15 Underrated War Films of the 21st Century That Are Secretly Masterpieces
Over the last decade, there's been a bunch of war movies that didn't get a lot of attention when they first hit the screens, but if you take the time to watch them, you'll see they're actually masterpieces.
These films are like hidden gems that got overlooked, maybe because they didn't have huge marketing budgets or big stars leading the cast.
1. Downfall (2004)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
In the waning days of WWII, Hitler's final days in his Berlin bunker are depicted, as he, along with loyalists such as Eva Braun and Joseph Goebbels, face the inevitable collapse of the Third Reich, leading to their suicides amid the Soviet army's encroachment.
2. Tigerland (2000)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 77%
A rebellious draftee, Private Roland Bozz, challenges the authority of his officers in a brutal boot camp in Louisiana, shaping the destinies of his fellow soldiers by helping them evade Vietnam deployment, all while grappling with his own fears and moral conflicts about the war.
3. Joyeux Noël (2005)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 74%
On Christmas Eve during WWI, French, Scottish, and German soldiers lay down their arms for an unofficial ceasefire, sharing camaraderie and compassion, which leads to fraternizations that challenge their superiors' expectations and the war's very nature.
4. We Were Soldiers (2002)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 64%
Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore and his 400 men are dropped into the Ia Drang Valley, the first major American battle of the Vietnam War, where they face overwhelming odds and heroically fight for survival against the North Vietnamese Army, forging a new sense of American soldiering.
5. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%
In the early 19th century, Captain Jack Aubrey of the HMS Surprise is tasked with intercepting the French warship Acheron, leading his crew through perilous waters, strategic battles, and the challenges of leadership and survival at sea during the Napoleonic Wars.
6. Greyhound (2020)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 78%
During WWII, inexperienced U.S. Navy Commander Ernest Krause leads an international convoy of 37 Allied ships across the treacherous North Atlantic while being pursued by wolf packs of Nazi U-boats, testing his resolve and tactical ingenuity under fire.
7. Fury (2014)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 76%
In the final days of WWII, a battle-hardened army sergeant named Wardaddy commands a Sherman tank and her five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines, facing overwhelming odds in their efforts to strike at the heart of Nazi Germany.
8. Jarhead (2005)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 60%
Anthony Swofford, a young Marine sniper, struggles with the psychological pressures of boredom, fear, and the reality of war in the desert of Kuwait during the Gulf War, highlighting the challenges of modern military life and combat.
9. Journey's End (2017)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Set in the trenches of WWI, a group of British officers, led by the mentally disintegrating young officer Stanhope, await their fate in the face of an impending German offensive, coping with the stress, fear, and anticipation of the unknown.
10. Siege of Jadotville (2016)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 64%
An Irish commander and his battalion of 150 men are deployed to Congo during the Cold War, where they find themselves under siege by 3,000 Congolese troops, leading to a desperate fight for survival without any support, in a conflict largely ignored by history.
11. Tears of the Sun (2003)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 34%
A U.S. Navy SEAL team, led by Lieutenant A.K. Waters, is sent on a mission in war-torn Nigeria to rescue a doctor, but when she refuses to leave without her patients, Waters decides to escort them all through dangerous jungle terrain to safety, facing moral dilemmas and fierce combat.
12. Kilo Two Bravo (2014)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%
A platoon of British soldiers in Afghanistan finds themselves trapped in a minefield, resulting in a harrowing fight for survival as they attempt to secure the area and rescue the injured, showcasing the brutal reality and heroism of soldiers in modern warfare.
13. Waltz with Bashir (2008)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
An Israeli filmmaker interviews veterans of the 1982 Lebanon War to recover his own lost memories of his involvement in the Sabra and Shatila massacre, combining animation with real footage to explore the trauma and reality of war.
14. The Lone Survivor (2013)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 75%
Based on a true story, four Navy SEALs on a covert mission to neutralize a high-level Taliban operative in Afghanistan are ambushed by enemy forces in the Hindu Kush region, leading to a desperate struggle for survival and a display of bravery and sacrifice.
15. U-571 (2000)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 68%
During WWII, an American submarine crew disguises themselves as Nazis and boards a German U-boat in order to capture the Enigma coding device, facing intense combat and moral dilemmas as they attempt to turn the tide of the war with their secret mission.