Some of Hollywood’s finest war films are adapted from critically-acclaimed books, such as memorable hits like The Great Escape and Patton. These thrilling tales have captivated audiences across the world with their harrowing real life stories of brave soldiers who risked their lives for the sake of mankind. From epic big-screen extravaganzas like The Thin Red Line to poignant, up-close-and-personal dramas such as Unbroken, these films truly resonate with moviegoers and critics alike.
Bradley Cooper delivered one of the greatest performances of his career when he portrayed war hero Chris Kyle in American Sniper, while the star-studded triumph The Longest Day featured phenomenal appearances by Tinseltown legends like John Wayne and Sean Connery. The entertainment industry is no stranger to thrilling adaptations; these are the best war movies based on great books.
9 Enemy at the Gates
Paramount Pictures
Based on the events described in William Craig’s riveting nonfiction book of the same name recounting the Battle of Stalingrad, the 2001 war drama Enemy at the Gates stars Jude Law as Vasily Zaitsev, a celebrated sniper and Soviet Union legend who faces off against a deadly German marksman during the treacherous winter conflict in World War II. Zaitsev became the face of a powerful propaganda campaign for the Russians and is said to have killed 225 enemy soldiers during Stalingrad.
The star-studded adaptation features the additional talent of Joseph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, and Ed Harris, and though many aspects of the battle were dramatized and fictionalized, the picture is a thrilling interpretation of Craig’s thorough work that went on to become a modest box office success.
8 A Bridge Too Far
United Artists
Richard Attenborough directed the 1977 epic war film A Bridge Too Far, touting a superb ensemble cast led by James Caan, Michael Caine, and Sean Connery. The film tells the tale of Operation Market Garden, a failed Allied military operation that took place in the Netherlands in September 1944 during World War II, in which soldiers attempted to secure a crucial bridgehead over the Rhine.
Historian Cornelius Ryan released the critically-lauded novel in 1974 and Attenborough set out to make the picture as historically accurate and honest as possible, showcasing the brutality of the battle and those who sacrificed their lives during it. A Bridge Too Far went on to win four British Academy Film Awards and was both a critical and commercial hit.
7 Unbroken
Legendary Pictures
Chronicling the inspiring true story of revered Olympic athlete and World War II veteran Louis “Louie” Zamperini’s 47 days adrift at sea and his subsequent experiences in four Japanese prisoner-of-war camps, the spellbinding 2014 biographical drama Unbroken was directed by Angelina Jolie and stars Jack O’Connell as the resilient war hero. Laura Hillenbrand wrote the titular source novel, which spent more than four years on the New York Times best-selling list, and was created after she discovered a 1938 newspaper article describing Zamperini’s harrowing experience. Unbroken earned praise for its compelling performances, direction, and stunning cinematography, and its success led to the 2018 sequel Unbroken: Path of Redemption.
6 American Sniper
Warner Bros. Pictures
The Oscar-winning 2014 biographical war drama American Sniper features a tour de force performance by Bradley Cooper as US Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, with the movie depicting the inner turmoil and struggles he faced after four tours in the Iraq War; he became the deadliest marksman in United States history with 160 confirmed kills and suffered from intense PTSD upon his return home.
The Clint Eastwood film is based on Kyle’s bestselling autobiography, which sold over 1.2 million copies and over 700,000 in 2015 alone; it remained on the New York Times Best Seller list for an impressive 37 weeks. The adaptation was described by The New Yorker as, “Both a devastating war movie and a devastating antiwar movie, a subdued celebration of a warrior’s skill and a sorrowful lament over his alienation and misery.”
5 The Great Escape
Cinema legend and “The King of Cool” Steve McQueen is exceptional as an American prisoner-of-war determined to break out of a Nazi German stalag in the 1963 classic The Great Escape. The film follows Captain Virgil Hilts as he and his fellow Allied captives concoct a mass escape plan from the max-security camp during World War II. Based on the Paul Brickhill book of the same name that offers his insider’s account into what occurred at Stalag Luft III in 1944, the adventure drama is continuously the subject of universal acclaim from modern critics and landed on the British Film Institute’s list of 10 Greatest Prisoner of War Films." The Great Escape famously features McQueen’s daring motorcycle chase scene, which is regarded as one of the best film stunts of all time.
4 The Thin Red Line
20th Century Fox
Adapted from James Jones’ 1962 masterpiece recounting his personal experiences during World War II’s Guadalcanal campaign, the 1998 epic The Thin Red Line is a big-screen extravaganza that stars Hollywood greats like Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, and George Clooney, showcasing a fictionalized version of the Battle of Mount Austen between the United States and Imperial Japanese forces.
The picture is the second interpretation of Jones’ novel and served as director Terrence Malick’s triumphant return to filmmaking after a two-decade absence; he met with the author’s widow and daughter about bringing the story to life and received their blessings. An underrated ’90s war movie, The Thin Red Line earned seven Oscar nominations and won the prestigious Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.
3 Patton
20th Century Fox
George C. Scott won the Oscar for Best Actor (and later declined to accept the award) for his brilliant portrayal of the controversial Lieutenant General George S. Patton in the 1970 lauded drama Patton, which draws inspiration from both Omar N. Bradley’s A Soldier Story and Ladislas Farago’s Patton: Ordeal and Triumph. The biographical picture showcases the American general’s career and achievements during World War II as well as his outspokenness regarding the war and how the U.S. handled the aftermath. Patton won seven Academy Awards and as previously mentioned, Scott refused the prestigious accolade and reportedly stated, “The whole thing is a [expletive] meat parade. I don’t want any part of it.”
2 The Longest Day
Western film icon John Wayne joined fellow cinema legends Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum and a plethora of more stars in the 1962 hit The Longest Day, a retelling of the devastating Normandy landings from both the perspectives of the Allied forces and Germans that is based on the Cornelius Ryan book of the same name.
Upon its 1959 release, the gripping literary work sold millions of copies in eighteen languages and was a highly-buzzed about Hollywood adaptation; the author helped write the screenplay and oversaw the process during the production of the film. The Longest Day is widely considered one of the greatest representations of D-Day on screen and was lauded for depicting the true horrors of war.
1 The Bridge on the River of Kwai
Columbia Pictures
Revered French author Pierre Boulle’s captivating historical fiction novel The Bridge on the River of Kwai was given the silver screen treatment when his gritty tale centering on the building of the Burma Railway was released in 1957, following the Allied prisoners of war who were forced into labor to construct the notorious route. Boulle used his own personal experiences in the war to pen the worldwide bestseller, as he had been a secret agent with the Free French when he was captured and held prisoner for two years. The whistle-worthy, wonderful film won seven Oscars including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, with the author also winning the accolade due to its initial writers having been blacklisted.
