The Best War Movies Ever Made

1917 was released 102 years after the war it chronicles. Before World War I, or The Great War as it was called at the time, war was confined to tribes, countries and cultures, sometimes many all at once. But in the late 1910s the world truly was at war, with combat stretching across Europe to the Middle East, bringing multiple countries into the conflict. It wasn't just the scope of the Great War, it was the introduction of advanced technology to the front lines, allowing a scale of destruction that was unseen and frankly inconceivable before. 

In the midst of such unimaginable cataclysm, a single person feels small and powerless. Sam Mendes powerfully recreates this perspective in 1917, in so doing creating an inspiring tale of heroism while vividly showcasing the horrors of war. 1917 tells the story of two British soldiers who must deliver a message deep within enemy territory that will stop 1,600 men, including one of the soldiers' brothers, from walking into a slaughter. Mendes boldly tells this story in a single long take, a choice that could seem trivial or gimmicky, but in 1917 augments the unceasing horrors and dangers its characters must withstand. 1917 has proved a hit with critics and filmgoers alike, earning a wildly positive Tomatometer score, making $37 million after its nationwide expansion, and winning awards from the Golden Globes, AFI and the Producers Guild of America.