My Top 20 Favorite War Movies

Scene from Dunkirk

This past weekend, director Christopher Nolan's latest Dunkirk was released to high acclaim and a debut atop the box office. It is one of the best war films not only of the year, but possibly in the larger canon. This inspired me to try and compile a list of the war films that I feel exemplify the genre as well as create riveting experiences. In all honesty, it was difficult to limit it to 10, and it's just as difficult to land on the 20 that I landed on. Still, these are the films that I think of when exploring the grand and expansive horrors of war and the consequences that they bring to the mainland. For the sake of posterity, I won't include Holocaust movies and focus on the struggles of soldiers and the moral issues that arise in every personal choice. Feel free to share your personal favorites in the comments.

Nothing But the Best: "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946)

Scene from The Best Years of Our Lives

Welcome to the series Nothing But the Best in which I chronicle all of the Academy Award Best Picture winners as they celebrate their anniversaries. Instead of going in chronological order, this series will be presented on each film's anniversary and will feature personal opinions as well as facts regarding its legacy and behind the scenes information. The goal is to create an in depth essay for each film while looking not only how the medium progressed, but how the film is integral to pop culture. In some cases, it will be easy. Others not so much. Without further ado, let's start the show.