The 12 best war movies streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime in May | Films | Entertainment

There is a huge wealth of amazing war films to watch on streaming platforms this month – from WW2 epics and spy thrillers to tense Vietnam War dramas.

There is truly no shortage of good war films to watch – but, as ever, the hard part is finding the best movie to suit your mood.

The Daily Express has compiled a list of the 12 best war movies now available on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video:

Civil War (2024)

Prime Video

This tense thriller offers a version of a near-future America divided by a second civil war. Directed by Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Annihilation), the film follows a group of war correspondents travelling from New York City to Washington, D.C., in a last-ditch effort to interview the sitting president before the country’s collapse becomes total. Kirsten Dunst stars as Lee Smith, a seasoned Reuters photographer, alongside Wagner Moura as fellow journalist Joel, Stephen McKinley Henderson as a veteran New York Times writer, and Cailee Spaeny as Jessie, a young freelance photographer eager to prove herself.

Civil War was widely praised for its pacing and emotional punch. Critics noted its blend of action and journalism-focused narrative, and it earned nominations from the Writers Guild of America and British Independent Film Awards – notably winning Best Cinematography and Best Editing. The film currently holds an 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Netflix

Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket is an unflinching portrayal of the Vietnam War, split into two distinct parts. The first half depicts the harrowing boot camp experience under the brutal command of Gunnery Sergeant Hartman (played by R. Lee Ermey), while the second shifts to the war-torn streets of Hue City during the Tet Offensive, following Private Joker (Matthew Modine) as he navigates both combat and moral ambiguity.

Adapted from Gustav Hasford’s novel The Short-Timers, the film blends Kubrick’s signature style with raw, psychological tension. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and received BAFTA nods as well as a Golden Globe nomination for Ermey. The movie remains a standout in war cinema history and is certified 90% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Netflix

Quentin Tarantino’s World War II reimagining overlaps history with fiction. Brad Pitt stars as Lt. Aldo Raine, leader of a squad of Jewish-American soldiers tasked with hunting Nazis. Their mission intersects with that of Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent), a young Jewish woman running a cinema in Nazi-occupied Paris with her own plans to take down the Third Reich. Christoph Waltz gives an Oscar-winning performance as SS Colonel Hans Landa.

The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Waltz’s performance earned near-universal acclaim, and Tarantino’s dialogue-heavy scenes were praised for their tension and craft. It currently holds an 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and remains one of the director’s most successful films critically and commercially.

Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)

Prime Video

Stanley Kramer’s courtroom drama is set in post-WWII Germany, focusing on the 1947 Judges’ Trial – one of the real-life Nuremberg Military Tribunals. Spencer Tracy stars as Chief Judge Dan Haywood, who presides over the case of four German judges accused of enabling Nazi atrocities through their legal decisions. Burt Lancaster, Maximilian Schell, Marlene Dietrich, and Montgomery Clift round out thge ensemble cast. While the characters are fictionalized, the trial’s moral questions are real, and explore justice and postwar geopolitics.

The film won two Academy Awards – Best Actor for Schell and Best Adapted Screenplay – and is a landmark in legal and war cinema. Its legacy includes radio and television adaptations and ongoing relevance in human rights discussions.

Operation Mincemeat (2021)

Netflix

Based on a real-life deception during World War II, Operation Mincemeat tells the story of British intelligence officers Ewen Montagu (Colin Firth) and Charles Cholmondeley (Matthew Macfadyen) who hatch a plan to fool the Nazis into misdirecting their defences away from the Allied invasion of Sicily. The plan involved planting false documents on a corpse disguised as a Royal Marine officer.

Directed by John Madden (Shakespeare in Love), the film blends espionage drama with history and features a strong supporting cast including Kelly Macdonald, Penelope Wilton and Jason Isaacs. It received positive reviews for its pacing, period accuracy, and performances, especially Firth’s portrayal of Montagu.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Prime Video (leaving in 28 days)

One of Steven Spielberg’s masterpieces begins with one of the most realistic battle sequences ever shown in film – the D-Day landing at Omaha Beach. Tom Hanks stars as Captain John Miller, tasked with leading a squad behind enemy lines to rescue Private James Ryan (Matt Damon), the last surviving brother of four servicemen. The cast also includes Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, Barry Pepper and Giovanni Ribisi.

The film won five Academy Awards, including Best Director, and was nominated for six more, including Best Picture. Praised for its visceral depiction of war and emotional depth, Saving Private Ryan set a new standard for combat realism and is, to this day, one of the highest-regarded war films in history. It holds a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Schindler’s List (1993)

Netflix and Prime Video

Also directed by Spielberg, this Holocaust drama tells the true story of Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a German industrialist who saved over 1,000 jewish people by employing them in his factories. Ben Kingsley co-stars as Schindler’s Jewish accountant, and Ralph Fiennes gives a chilling performance as SS officer Amon Göth.

Filmed mostly in black-and-white, the movie received seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay – and it’s also broadly lauded as one of the greatest in history. It currently sits at 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The English Patient (1996)

Prime Video

Set against the backdrop of WWII in the North African desert and Tuscany, The English Patient follows a burn victim known only as “the English patient” (Ralph Fiennes) as a nurse (Juliette Binoche) tends to him in an abandoned monastery. Through a series of flashbacks, his story – a doomed romance with Katharine Clifton (Kristin Scott Thomas) – slowly unfolds.

The film swept the 1997 Oscars with nine wins, including Best Picture and Best Director for Anthony Minghella. It combines wartime intrigue, romance, and historical context, and features a memorable score by Gabriel Yared.

The Great Escape (1963)

Prime Video (leaving in 21 days)

This classic film dramatizes the mass breakout from German POW camp Stalag Luft III during WWII. Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, James Garner and Charles Bronson play Allied airmen who devise an elaborate plan to escape via tunnels. The movie famously blends real history with Hollywood flair – McQueen’s motorcycle chase, though fictional, became a well-known scene at the time.

Directed by John Sturges, the film was based on the book by Paul Brickhill and praised for its ensemble cast, suspense, and production scale. It received an Academy Award nomination for Film Editing and became one of the most beloved war adventure films of the ’60s.

The Imitation Game (2014)

Netflix

Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Alan Turing, the brilliant mathematician who cracked Nazi Germany’s Enigma code, shortening the war and saving millions of lives. Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode and Mark Strong co-star in this dramatization of Turing’s life, his secret wartime work at Bletchley Park, and the later persecution he faced due to his sexuality.

The film won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and received eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Cumberbatch. It was also a box office success and praised for bringing Turing’s vital legacy into public knowledge.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024)

Prime Video

Guy Ritchie’s latest film is based on a declassified true story from World War II. It follows a covert British unit created by Winston Churchill to carry out sabotage missions behind enemy lines – considered the originator to modern black ops. Henry Cavill leads a cast including Eiza González, Alan Ritchson and Cary Elwes.

Infused with Ritchie’s trademark style and fast-paced action, the film is adapted from the book by Damien Lewis. Its critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads: “Cranking up a true story of derring-do into a high-octane action flick that’s heavy on spectacle if not suspense, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is another solid entry into Guy Ritchie’s pantheon”.

The Zone of Interest (2023)

Prime Video

This Oscar-nominated drama, directed by Jonathan Glazer, is a chilling portrait of the banality of evil during wartimes. Based on the novel by Martin Amis, it tells the story of Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel), commandant of Auschwitz, and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller), living a comfortable domestic life just outside the camp walls.

Shot with minimal dialogue and detached camera work, the film starkly contrasts the horrors of the Holocaust with the mundane routines of a Nazi household. It won the Grand Prix at Cannes and was nominated for multiple Academy Awards, including Best International Feature. With a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s a powerful look at the complexity of people involved in conflict.