15 Most Underrated War Movies Of All Time

Yes, we’re willing to admit that leaving Adrian Lyne’s psychological thriller on this list counts as something of a spoiler, since it’s only near the end of this mind-bending psychedelic horror that the audience learns for certain that they’re watching a war film.

But it’s a particularly moving and novel war film, so apologies for anyone unfamiliar with the Ambrose Bierce style reveal near its denouement. As Tim Robbin’s jittery PTSD-afflicted veteran attempts to return to civilian life, he finds himself haunted by his actions in Vietnam and the squad he left behind at every turn. The plot's strange twists unfold slow, and when the plot eventually reaching a heart-breaking but life-affirming ending, it manages to make the country’s conflict even more tragic than a string of successful earlier war films had already managed.

Darker and trippier even than the likes of Apocalypse Now, this flick deserves to be seen by anyone hoping to understand the unique hardship of Vietnam.