20 Best War Movies Released Since 2000

In perhaps the single most underrated film of his storied career, Steven Spielberg's offers this brilliant Michael Morpurgo adaptation with all the tenderness and humanity that's followed him through all his work.

War Horse tells the story of a young soldier (Jeremy Irvine) and the horse he serves with on the Western Front of World War I a theatre of violence and tragedy drenched in mud but littered with camaraderie and sparks of hope on the horizon. 

Directed by Spielberg with genuine grace, War Horse isn't just a brutal battlefield drama with no reprieve, it's vintage Spielberg under the bloodshed - a tender tale of family and coming-of-age, an honest reflection of humans (and animals) binding together in the worst of times. 

Sure to tug at the heartstrings of even the most cynical of viewer, War Horse is an old-fashioned burst of joy against a chapter of wartime history difficult to confront. Trust Spielberg to offer us a hug even in a film so heartbreaking.