20 War Movies EVERY Film Fan Should Have Seen

5. The Longest Day

Nominated for a triumvirate of Oscars and based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Cornelius Ryan, 1962's black and white epic The Longest Day is a more traditional early war film than most on this list.

Despite its darker moments the Darryl F Zanuck production is infused with a sense of triumphalism absent from most post WWII flicks. Its large ensemble cast may include the likes of George Segal and Henry Fonda, but famously outspoken patriot (cough right winger cough) John Wayne is at the centre of proceedings.

Documenting the terror, perils, and eventual elation of the D day Normandy landings, this thrilling docudrama is a far cry from later, more brutally realistic imaginings of the event.