and James Coburn was quite a casting coup. All of those actors are actually Hollywood legends.
The film may be very loosely based on true events, as POWs Captain Virgil Hilts (McQueen), Flight Lieutenant Bob Hendley (Garner), Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett (Attenborough), Group Captain Ramsey (Donald) and more hatch a plot to interrupt over 250 men out of one of the heavily secured camps behind enemy lines. It’s a dangerous endeavor, and discovery may mean death for everybody involved.
The Great Escape is streaming on Prime Video.
6. ‘Saving Private Ryan’ (1998)
Nearly three a long time later, there’s a robust argument to be made that Steven Spielberg‘s Saving Private Ryan must have won Best Picture. When you haven’t seen it already, we won’t smash the surprise about which actor plays the title character. Following the film’s brutal depiction of the invasion of Normandy, all male members of the Ryan family are killed in motion except one. Captain John H. Miller (Tom Hanks) and his team are given a mandate to go behind enemy lines and find the lone remaining Ryan brother to bring him home to his family.
Although the war is right down to its last days, the risks are still ever-present for Miller and his men. A lot in order that they query whether risking their lives for a person they don’t know is even value it. They’ll get their answer, but not everyone will get to go home.
Saving Private Ryan is streaming on Hoopla.
5. ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’ (1957)
The Bridge on the River Kwai is a POW drama that focuses on a bunch of British and American soldiers who’re held prisoner by Japanese forces. A U.S. soldier, Shears (William Holden), manages to flee, but he’s blackmailed into returning to the camp to sabotage the bridge being built by the prisoners.
Star Wars icon Alec Guinness has a primary role as Colonel Nicholson, a British commander who collaborates with the enemy because he’s too prideful to construct a bridge that doesn’t live as much as his standards. Nicholson doesn’t even realize that what he’s doing is a betrayal, but his actions will come back to haunt him when he seems more determined to guard the bridge than the lives of his own men.
The Bridge on the River Kwai is accessible to rent or purchase on Prime Video.
4. ‘Das Boot’ (1981)
Das Boot is an outlier on this list as each a German film and a story that takes place exclusively from the attitude of German forces in the course of the height of World War II. Jürgen Prochnow leads the forged because the captain of a submarine, and he’s openly against the Nazis and the choices made by Adolf Hitler which might be bringing smash to their nation.
Not everyone on the sub shares the captain’s views, but there’s a way of camaraderie among the many crew as they risk their lives for one another and their mission. They aren’t necessarily monsters, but they do battle allied soldiers and face retaliation which will put their sub at the underside of the ocean for good.
Das Boot is accessible to rent or purchase on Prime Video.
3. ‘Schindler’s List’ (1993)
Spielberg entered a serious phase of his profession with Schindler’s List, a movie that went on to win Best Director and Best Picture in addition to five other Oscars. This film relies on the true story of Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a German war profiteer who uses Jewish staff in his factories as their individuals are rounded up into concentration camps.
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Once Schindler gets a first-hand view of the evil that the Nazis inflict on the Jewish people, he shifts his focus to saving as many lives as possible. Almost every German official that Schindler encounters has a price, including the ruthless commander Amon Göth (Ralph Fiennes). But because the war winds down, Schindler is forced to provide up the whole lot and still wonders if he could have done more.
Schindler’s List is streaming on Peacock.
2. ‘Casablanca’ (1942)
Casablanca is the one World War II movie on this list that was actually made in the course of the war, when the end result was removed from certain. The response to Casablanca was tremendous, because it won Best Picture and have become widely thought to be considered one of the best movies ever made. Humphrey Bogart solidified his legend together with his role as Rick Blaine, a cynical American riding out the war in Morocco.
Rick is embittered that his lover, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman), ran off years earlier without telling him why. Much to his surprise, Ilsa shows up at his bar together with her husband, resistance leader Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid). They desperately need Rick’s help, nevertheless it’s going to take greater than just words to persuade him. The ending of this film is so widely known that you’ll have seen it referenced without even realizing where it got here from.
Casablanca is streaming on HBO Max.
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1. ‘A Man Escaped’ (1956)
A Man Escaped isn’t as widely referred to as Casablanca, but this French World War II film is considered one of the few movies with an ideal rating on Rotten Tomatoes. That is one other POW story, and it’s based on the true story of French Resistance member André Devigny, although the name of the fundamental character was modified.
This film treats the escape plans of Lieutenant Fontaine (François Leterrier) in a really serious and realistic way, while following the steps he takes to drag it off. It’s a gripping tale, even when a lot of the screen time features Fontaine in his cell understanding the crucial details to get out. Quite a few filmmakers have cited A Man Escaped as an influence, including Christopher Nolan. When you’ve never seen it, it’s available to stream online.
A Man Escaped is streaming on The Criterion Channel.