20 of the best war movies you can watch at home right now

From multiple Oscar-winners to huge box office behemoths, the very best war movies are available to watch from your couch right now.

There tend to be two different kinds of war movies. Either you've got the War Is Hell kind, which represent the grim and realistic side of war and are usually the ones that end up winning all of the Oscars. And then you've got the other kind, the War Is Hell (But Also The Setting For Some Entertainment), in which the film-makers use the background of some of the worst times in humanity's history in order to poke some fun at the whole situation. For the sake of sticking the genre, we haven't included the likes of Star Wars, or The Lord of the Rings, because we imagine they'll end up on our Best Sci-fi/Fantasy movies lists. Despite those omissions, there's still room for 20 movies about war on our list below; all movies and their available platforms are correct at the time of publication.

1917

6 April, 1917. As a regiment assembles to wage war deep in enemy territory, two soldiers (George McKay, Dean-Charles Chapman) are assigned to race against time and deliver a message that will stop 1,600 men from walking straight into a deadly trap. Available to watch on Prime Video.

APOCALYPSE NOW

A US Army officer (Martin Sheen) serving in Vietnam is tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel (Marlon Brando) who sees himself as a God. Available to watch on  Google Play, Rakuten TV, Microsoft, and Sky Store.

BLACK HAWK DOWN

160 elite US soldiers drop into Somalia to capture two top lieutenants of a renegade warlord and find themselves in a desperate battle with a large force of heavily-armed Somalis. Available to watch on Rakuten TV, Microsoft, Apple TV, Google Play, and Sky Store. Clip via Movieclips

BRAVEHEART

Scottish warrior William Wallace (Mel Gibson) leads his countrymen in a rebellion to free his homeland from the tyranny of King Edward I of England (Patrick McGoohan). Available to watch on Rakuten TV, Microsoft, Apple TV, Google Play, and Sky Store.

THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI

British POWs are forced to build a railway bridge across the river Kwai for their Japanese captors, not knowing that the allied forces are planning to destroy it. Available to watch on NOW TV.

CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR

A drama based on Texas congressman Charlie Wilson's (Tom Hanks) covert dealings in Afghanistan, where his efforts to assist rebels in their war with the Soviets have some unforeseen and long-reaching effects. Available to watch on Prime Video.

DA 5 BLOODS

Four African-American vets battle the forces of man and nature when they return to Vietnam seeking the remains of their fallen squad leader (Chadwick Boseman) and the gold fortune he helped them hide. Available to watch on Netflix

DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB

An insane general triggers a path to nuclear holocaust that a war room full of politicians and generals frantically try to stop. Available to watch on NOW TV.

DUNKIRK

Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire, and France are surrounded by the German Army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II. Available to watch on Google Play, Sky Store, and Microsoft.

FULL METAL JACKET

A pragmatic US Marine (Matthew Modine) observes the dehumanising effects the Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue. Available to watch on NOW TV.

FURY

A grizzled tank commander (Brad Pitt) makes tough decisions as he and his crew fight their way across Germany in April, 1945. Available to watch on Netflix and NOW TV. Clip via Sony Pictures

THE HURT LOCKER

During the Iraq War, a Sergeant (Jeremy Renner) recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work. Available to watch on Netflix and Prime Video.

JOJO RABBIT

A young boy in Hitler's (Taika Waititi) army finds out his mother (Scarlett Johannson) is hiding a Jewish girl in their home. Available to watch on NOW TV.

THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS

Three trappers (including Daniel Day Lewis) protect the daughters of a British Colonel (including Madeleine Stowe) in the midst of the French and Indian War. Available to watch on Netflix.

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA

The story of T.E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole), the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks. Available to watch on NOW TV.

LONE SURVIVOR

Marcus Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg) and his team set out on a mission to capture or kill notorious Taliban leader Ahmad Shah, in late June 2005. Marcus and his team are left to fight for their lives in one of the most valiant efforts of modern warfare. Available to watch on NOW TV.

MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD

During the Napoleonic Wars, a brash British captain (Russell Crowe) pushes his ship and crew to their limits in pursuit of a formidable French war vessel around South America. Available to watch on Rakuten TV, Microsoft, Google Play, Apple TV, Sky Store. Clip via Trailers Playground

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

Following the Normandy Landings, a group of US soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper (Matt Damon) whose brothers have been killed in action. Available to watch on Netflix and NOW TV.

THREE KINGS

In the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War, four soldiers (George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube, Spike Jonze) set out to steal gold that was stolen from Kuwait, but they discover people who desperately need their help. Available to watch on Apple TV, Google Play, Rakuten, and Microsoft.

ZERO DARK THIRTY

A chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L.s Team 6 in May 2011. Available to watch on Prime Video and NOW TV.