20 Best War Movies Released Since 2000

7. The Hurt Locker (2008)

On its surface, The Hurt Locker is a tense portrayal of bomb disposal soldiers (Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie) tasked with a job that could mean death at any second. 

In practice, though, Kathryn Bigelow's award-winning drama is all about how war changes those called in to fight; how no matter how hard some soldiers may try to return to normal life and find peace away from war, they may never see their old selves again. 

Brutally intense and gorgeously shot, The Hurt Locker takes time to unpack the politics and controversy of the Iraq War, all the while offering up a heart-pounding action flick packed with real heart and complex characters - men who want to serve, but are shaken by the implications of their work.

The Hurt Locker was a major hit upon release - a box office smash that won a half-dozen Oscars - and it's easy to see why; there haven't been many war movies from any decade so quietly tragic and horribly honest about war's mental anguish.