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Best War Movies

of the 1970s

The 20 highest-rated war movies released between 1970 and 1979, ranked by IMDb score.

1

Apocalypse Now(1979)

8.4 IMDb91% RT94 Meta

At the height of the Vietnam war, Captain Benjamin Willard is sent on a dangerous mission that, officially, "does not exist, nor will it ever exist." His goal is to locate - and eliminate - a mysterio

2

The Ascent(1977)

8.2 IMDb100% RT

During a freezing WWII winter, two Soviet partisans on a mission to gather food contend with the temperature, the occupying Germans, and their own psyches.

3

The Deer Hunter(1978)

8.1 IMDb86% RT90 Meta

Three steelworkers enlist in the army and are sent to Vietnam, one leaving behind a rushed marriage, the others a shared love. What they encounter during the war changes their lives forever.

4

Barry Lyndon(1975)

8.1 IMDb78% RT89 Meta

An Irish rogue uses his cunning and wit to work his way up the social classes of 18th century England, transforming himself from the humble Redmond Barry into the noble Barry Lyndon.

5

Patton(1970)

7.9 IMDb92% RT86 Meta

"Patton" tells the tale of General George S. Patton, famous tank commander of World War II. The film begins with Patton's career in North Africa and progresses through the invasion of Germany and the

6

Johnny Got His Gun(1971)

7.8 IMDb67% RT71 Meta

A young American soldier, rendered in pseudocoma from an artillery shell from WWI, recalls his life leading up to that point.

7

The Tin Drum(1979)

7.4 IMDb84% RT63 Meta

In 1924, Oskar Matzerath is born in the Free City of Danzig. At age three, he falls down a flight of stairs and stops growing. In 1939, World War II breaks out.

8

Cross of Iron(1977)

7.4 IMDb71% RT64 Meta

It is 1943, and the German army—ravaged and demoralised—is hastily retreating from the Russian front. In the midst of the madness, conflict brews between the aristocratic yet ultimately pusillanimous

9

The Duellists(1977)

7.4 IMDb74% RT70 Meta

In 1800, as Napoleon Bonaparte rises to power in France, a rivalry erupts between Armand and Gabriel, two lieutenants in the French Army, over a perceived insult. For over a decade, they engage in a s

10

A Bridge Too Far(1977)

7.4 IMDb59% RT63 Meta

The story of Operation Market Garden—a failed attempt by the allies in the latter stages of WWII to end the war quickly by securing three bridges in Holland allowing access over the Rhine into Germany

11

Macbeth(1971)

7.4 IMDb78% RT

Scotland, 11th century. Driven by the twisted prophecy of three witches and the ruthless ambition of his wife, warlord Macbeth, bold and brave, but also weak and hesitant, betrays his good king and hi

12

Waterloo(1970)

7.3 IMDb27% RT

After defeating France and imprisoning Napoleon on Elba, ending two decades of war, Europe is shocked to find Napoleon has escaped and has caused the French Army to defect from the King back to him. T

13

The Beguiled(1971)

7.2 IMDb90% RT66 Meta

Offbeat Civil War drama in which a wounded Yankee soldier, after finding refuge in an isolated girls' school in the South towards the end of the war, becomes the object of the young women's sexual fan

14

All Quiet on the Western Front(1979)

7.1 IMDb100% RT

At the start of World War I, Paul Baumer is a young German patriot, eager to fight. Indoctrinated with propaganda at school, he and his friends eagerly sign up for the army soon after graduation. But

15

Catch-22(1970)

7.1 IMDb81% RT70 Meta

A WWII military pilot makes a valiant effort to be certified insane in order to be excused from flying missions. But there's a catch.

16

The Eagle Has Landed(1976)

6.9 IMDb71% RT61 Meta

When the Nazi high command learns in late 1943 that Winston Churchill will be spending time at a country estate in Norfolk, it hatches an audacious scheme to kidnap the prime minister and spirit him t

17

Now Where Did the Seventh Company Get to?(1973)

6.9 IMDb

1940: During the chaotic running fights of the French army the 7th company disappears - nobody knows they've been taken captive. Only their scouting patrol, three witty but lazy guys, can escape and n

18

The Seventh Company Has Been Found(1975)

6.7 IMDb

The second part of the Seventh Company adventures.

19

The Night Porter(1974)

6.6 IMDb67% RT

A concentration camp survivor discovers her former torturer and lover working as a porter at a hotel in postwar Vienna. When the couple attempt to re-create their sadomasochistic relationship, his for

20

The Inglorious Bastards(1978)

6.5 IMDb100% RT

Set in Europe during WWII, a group of American soldiers on their way to military prison are beset upon by a German artillery attack, escaping with Switzerland in their sights. Before making it any far

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