With an atomic explosion called Oppenheimer about to come our way, here are 5 World War 2 movies that will set the tone for you. Events from both World Wars have time and again been subjected to the big screen. Needless to say, they are the worst in recorded history. And for a long time, directors have picked up different facets of these two wars to showcase humanity and its various emotions in their extremes and what all it led to.
Among everything that happened, one of the highlights will always be the creation of the atomic bomb during World War 2 on which Oppenheimer is based. But to give you a better idea of how the whole scenario was during that time, here are some movies that you should watch. Each of these is of a different kind and explores the war from different angles, all of which are equally moving. Here they are.
5 World War 2 Movies to Watch Before Oppenheimer
Dunkirk (2017)
Oppenheimer isn’t Christopher Nolan’s first war film. It is Dunkirk. Based on Operation Dynamo, the film shows the evacuation of the British, French and Belgian troops, from the beaches of Dunkirk during the Battle of France. They were surrounded by German troops and were facing death when the evacuation was launched.
As is Nolan’s signature, there had to be something that would make this film different from other war films. So, Nolan showed the whole event from three perspectives: land, air and water. Again, shot in IMAX, it is a visual spectacle. The cast includes Fionn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, and Harry Styles along with Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy and Kenneth Branagh.
Schindler’s List (1993)
One of Steven Spielberg’s earlier works, Schindler’s List is a biopic of a German businessman and industrialist named Oskar Schindler, played brilliantly by Liam Neeson, who rescued more a 1000 European Jews from being victims of the Holocaust. He did this by giving them jobs in his factories. The Jews would forever be known as the Schindler Jews. The way Spielberg depicted the Holocaust is, for me, the most realistic and heart-wrenching take on the genocide. Shot entirely in black and white to uphold the time during which the events took place, the film remains a visual treat for cinephiles and filmmakers alike.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Another of Steven Spielberg’s masterpieces, Saving Private Ryan is considered one of the greatest films ever. It shows how a group of soldiers led by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) save Private James Ryan (Matt Damon) in the midst of the Normandy Invasion. From the emotions to the battle, the film feels as authentic as a World War film should be. Receiving multiple awards, it went on to become one of the most successful films if not the most successful film of 1998 as well as a strong influence for future War films.
Also Read: Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer: 6 Things to Know Before You Take a Deep Dive Into This War Drama
Fury (2014)
Directed by David Ayer, the events in Fury surround a single American tank named Fury taking on the Nazi German forces in the latter’s home ground as a part of the Western Allied invasion of Germany in April 1945. With a crew of five soldiers, featuring Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Peña, and Jon Bernthal, all of whom nail their roles, the tank moves ahead behind enemy lines. All the experiences it undergoes incorporate the film and how it showcases the tragedy that is war.
The Imitation Game (2014)
Another World War 2 film that came out in 2014, The Imitation Game, shows one of Benedict Cumberbatch’s greatest performances as British mathematician and cryptanalyst Alan Turing. Turing was the man who decrypted the Enigma, a machine that used a system of Nazi codes, considered unbreakable, which the Germans were using to communicate with its troops. However, he was sent to prison for being gay. He ultimately killed himself after a year of hormonal therapy ordered by the British government.
Directed by Morten Tyldum, the film is very moving in the way it shows the pain that Turing carried inside him since childhood, and he named the machine he made to decipher the Enigma codes after the guy he fell in love with, Christopher. If this doesn’t make you want to see the film, nothing else will.
Have you seen any of these 5 movies based on World War 2? Do let us know in the comments below.
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