The best war movies of 2022 - Looper (2023)

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VonNick Lundquist/Updated January 3, 2023 9:41 am EST

While 2022 was filled with superhero sequels like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and indie horror hits"X"e"Barbara,"It should come as no surprise that it was such a big year for war films as well. Hollywood has always had a penchant for big, dramatic depictions of war, and that continues in 2022 with some must-see films that immerse audiences in the experience of combat.

War films are consistently among the highest rated andbiggest box office, especially since Steven Spielberg's 1998 film "Saving Private Ryan" - is considered one of theThe best war movies of all time- completely reinvigorated the genre. Many of the greatest films in this genre have depicted major conflicts involving the United States, most notably World War II, Vietnam, and the War on Terror. Over the past 20 years, films like The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty, and Black Hawk Down have been determined to explore the complex conflict of American interventions abroad.

In recent years, a handful of war films have enthralled audiences by depicting the struggle of simple soldiers forced to endure the chaos of combat, including Hacksaw Ridge, Dunkirk and 1917. In 2022 we have even more amazing war movies to watch with a variety of themes, settings and situations. Read on to discover the best war movies of the year so far.

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Netflix's attempt to adapt the iconic anti-war novelErich Maria Nota Show moreIt seemed like a daunting task, but it's clear that director Edward Berger was up to the challenge."Nothing new in the West"is a German-produced war film depicting the horrors of a German soldier at the end of World War I. Felix Kammerer stars as Paul Bäumer, a 17-year-old warrior on the French frontline caught in the endless war machine of a senseless conflict. The film also features a fantastic supporting cast including Albrecht Schuch, Devid Striesow and Daniel Brühl (known for his work on"Inglourious Basterds"and the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Helmut Zemo).

Literary fans will know that"Nothing new in the West"is considered one of the most famous and best anti-war writings of all time, so it was imperative for the makers of this adaptation to take that message seriously. It could easily have turned into a sideshow that would have undermined the themes of the story, but luckily that wasn't the case. Critics have mocked Berger's interpretation of the text and its anti-war message, while managing to maintain a compelling human story. "All Quiet on the Western Front" scored 91% Onrotten tomatoesNumerous critics praised the casting, writing, and aesthetic production of a timeless classic.

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While this is definitely a change of pace from some of the more serious movies on our list, there's no denying that"Top Gun: Maverick"is one of the best war movies of 2022.by Tom CruiseSequel, which was carried over from the original 1986 film, absolutely destroyedbox office records, which grossed nearly $1.5 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of the year (and one of the biggest of Cruise's career). For this reason, the flying combat of "Top Gun: Maverick" is definitely worth mentioning, although there is no actual war as such in this film.

Top Gun: Maverick follows US Navy Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Cruise) who is semi-retired by his superiors. As one of the best pilots in the world, he is brought back to teach at Top Gun Flight School, preparing the next generation of fighter pilots for a highly dangerous mission on foreign soil. The details of all of this are intentionally vague, but it's clear that throughout the film, Maverick and his crew must battle enemy pilots while attempting to destroy an illegal uranium enrichment facility on the ground. Top Gun: Maverick features a cast alongside Cruise, including Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller and John Hamm as various members of the US Navy.

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You may not have heard of this one before, but it's definitely a film to watch if you like non-stop action and gripping stories about black ops soldiers working outside the lines. In Tarik Saleh's The Contractor, Chris Pine plays James Harper, a former Green Beret who is forced to take private jobs after being kicked out of the military for drug use. After becoming a mercenary, he becomes involved in a larger conspiracy involving terrorism, intelligence groups and treachery in his path.

The Contractor is unique among the other war films on this list in that it doesn't focus on any specific historical conflict, instead focusing on the covert operations that take place behind the scenes of the modern world. AccordinglyDie Washington Postnearly 53,000 contractors were contracted by the US military for deployment to the Middle East in 2019, compared to just 35,000 actual troops, with more than $370 billion in defense spending going to these defense groups. So in many ways, The Contractor is an interesting portrayal of what modern warfare is really like in today's world, and includes the role of mercenaries as soldiers. Despite an unflattering critical score of 45%rotten tomatoes, this film is notable for having a more unique premise than most.

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Operation Mincemeat is a British war film directly inspired by a real-life event that took place during World War II, when the UK helped cover the Allied invasion of Sicily from Italian and German intelligence. The film is directed by John Madden and features an all-star cast that includes Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald, Jason Isaacs and Mark Gatiss playing various real-life historical characters involved in the event.

Second World WarIt was one of the most devastating conflicts in human history and, as a result, inspired numerous film adaptations of specific episodes of the war. Operation Mincemeat focuses more on the espionage and subterfuge required to orchestrate one of the war's most important invasions. By getting the Axis powers to divert their focus from Sicily, the Allies were able to successfully secure the island and later the entire Italian peninsula.

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Not all war movies need to involve intense combat or firefights. Some require only a focus on the individuals (human and animal) put into battle for the good of their country, such as "Dog," which explores the relationship between a US Army ranger and a Belgian military herdsman who once belonged to a friend of war.

"Dog" — also regarded as one of theThe best comedy movies of 2022— is co-directed by Channing Tatum and Reid Carolin (both directorial debuts), while Tatum also plays a war veteran named Jackson Briggs who suffers from PTSD after sustaining a serious brain injury in battle. He is tasked with taking a military dog, Lulu, to her owner's funeral and eventually to a designated location where he is to be euthanized.

The actor toldYahoo! Entertainmentin an interview that the idea for "Dog" was closely inspired by his own pit bull Catahoula mix, also named Lulu, who was diagnosed with cancer. The film was also influenced by the stories of real military K-9s serving alongside their human comrades on active duty. Overall, "Dog" proved to be a critical hit at 77%.rotten tomatoesscores higher with critics and even higher at 89% with audiences who loved the moving story and faithful portrayal of veterans.

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"Munique: On the Brink of War"is unique among the films on this list in that it actually focuses more on preventing war than on the plot. This film focuses solely on the efforts of two diplomats (one British and one German) trying to stop the inevitable conflict brewing in Europe in the late 1930s.

Directed by Christian Schwochow, this film is directly based on the best-selling novel by the renowned historical novelist.Robert Harris(best known for his "Homeland" series). It features an impressive cast of actors including Jeremy Irons, Alex Jennings, George MacKay and Jannis Niewöhner in roles based on real people from this historic moment. Irons stars as the infamous British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, who years later became known as a key figure in World War II for his policy of appeasement of Nazi Germany. In this story, he works tirelessly to prevent conflict with Hitler's fascist nation through diplomatic means, regardless of the reality of impending war.

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"Devotion" is another entry on our list that combines two well-known war movie elements: the 1950s and dogfights. This film is directed by J.D. Dillard and starring Johnathan Majors and Glen Powell (also in Top Gun: Maverick) as two US Navy soldiers during the Korean War. You play famous pilots named Jesse Brown and Tom Hudner, who become some of the most famous pilots in Navy history thanks to their fearless actions during this conflict.

Set against the backdrop of the Korean War, this film attempts to explore the nuances and friendship of two pilots who become dependent on each other with every mission. Brown and Hudner serve as each other's wingmen, which in pilot parlance means they support each other in one-on-one combat. It's a dynamic that's also common in the year's other big heavy war movie, Top Gun: Maverick, but in Devotion it focuses more on camaraderie than competition.

"Devotion" proved to be a surprise hit, earning 77%rotten tomatoesScore from critics and an impressive 96% from audiences. Also, Katie Walsh fromLos Angeles TimesIn his review, noting how powerful the film's sisterhood story was felt by audiences, he wrote, "Tonally, 'Devotion' remains stable, never seeking over-the-top thrills or sensationalism, but simply trying to express something authentically moving and human."

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The Greatest Beer Run Ever is the first war film on this list to focus on the recent and most controversial Vietnam War. The film is directed by Peter Farrelly - his 2018 film Green BookOscars wonfor Best Picture of the Year and Best Screenplay - and starring Zac Efron and Russell Crowe. It follows the story of an ex-Marine named John "Chickie" Donohue (Efron) who ambitiously decides to return to Vietnam to deliver cold beer to his friends in the jungle.

Turns out, The Greatest Beer Run Ever was based on a true story, and Donohue was a real guy who actually brought beers to his frontline comrades serving in Vietnam in 1968.HistoryNet, he fell victim to poor timing after being involved in the devastating Tet Offensive, in which the North Vietnamese army and Viet Cong soldiers unexpectedly attacked the south. Luckily, Donohue survived this ordeal and was able to witness Efron's performance on his daring beer run.

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"Sniper: The White Raven" is a fascinating film that portrays the Ukrainian resistance to Russian aggression on the verge of oneinvasion in real lifebegan in February 2022. Directed by Maryan Bushan, this film tells the story of Mykola (Pavlo Aldoshyn), a former pacifist turned cold warrior who is forced to defend the Donbass region of Ukraine from foreign invaders, and becomes an elite sniper.

For obvious reasons, Sniper: The White Raven has garnered widespread attention around the world for its portrayal of Ukraine's resistance and heroism in the face of a threat that has become all too real for the tiny nation. Interestingly, the shooting of this film began in the fall of 2020, long before Russia attacks its southern neighbor. Sniper: The White Raven also features many real Ukrainian military agents in the film, such as members of the Ukrainian National Guard and the Rapid Response Brigade.

Thanks in large part to Western support for Ukraine's fight against Russia,The guardapplauded the film for its "noble attempt to honor the resilience of Ukrainians". On the other hand are some critics like Tim Cogshell fromfilm weeknoted that the story "is nationalist, is propaganda, has a point of view".

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"Black Crab" is a suspenseful action-thriller that deals with an impending post-apocalyptic war between different factions as a group of soldiers try to make a shipment that could finally secure the peace. Directed by Adam Berg, this Swedish production features an excellent performance by Noomi Rapace in the lead role of callous warrior Caroline Edh. Rapace is no stranger to intense roles, having previously starred in Girl With a Dragon Tattoo and Prometheus, which showed she was a physically dominating actress.

As a war film, "Black Crab" is packed with the action and suspense one would expect from a post-apocalyptic setting of the genre. This film is filled with gunshots, stab wounds, explosions and everything in between as these soldiers traverse the frozen archipelago of Stockholm, Sweden. Despite an interesting premise and a talented lead, Black Crab didn't sit well with critics who felt the film was too familiar. He holds up a score of 53%rotten tomatoesamong critics and even less 36% among audiences. However, it might still be worth watching for war movie fans browsing Netflix in search of some snowy action.

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Further back in history than any other war film on this list is Petr Jákl's Middle Ages, set during the Hussite Wars in the early 14th century. "Medieval" is a Czech production film in English starring renowned actors such as Ben Foster and Michael Caine as Jan Žižka and Lord Boresh respectively, who were involved in the religious conflict in Bohemia at the time.

For some historical context, theHussitenkriegewere a series of pre-Protestant Reformation conflicts that pitted religious differences within what is now the Czech Republic against the forces of the Holy Roman Empire. This lesser-known event is deeply ingrained in Czech history and culture, so this film is a rare opportunity to see the devastating war that unfolded as a result of this event.

While admiring the depiction of a unique piece of military history, "Medieval" failed to impress the critics, scoring a meager 41%.rotten tomatoesTotal score. However, William Bibbiani ofThe wrapargued that what the film lacked in story cohesion it made up for with gripping medieval battle scenes, writing, "'Medieval' fights like a work of historical fiction, but when the action picks up pace it's gripping and suspenseful ."