The 30 best War movies of the 1980s

1. 1

   Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

   directed by Isao Takahata · 89 min · 8.5 6,802 votes

2. 2

   Full Metal Jacket (1987)

   directed by Stanley Kubrick · 117 min · 8.1 11,723 votes

3. 3

   Das Boot (1981)

   directed by Wolfgang Petersen · 209 min · 8.1 2,620 votes

4. 4

   Come and See (1985)

   directed by Elem Klimov · 142 min · 8.2 1,945 votes

5. 5

   Platoon (1986)

   directed by Oliver Stone · 120 min · 7.7 5,259 votes

6. 6

   Empire of the Sun (1987)

   directed by Steven Spielberg · 152 min · 7.5 2,194 votes

7. 7

   Glory (1989)

   directed by Edward Zwick · 122 min · 7.5 1,860 votes

8. 8

   Kagemusha (1980)

   directed by Akira Kurosawa · 160 min · 7.8 764 votes

9. 9

   Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)

   directed by Barry Levinson · 121 min · 7.3 3,089 votes

10. 10

    The Killing Fields (1984)

    directed by Roland Joffé · 142 min · 7.5 858 votes

11. 11

    Au Revoir les Enfants (1987)

    directed by Louis Malle · 105 min · 7.5 748 votes

12. 12

    Sophie's Choice (1982)

    directed by Alan J. Pakula · 150 min · 7.3 965 votes

13. 13

    Threads (1984)

    directed by Mick Jackson · 117 min · 7.6 434 votes

14. 14

    Casualties of War (1989)

    directed by Brian De Palma · 113 min · 7.2 1,043 votes

15. 15

    Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

    directed by Oliver Stone · 145 min · 7.0 1,940 votes

16. 16

    Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983)

    directed by Nagisa Ōshima · 124 min · 7.3 542 votes

17. 17

    When the Wind Blows (1986)

    directed by Jimmy T. Murakami · 84 min · 7.5 350 votes

18. 18

    The Last Metro (1980)

    directed by François Truffaut · 132 min · 7.2 533 votes

19. 19

    Birdy (1984)

    directed by Alan Parker · 120 min · 7.1 596 votes

20. 20

    Heartbreak Ridge (1986)

    directed by Clint Eastwood · 130 min · 6.9 1,158 votes

21. 21

    Henry V (1989)

    directed by Kenneth Branagh · 137 min · 7.1 420 votes

22. 22

    Escape to Victory (1981)

    directed by John Huston · 116 min · 6.9 1,036 votes

23. 23

    Gallipoli (1981)

    directed by Peter Weir · 112 min · 7.0 567 votes

24. 24

    Salvador (1986)

    directed by Oliver Stone · 123 min · 7.0 424 votes

25. 25

    Gramps Is in the Resistance (1983)

    directed by Jean-Marie Poiré · 102 min · 6.9 453 votes

26. 26

    Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)

    directed by George P. Cosmatos · 96 min · 6.7 4,451 votes

27. 27

    Southern Comfort (1981)

    directed by Walter Hill · 106 min · 6.8 370 votes

28. 28

    The Big Red One (1980)

    directed by Samuel Fuller · 113 min · 6.7 353 votes

29. 29

    Hamburger Hill (1987)

    directed by John Irvin · 110 min · 6.6 524 votes

30. 30

    The Final Countdown (1980)

    directed by Don Taylor · 102 min · 6.6 695 votes

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Method: TMDb audience rating weighted by vote count, with a vote floor per list. No position is editorial opinion; it is the catalogue, ordered.

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