The year 2011 was great for war movie enthusiasts. With over 50 war movies made that specific year alone, there was a buffet of Hollywood productions about people on the battlefield. Even Steven Spielberg made one. But while there was plenty to choose from, not everything was palatable.
In fact, only two movies managed to get a rating of 7 and above on IMDb. Perhaps more isn't usually better. However, each of the films released had its own unique storyline as well as fascinating moments. Here are the ten best war movies of 2011, according to IMDb.
Auschwitz (3.1)
Auschwitz is an emotional film about World War II and the Holocaust that reimagines the horror of the infamous Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland. The movie also incorporates real footage as well as one on one interviews with German citizens about their experiences and knowledge of Nazi brutality.
Known for financing his own projects controversial German director Uwe Boll went all-in with Auschwitz. Apparently, the film was too gruesome that some critics ended up boycotting the special screening. The director later quit filmmaking, opting to run a restaurant in Vancouver.
In The Land Of Blood And Honey (4.5)
In the Land of Blood and Honey was Angelina Jolie's first film as a director. The movie was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 69th Golden Globe Awards However, it never received a wide theatrical release due to unexplained circumstances.
The movie is set during the Bosnian War and the plot revolves around a woman named Ajla who is captured and taken to a Serbian barrack where the soldiers intend to abuse her. Luckily for her, a high-ranking officer named Danijel recognizes her as the woman he met at a night-club a while ago. He thus does his best to protect her and the two end up falling in love.
Resistance (4.9)
The movie imagines an alternate history where Russia has been defeated by Nazi Germany. Half of Britain is also occupied by German forces. One morning a group of Welsh women wakes up to discover that their husbands have left to serve in the British Resistance, leaving them with no one to protect them.
In order to survive, the women decide to be nice to the German soldiers. However, both groups distrust each other. The women want to remain loyal to their husbands while the soldiers still see the women as the enemy and so they tread with caution around them.
The Resistance (5.2)
Here's another movie with a similar name to the one above. The Resistance was one of two movies about the Japanese invasion of China to be released in 2011. Events take place in 1937 as World War II is destroying Europe. The ambitious Japanese military invades China, conducting a ruthless act of genocide that results in over 300,000 civilian deaths.
Soon, rumors spread that a highly-skilled Chinese vigilante is decimating the Japanese platoons. The vigilante intends to eventually reach the general. Meanwhile, a brave American journalist goes to China to investigate the bloodshed but his discovery threatens to bring dangerous repercussions.
5 Days Of War (5.6)
Events in 5 Days Of War kick off during the Iraq War. In it, an American journalist's life is saved by a group of Georgian soldiers. Unfortunately, his colleague gets killed. A year later, he goes to Georgia to follow a developing story. This time, he faces more hell than he did the first time.
The journalist together with a cameraman and a local woman end up getting caught being enemy lines during the 5-day battle between Russian forces and the Georgian Republic forces in 2008. The movie which is directed by Renny Harlin is as action-packed as movies like this get.
There Be Dragons (5.8)
There Be Dragons covers the story of Opus Dei founder, St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer as well as The Spanish War. It follows a young London journalist who goes on a mission in Spain to uncover his father's relationship with the religious leader. This leads him to discover dark secrets about his family.
He finds out that his father was a childhood friend of St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer but fails to understand why he ended up getting involved with the war instead of embracing religion like Escriva. He also discovers that his father was obsessed with the gorgeous Hungarian revolutionary Ildiko but she ended up rejecting him.
Coriolanus (6.1)
With a star-studded cast that includes Gerard Butler and Tom Hiddleston, Coriolanus is a Shakespeare play adaptation with a modern setting. It received wide praise from critics, managing a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Ralph Fiennes who was both the director and lead received a BAFTA Award nomination for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.
In the movie, Roman general Caius Martius 'Coriolanus' (Fiennes) is being blamed by the citizens for a food shortage caused by the war with the Volsci tribe. His mother Volumnia (Vanessa Redgrave) is pushing him to vie for the position of Consul, so he tries his best to please the masses in order to get their votes. However, things spiral out of control in a manner he never imagined.
Special Forces (6.3)
The French film which is also known as Forces Spéciales starts slow but it grows compelling with every single minute. It follows a French investigative journalist named Elsa who goes to Afghanistan to uncover the story of a woman who was purchased as part of a human trafficking ring.
However, Elsa ends up getting abducted by Taliban leader Ahmed Zaief and in usual movie fashion, he tries to coerce them into reading a televised message to the west. Shortly after, the French government sends a team of Special Forces personnel to rescue the journalist. However, they lose their radios and are forced to flee without communication with the Taliban in hot pursuit.
War Horse (7.2)
Directed by Steven Speilberg, War Horse begins by showcasing the strong bond between a young man called Albert and a horse named Joey. However, the two are parted and the horse goes on to be used in the war in different regions thus having experiences with German soldiers and the British cavalry. World War I is thus experienced through the horse's journey.
War Horse was nominated for six Oscars including Best Picture and Best Cinematography. It also received two Golden Globe nominations as well as five BAFTAs. At the time of its release, it set a record as the highest-grossing World War I film of all time.
The Flowers Of War (7.6)
Starring Christian Bale, The Flowers Of War is about the horrors witnessed during the Sino-Japanese war. The move takes place in 1937 and follows a mortician named John Miller who goes to a convent in the city of Nanjing to bury a dead priest. He finds only female students present but a group of prostitutes later arrive, seeking refuge.
The following day, members of the Japanese military break in and attempt to sexually assault the girls. John who is now pretending to be a priest tries to stop them but he isn't successful. He thus faces a dilemma on whether to flee or whether to stay and defend the girls.