From ‘Dunkirk’ to ‘Schindler's List’, here are our picks for the best World War II movies of all time

War, huh, what is it good for? Well, between the bloodshed, aerial bombardment and displacement of civilians, not a huge amount (agreed, Edwin Starr). But while World War II, like all major conflicts, was characterised by destruction on an unfathomable scale, the films documenting the war have been endlessly creative. Indeed, the great minds of cinema were already hard at work documenting and exploring the war while it was happening. The WWII genre includes Hollywood action epics and heart-wrenching romances, but it also features movies that build empathy for ‘the enemy’, like Clint Eastwood’s ‘Letters from Iwo Jima’.

So how to choose the best World War II movies ever made? We called in the experts – specifically one expert: Quentin Tarantino – and solicited the advice of those hard-working Time Out writers. Now let’s just hope there never needs to be a ‘best of’ list for World War III, eh?

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