10 War Movie Cliches That Annoy EVERYONE

A great deal of the most celebrated WWII movies of all time all have something in common - they place a heavy emphasis on the United States' importance in winning the war at the expense of other Allied nations, such as the United Kingdom and her Empire, Canada, and so on. This status quo is further underlined by standout WWII television outings like Band of Brothers or Masters of the Air. These shows make use of a primarily British talent pool but fail to adequately acknowledge the nation's role in the conflict in a positive light.

Given America's influence on cinema, this may come as little surprise, but it doesn't make the cliche any less irritating. While there's nothing wrong with films focusing on Americans in the war, it can be an issue when it encroaches on historical reality and draws the focus away from deserving stories from other nations, as was the case with 2000's U-571, which reimagined the British-led operation to decipher the Enigma machine as an American effort. This debate stretches back all the way to the war itself, with 1945's Objective, Burma! - a film based on the American contribution in that theatre of war, which was dwarfed by that of the British, Imperial, and Commonwealth forces - causing controversy in Britain at its premiere.

Ultimately, while the Americans had a significant and world-changing impact on the conflict, the overwhelming focus on the US contribution to WWII has overshadowed that of other nations in Hollywood specifically.