Top Rated War Movies on Kanopy

Downfall

2004

Downfall

2004
7.9
In April of 1945, Germany stands at the brink of defeat with the Russian Army closing in from the east and the Allied Expeditionary Force attacking from the west. In Berlin, capital of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler proclaims that Germany will still achieve victory and orders his generals and advisers to fight to the last man. When the end finally does come, and Hitler lies dead by his own hand, what is left of his military must find a way to end the killing that is the Battle of Berlin, and lay down their arms in surrender.
The Great Dictator

1940

The Great Dictator

1940
8.3
Dictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel's regime.
Cold Mountain

2003

Cold Mountain

2003
6.9
In this classic story of love and devotion set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, a wounded Confederate soldier named W.P. Inman deserts his unit and travels across the South, aiming to return to his young wife, Ada, who he left behind to tend their farm. As Inman makes his perilous journey home, Ada struggles to keep their home intact with the assistance of Ruby, a mysterious drifter sent to help her by a kindly neighbor.
Eye in the Sky

2015

Eye in the Sky

2015
7
A UK-based military officer in command of a top secret drone operation to capture terrorists in Kenya discovers the targets are planning a suicide bombing and the mission escalates from “capture” to “kill.” As American pilot Steve Watts is about to engage, a nine-year old girl enters the kill zone, triggering an international dispute reaching the highest levels of US and British government over the moral, political, and personal implications of modern warfare.
The General

1926

The General

1926
8
During America’s Civil War, Union spies steal engineer Johnny Gray's beloved locomotive, 'The General'—with Johnnie's lady love aboard an attached boxcar—and he single-handedly must do all in his power to both get The General back and to rescue Annabelle.
Battleship Potemkin

1925

Battleship Potemkin

1925
7.6
A dramatized account of a great Russian naval mutiny and a resultant public demonstration, showing support, which brought on a police massacre. The film had an incredible impact on the development of cinema and is a masterful example of montage editing.
'71

2014

'71

2014
6.8
A young British soldier must find his way back to safety after his unit accidentally abandons him during a riot in the streets of Belfast.
Anthropoid

2016

Anthropoid

2016
7.1
In December 1941, Czech soldiers Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš parachute into their occupied homeland to assassinate Nazi officer Reinhard Heydrich.
The Round Up

2010

The Round Up

2010
7.5
A faithful retelling of the 1942 "Vel' d'Hiv Roundup" and the events surrounding it.
Shadow in the Cloud

2020

Shadow in the Cloud

2020
5.8
A WWII pilot traveling with top secret documents on a B-17 Flying Fortress encounters an evil presence on board the flight.
How I Live Now

2013

How I Live Now

2013
6.7
An American girl, sent to the English countryside to stay with relatives, finds love and purpose while fighting for her survival as war envelops the world around her.
Sophie's Choice

1982

Sophie's Choice

1982
7.3
Stingo, a young writer, moves to Brooklyn in 1947 to begin work on his first novel. As he becomes friendly with Sophie and her lover Nathan, he learns that she is a Holocaust survivor. Flashbacks reveal her harrowing story, from pre-war prosperity to Auschwitz. In the present, Sophie and Nathan's relationship increasingly unravels as Stingo grows closer to Sophie and Nathan's fragile mental state becomes ever more apparent.
T-34

2018

T-34

2018
7.2
In 1944, a courageous group of Russian soldiers managed to escape from German captivity in a half-destroyed legendary T-34 tank. Those were the times of unforgettable bravery, fierce fighting, unbreakable love, and legendary miracles.
The Flowers of War

2011

The Flowers of War

2011
7.5
A Westerner finds refuge with a group of women in a church during Japan's rape of Nanking in 1937. Posing as a priest, he attempts to lead the women to safety.
Flyboys

2006

Flyboys

2006
6.6
The adventures of the Lafayette Escadrille, young Americans who volunteered for the French military before the U.S. entered World War I, and became the country's first fighter pilots.
Max & Leon

2016

Max & Leon

2016
6.3
In this WW2 epic comedy – in the vein of “La Grande Vadrouille” – our two heroes, Max and Léon, two lazy and partier pals, will try by all possible means to avoid going in the battle zone… This will lead the duo to demented and wild adventures.
The Battle of Algiers

1966

The Battle of Algiers

1966
7.9
Tracing the struggle of the Algerian Front de Liberation Nationale to gain freedom from French colonial rule as seen through the eyes of Ali from his start as a petty thief to his rise to prominence in the organisation and capture by the French in 1957. The film traces the rebels' struggle and the increasingly extreme measures taken by the French government to quell the revolt.
Megan Leavey

2017

Megan Leavey

2017
7.3
The true story of Marine Corporal Megan Leavey, who forms a powerful bond with an aggressive combat dog, Rex. While deployed in Iraq, the two complete more than 100 missions and save countless lives, until an IED explosion puts their faithfulness to the test.
The Killing Fields

1984

The Killing Fields

1984
7.5
New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg is on assignment covering the Cambodian Civil War, with the help of local interpreter Dith Pran and American photojournalist Al Rockoff. When the U.S. Army pulls out amid escalating violence, Schanberg makes exit arrangements for Pran and his family. Pran, however, tells Schanberg he intends to stay in Cambodia to help cover the unfolding story — a decision he may regret as the Khmer Rouge rebels move in.
Grand Illusion

1937

Grand Illusion

1937
7.8
A group of French soldiers, including the patrician Captain de Boeldieu and the working-class Lieutenant Maréchal, grapple with their own class differences after being captured and held in a World War I German prison camp. When the men are transferred to a high-security fortress, they must concoct a plan to escape beneath the watchful eye of aristocratic German officer von Rauffenstein, who has formed an unexpected bond with de Boeldieu.

Top Rated War Movies on Kanopy

2004

2004

1940

1940

2003

2003

2015

2015

1926

1926

1925

1925

2014

2014

2016

2016

2010

2010

2020

2020

2013

2013

1982

1982

2018

2018

2011

2011

2006

2006

2016

2016

1966

1966

2017

2017

1984

1984

1937

1937