The 15 best war movies streaming on HBO Max right now Will HarrisNovember 3, 2025 at 12:00 AM 0 Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty; Courtesy Everett Collection (2) 'Casablanca,' 'War and Peace,' and 'The Tuskegee Airmen' Great war movies not only depict the horrors of the battlefield, but also the psychological trauma of those who participate.
- - The 15 best war movies streaming on HBO Max right now
Will HarrisNovember 3, 2025 at 12:00 AM
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Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty; Courtesy Everett Collection (2)
'Casablanca,' 'War and Peace,' and 'The Tuskegee Airmen'
Great war movies not only depict the horrors of the battlefield, but also the psychological trauma of those who participate.
Of course, the films aren't all violence and brutality: Ernst Lubitsch used World War II to make one of the great comedies of the era, while Casablanca avoided the battlefield altogether while giving us one of the most morally piercing commentaries on the same conflict.
Stretching from guerrilla warfare in the Algerian War to the Iraq War and beyond, Entertainment Weekly has compiled the best war movies streaming on HBO Max right now.
01 of 15
49th Parallel (1941)
Mary Evans/AF Archive/Everett Collection
Ramond Massey in '49th Parallel,' also known as 'The Invaders'
After a German U-boat sinks a Canadian freighter in the early months of World War II, a raiding party comes ashore to secure supplies… only for the U-boat to get sunk in their absence. Left to their own devices, the Germans make their way across Canada, hoping to return to Germany without being identified and either imprisoned or killed. But their tendency to fall back on the talking points of the Führer proves troublesome.
Originally made as a propaganda film by Great Britain in hopes of swaying then-neutral America into entering World War II, the end result was so well-received, it earned three Oscar nominations, including one win.
Where to watch 49th Parallel: HBO Max
Director: Michael Powell
Cast: Leslie Howard, Laurence Olivier, Anton Walbrook, Raymond Massey, Glynis Johns, Eric Portman
02 of 15
Ashes and Diamonds (1958)
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Zbigniew Cybulski and Ewa Krzyzewska in 'Ashes and Diamonds'
Set just before the end of World War II, the film kicks off with an attempted assassination that goes wrong when the would-be assassins — Maciek, Andrzej, and Drewnowski — discover they've killed two innocent people instead of their intended target. Later, Maciek and Andrzej embark on the task a second time, but while seeking their target, Maciek meets and falls for a barmaid, prompting him to reconsider just how devoted he is to the cause.
Part of a loose trilogy of war-themed films from director Andrzej Wajda, Ashes and Diamonds was a critical and commercial success around the world.
Where to watch Ashes and Diamonds: HBO Max
Director: Andrzej Wajda
Cast: Zbigniew Cybulski, Ewa Krzyżewska, Wacław Zastrzeżyński, Adam Pawlikowski, Bogumił Kobiela
03 of 15
Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987)
Mary Evans/MK2/Ronald Grant/Everett Collection
Raphael Fejto and Gaspard Manesse in 'Au Revoir Les Enfants'
By the time viewers hear this film's title — which translates to Goodbye, Children — uttered aloud, they may well be in tears. Set during the winter of 1943-44, the film begins as the story of Julien Quentin, who attends a boarding school in occupied France, but changes when the headmaster, Pere Jean, introduces the class to three new students.
In short order, Julien discovers the three are Jewish children who've been granted secret asylum by Jean. The film tracks Julien's burgeoning awareness of anti-Semitism and how it can affect even people his age. Inspired by director Louis Malle's own life, it's a sad, beautiful film.
Where to watch Au Revoir Les Enfants: HBO Max
Director: Louis Malle
Cast: Gaspard Manesse, Raphael Fejto, Philippe Morier-Genoud, Francine Racette, Francois Berleand, Irene Jacob
04 of 15
The Battle of Algiers (1966)
Courtesy Everett Collection
Mohamed Ben Kassen in 'The Battle of Algiers'
After kicking off with Algerian revolutionary Ali la Pointe being surrounded by the French Army, this film flashes back to tell the tale of the Algerian War of Independence, namely the portion between November 1954 and December 1957, taking viewers through the events that brought Ali to this point.
Filmed on location in black-and-white with a style intended to emulate a documentary, The Battle of Algiers is filled predominantly with non-actors who lived through the actual events. The result is a stark look at war that earned the Golden Lion in Venice and remains one of the most influential films ever made.
Where to watch The Battle of Algiers: HBO Max
Director: Gillo Pontecorvo
Cast: Brahim Hadjadj, Jean Martin, Saadi Yacef, Tommaso Neri, Samia Kerbash, Ugo Paletti, Fusia El Kader
05 of 15
Casablanca (1942)
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Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in 'Casablanca'
What can you say about one of the most famous films of all time? Humphrey Bogart stars as Rick Blaine, a cynical American expatriate who owns a nightclub in Casablanca and claims to be politically neutral. That neutrality begins to waver slightly, however, when his former flame Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) arrives with her husband, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), who's committed to the Resistance. They're seeking letters of transit that Rick has in his possession, which would allow the couple to make their way to safe territory together.
This may be a classic wartime movie, but it's also one of the greatest love stories ever told.
Where to watch Casablanca: HBO Max
EW grade: A (read the review)
Director: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre
06 of 15
Civil War (2024)
A24
Kirsten Dunst in 'Civil War'
This is one of the more terrifying films on this list, taking place in a dystopian near-future that feels a little closer to reality with each passing day. In Civil War's America, the federal government — led by a third-term president — has become authoritarian, resulting in secessionist movements that have split the country apart. In the midst of the conflict, journalists from Reuters and The New York Times make a dangerous journey from New York to Virginia and, eventually, D.C.
Truth be told, it may actually be too traumatic for some people to watch, given the current political climate, but (as with many of these other films) that's why it should be watched.
Where to watch Civil War: HBO Max
Director: Alex Garland
Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sonoya Mizuno, Nick Offerman
07 of 15
Conspiracy (2001)
Courtesy Everett Collection
Stanley Tucci and Kenneth Branagh in 'Conspiracy'
This HBO film concerns the infamous 1942 meeting in which Reich security chief Reinhard Heydrich (Kenneth Branagh) details how the forced emigration of the Jewish population will shift to "evacuation."
Over the course of the meeting, the participants gradually realize that "evacuation" actually means "genocide," and that realization… does not change anything. It's an all-talk, no-action film — indeed, a psychological drama in the truest sense, specifically diving into the Nazi mindset. It's also a film you can't and shouldn't look away from.
Where to watch Conspiracy: HBO Max
Director: Frank Pierson
Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Stanley Tucci, Colin Firth, Ian McNeice, Kevin McNally, David Threlfall
08 of 15
The Four Feathers (1939)
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John Clements, C. Aubrey Smith and June Duprez in 'The Four Feathers'
Set in 1895, The Four Feathers is perhaps the definitive treatise on how a soldier can be transformed from coward to hero via the power of camaraderie. This film is one of several adaptations of A.E.W. Mason's novel, but it's generally considered the best of the bunch, even if — unlike the 2002 version — it doesn't star Heath Ledger as Lt. Harry Faversham, i.e., the coward in question.
Here, John Clements plays Faversham, who resigns his Army commission for fear he might lose it in battle, only to redeem himself by making his way to the front and surreptitiously saving his friend, Capt. John Durrance (Ralph Richardson).
Where to watch The Four Feathers: HBO Max
Director: Zoltan Korda
Cast: John Clements, Ralph Richardson, C. Aubrey Smith, June Duprez, Allan Jeaves, Jack Allen, Donald Gray
09 of 15
Overlord (1975)
Janus Films
What started as a documentary about the Overlord Embroidery, a famous narrative artwork that depicts the D-Day Landings and Battle of Normandy, turned into a film that blends archival World War II footage with the story of Thomas Beddows, a British everyman called into service. Following the naïve Beddows from training to his journey to France and — spoiler alert — his eventual death on D-Day, the film comes so close to matching real footage that it can be disconcerting.
Then again, that's why it's such an effective film: Because of its infusion of reality, it often feels significantly less fictional than other war movies.
Where to watch Overlord: HBO Max
Director: Stuart Cooper
Cast: Brian Stirner, Davyd Harries, Nicholas Ball, John Franklyn-Robbins, Stella Tanner, David Warner
10 of 15
To Be or Not to Be (1942)
Courtesy Everett Collection
Jack Benny and Carole Lombard in 'To Be or Not to Be'
In this profound wartime comedy, Jack Benny and Carole Lombard star as Joseph and Maria Tura, a Polish husband-and-wife acting team starring in a production of Hamlet while also preparing a Nazi-satirizing new play. Germany's invasion of Poland sets up a series of events that finds the acting troupe joining the underground resistance, which eventually involves one of the actors having to dress up as Hitler.
No, it probably doesn't sound funny, and there's certainly plenty of action and drama as well, but it's genuinely one of the funniest movies ever produced in America, and one of director Ernst Lubitsch's crowning achievements.
Where to watch To Be or Not to Be: HBO Max
Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Cast: Carole Lombard, Jack Benny, Robert Stack, Felix Bressart, Lionel Atwill, Stanley Ridges, Sig Ruman
11 of 15
The Tuskegee Airmen (1995)
Courtesy Everett Collection
Laurence Fishburne in 'The Tuskegee Airmen'
The Tuskegee Airmen were a unit made up of the first African-American combat pilots in the U.S. Army Air Corps — so nicknamed because they got their flight training in Tuskegee, Ala. In this star-studded dramatization, the racism of the era comes shining through, including a congressional hearing scene that features some particularly horrifying, misguided claims.
It's an amazing story of individuals who refused to let anyone else's misguided beliefs about their race stop them from fighting for their country.
Where to watch The Tuskegee Airmen: HBO Max
Director: Robert Markowitz
Cast: Laurence Fishburne, Allen Payne, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Courtney B. Vance, Andre Braugher, Christopher McDonald, Daniel Hugh Kelly, Mekhi Phifer, John Lithgow, Cuba Gooding Jr.
12 of 15
War and Peace (1965–1967)
Courtesy Everett Collection
Vladislav Strzhelchik as Napoleon in 'War and Peace'
Set aside a substantial chunk of time to make your way through this epic adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's classic novel: It's a four-part saga with a total run time of 7 hours and 11 minutes. Mind you, it's covering a 15-year period and based on a 1,225-page book, so all things considered, it's really not that long at all.
Blending the stories of several aristocratic families as they make their way through the Napoleonic wars, it's filled with bloody battles and considerable drama — love, death, loss — between the titular bookends. It was the most expensive Soviet film ever made, and you can see every dollar spent on the screen.
Where to watch War and Peace: HBO Max
Director: Sergei Bondarchuk
Cast: Sergei Bondarchuk, Ludmilla Savelyeva, Vyacheslav Tikhonov, Boris Zakhava, Anatoly Ktorov, Antonina Shuranova
13 of 15
Warfare (2025)
Murray Close/A24
The ensemble of Alex Garland's 'Warfare'
Alex Garland brought on a co-director for Warfare, Ray Mendoza, whose experiences in Iraq inspired the film. We see, in brutal detail, a Marine operation that took place after the Battle of Ramadi in 2006, involving a platoon of Navy SEALs who get surrounded and have to fight their way out.
Offering as realistic a look at the horror of modern combat as anything in recent years, the film earned comparisons to both Saving Private Ryan and All Quiet on the Western Front. EW called it "a remarkable cinematic achievement operating at a profoundly compelling level" while also acknowledging it's an agonizing watch. That's war for you.
Where to watch Warfare: HBO Max
Director: Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza
Cast: D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor, Finn Bennett, Joseph Quinn, Charles Melton, Michael Gandolfini
14 of 15
Westfront 1918 (1930)
Courtesy Everett Collection
'Westfront 1918,' legendary director G.W. Pabst's first 'talkie'
Based on the novel Vier von der Infanterie, this story of German infantrymen in the trenches during World War I bears an understandable resemblance to All Quiet on the Western Front since, well, it also takes place on the Western Front during WWI. This is one of the darker war movies of the era, if not all time, providing an extremely bleak look at the cost of combat and, very specifically, the psychological damage.
Needless to say, it was soon banned and is now infamous for being denounced by none other than Joseph Goebbels. Is there any more profound badge of honor for a filmmaker?
Where to watch Westfront 1918: HBO Max
Director: G.W. Pabst
Cast: Fritz Kampers, Gustav Diessl, Claus Clausen, Hans-Joachim Moebis, Jackie Monnier, Carl Ballhaus
15 of 15
The Zone of Interest (2023)
A24
The Höss family parties in the shadow of Auschwitz in 'The Zone of Interest'
This positively chilling WWII story takes a life of domesticity and reveals the horror hidden beneath… or, more accurately, right next door. The family in question belongs to Rudolf Höss, commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp, located right next to his perfect home. There's a garden for his wife, a river for his kids to swim in, and, yes, a crematorium around the corner.
Based on Martin Amis' novel, The Zone of Interest is a difficult watch, but as EW's review put it, the film is "a stark reminder of our complicity and the capacity for great evil in the most mundane of circumstances."
Where to watch The Zone of Interest: HBO Max
EW grade: A- (read the review)
Director: Jonathan Glazer
Cast: Christian Friedel, Sandra Hüller, Johann Karthaus, Luis Noah Witte, Nele Ahrensmeier, Lilli Falk
on Entertainment Weekly
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Published: November 02, 2025 at 06:37PM on Source: LUCIE MAG
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