Ever since the inception of cinema, filmmakers have used their skills to recount the tragedies of war. Although the medium has evolved significantly since the “newsreels” of World War II, war films continue to occupy an important place in mainstream cinema. In recent years, films like Dunkirk, Oppenheimer, All Quiet On The Western Front, and Lone Survivor have established themselves as worthy new entries within the genre.
However, many of the best war films of the last few years are those that have fallen under the radar. Here are ten of the most underrated war films of the last five years, ranked.
'A Private War' (2018)
While many war films have succeeded by recounting the experiences of soldiers that are directly in the line of fire, A Private War shines a spotlight on one of the most important professions within any conflict: journalism. The film tells the incredible true story of the American war reporter Marie Colvin (Rosamund Pike), who was tragically killed during her assignment to cover an overseas conflict.
It’s one of the best performances of Pike’s career. She transforms herself into a passionate, yet hardened observer of traumatizing scenarios. The film underlines the importance of figures like Colvin to bring accurate, timely coverage of these horrific events.
'A Hidden Life' (2019)
Resisting the call to violence is an act of bravery itself, and the great arthouse filmmaker Terrence Malick explored the nature of resisting war itself in his brilliant 2019 historical drama A Hidden Life.
The film tells the incredible true story of the Austrian farmer Franz Jägerstätter (August Diehl), who resisted recruitment by the Nazi forces during the peak of World War II. At over three hours long, A Hidden Life punishes the viewers in every step up Franz’ story. It’s a painful reminder of the strength it takes to decry facism.
'The Outpost' (2020)
Rob Lurie’s underrated 2020 thriller was adapted from the best selling 2012 novel of the same name by CNN reporter Jake Tapper. The film itself feels similar to a journalistic inquiry that someone like Tapper may have conducted. It presents the tragic events of the 2006 Afghanistan conflict with a level of emotional removal, and does not attempt to mask the nature of the story with political invectives.
Scott Eastwood delivers one of the best performances of his career, but it’s Orlando Bloom who steals the film with a comeback role.
'Greyhound' (2020)
It’s clearly been established that Tom Hanks has a strong admiration and respect for the veterans that served in World War II. In addition to starring in the masterful war epic Saving Private Ryan, Hanks and Steven Spielberg produced the acclaimed World War II shows Band of Brothers and The Pacific.
Hanks continued his documentation of the conflict by writing the screenplay for the 2020 Apple TV+ original Greyhound. He starred as a rookie naval captain who leads his crew on a dangerous secret mission during the height of the conflict.
'The Courier' (2021)
The Courier feels like the perfect amalgamation of espionage cinema with a premise that would make Alfred Hitchcock smile; incredibly, the events of The Courier are actually true! The film explores the heroism of the British businessman Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch), who was recruited by MIG to bridge a peaceful solution with the Russian spy Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze) during the height of the Cold War in the 1960s.
Cumberbatch excels at showing that Greville is not adjusted to spycraft at all. He’s an average citizen, and he finds himself increasingly overwhelmed by a war that he does not understand.
'The Marutanian' (2021)
The Mauritanian is one of the best films about the reaction to terrorism in the aftermath of 9/11; it’s easy to latch on to scapegoats, but it's more challenging to find peaceful solutions to conflicts.
The film tells the incredible true story of the innocent man Mohamedou Ould Slahi (Tahar Rahim), who was detained and tortured for years at Guantánamo Bay on the suspicion that he was involved in the terrorist attack on New York City in 2001. It’s a revealing and infuriating depiction of federal injustice, and Rahim’s emotional performance makes it even more heartbreaking.
'Zeroes and Ones' (2021)
War is chaos, and in many instances, war means anarchy. The inherently unpredictable nature of war is at the heart of Bad Lieutenant director Abel Ferrara’s 2021 espionage thriller Zeroes and Ones, which stars Ethan Hawke in dual roles as a secret counterterrorism agent and his violent, extremist identical twin brother.
Zeroes and Ones can be difficult to follow due to the frantic pacing, but Ferrara excels at creating scenarios where the morality is confusing. If nothing else, Zeroes and Ones shows how truly disturbing it can be to see extremist rhetoric spread through violent discourse.
'The Survivor' (2022)
Barry Levinson’s fact-based HBO television film deserves to be seen on the big screen. The 2022 biographical drama explores the incredible true story of the Austrian man Harry Haft (Ben Foster), a Holocaust survivor who went on to have a very successful career as a professional boxer.
Foster shows that Haft is fighting his inner demons at every turn. Even during his most brutal boxing bouts, he reminds the viewer that this man survived more grueling torture outside the ring. Billy Magnessum gives a terrifying performance as Haft’s German captor Schneider.
'Devotion' (2022)
One of the best subgenres of war cinema is the “dogfight” film, but there’s sadly been rare films in recent memory that depict aerial combat with such realism. However, the underrated 2022 war film Devotion explores the real-life friendship between the U.S. Air Force pilots Jesse Brown (Jonathan Majors) and Tom Hudner (Glen Powell), who served together during the Korean War, and the terrific chemistry between Majors and Powell make these characters even more likable.
Brown is forced to confront the military’s internal racism as he attempts to fulfill his responsibilities, and the film does not shy away from showing the bigotry he faced.
'The Covenant' (2023)
The Covenant feels like a very odd film coming from Guy Ritchie, as the British filmmaker is best known for his stylized crime thrillers such as Snatch, The Gentlemen, and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. Nonetheless, The Covenant does a great job at shedding a spotlight on the Afghan translators who served the U.S. military during post-9/11 conflicts.
The film explores these heroic figures with the friendship between the U.S. Army Special Forces Master Sergeant John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal) and the translator Ahmed Abdullah Yousfi (Dar Salim), who become close after serving together behind enemy lines.