With the world once again engaged at war, films can help to remind us of the pain, horror and waste of war. The best war movies rarely focus on the carnage and courage of the battlefield and instead tell stories about the people behind the front lines, regardless of their nationality. By emphasizing our common humanity, they make us reexamine what is worth fighting for--and what isn't.
1. Grave of the Fireflies
There are hardly any soldiers in this 1988 anime, but the stark story of two orphans fighting for survival in World War II Japan after the firebombing of Kyoto is one of the most powerful films we have ever seen. Its tender humanity produces not only tears but true grief that will haunt you for weeks.
2. Ballad of a Soldier
A touching account of young Russian hero's furlough from the front and his long trip home to see his mother. He helps a one-legged man, misses his train, and meets the love of his life. This could be any country, any war, any man, any mother. The simple, straightfoward storytelling slowly gathers force for the film's emotional climax.
3. Grand Illusion
Finely crafted masterpieces such as this come along only a few times a century, and once again, we find that the best anti-war films feature hardly any fighting and instead focus on the human side of the story. Jean Renoir's 1938 WWI drama is so warm and rich, so masterfully filmed and acted that it takes multiple viewings to begin catching its artful nuances.4. Hearts & Minds
By alternating skillfully between personal accounts of politicians, pilots, and bombed-out farmers on the ground, Peter Davis' stunning documentary about the Vietnam war achieves its effect. Controversial upon its release in 1974, the film is required viewing for anybody interested in putting faces behind the abstract images on CNN.5. Sophie's Choice
This harrowing film, based on the novel by William Styron, gives compelling insight into the lives of survivors of the Holocaust. Meryl Streep's performance is transfixing; Sophie's heartbreaking story gives one more angle to the twisted horrors of war.6. Dr. Strangelove
Stanley Kubrick's cold-war farce trumped the Marx Brothers' "Duck Soup" for the only anti-war comedy on this list. Almost 30 years old, the chilling tale of the "Doomsday Machine," starring the sublime Peter Sellers in three roles, is as pressing as ever. The funniest movie about nuclear annihilation you'll ever see.7. Das Boot
Forget "U-571," "K-19 The Widowmaker" and all the others: Wolfgang Petersen's harrowing and nerve-wrecking tale of a doomed German U-Boat is the only submarine movie that ever needed to be made.8. The Fog Of War
This chilling portrait of Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara could not be any timelier. Set to the ominously hypnotizing score by Philip Glass, McNamara's career unfolds, beginning with his role as one of the architects of the WWII fire bombing of Japan. Errol Morris won the 2004 Oscar for Best Documentary.9. All Quiet on the Western Front
Released in 1930 and based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque about a gung-ho German soldier in World War I, this film is the timeless classic of the anti-war genre.10. Three Kings
In David O. Russell's "Three Kings," war is a surreal, almost hallucinatory state of being. Set in Iraq just after the Gulf War has ended, three soldiers discover a bunker stolen gold and treasure from Kuwait, but their dreams of wealth are set aside when they discover a population in need. George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube star in this subversive drama.