A legendary war movie is airing on TV tonight

In a recent list of the best war films ever, the movie ranked in 12th place.

Also coming from the writer Kevin Jarre (Tombstone), the epic is set during the American Civil War. It follows Col. Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick) as he is offered command of the United States' first all-African-American regiment, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.

"With junior officer Cabot Forbes (Cary Elwes), Shaw puts together a strong and proud unit, including the escaped slave Trip (Denzel Washington) and the wise gravedigger John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman)," the plot synopsis adds.

"At first limited to menial manual tasks, the regiment fights to be placed in the heat of battle."

Lauded for its cinematography, performances and for shining a light on an overlooked aspect of the US Civil War, Glory holds a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score.

The movie was also nominated for five Oscars and won three, with Denzel Washington taking home the Best Supporting Actor award.

In a recently updated list by Ranker of the best war films of all time, Glory placed in the 12th position.

The movie is airing on Film4 tonight at 10.50pm. Glory is also streaming on Prime Video and will be available to watch on Channel 4's website from Wednesday, 8 October.

Here are the other movies airing on TV tonight:

The Mask of Zorro - Legend - 9pm

Antonio Banderas' beloved first outing as the dashing masked vigilante Zorro.

Escape from New York - Legend Xtra - 9pm

Legendary director John Carpenter’s brilliant sci-fi action flick about a near-future where Manhattan in New York has been converted into a maximum security prison to address a 400% increase in crime.

A prisoner (Kurt Russell) must locate and escort the US President (Donald Pleasence) off the dangerous island when his plane crashes there.

65 - Film4 - 9pm

An alien (played by Adam Driver) fights dinosaurs in this action survival flick that one wishes were better.

Speed 2: Cruise Control - ITV4 - 9pm

Animal House - Comedy Central - 10pm

The classic college-set comedy.

The Resident - Legend Xtra - 11pm

In this horror, a woman (two-time Oscar-winner Hilary Swank) comes to suspect she is being stalked after moving into a new Brooklyn loft.

Braven - Legend - 11.40pm

In this well-reviewed action thriller, a logger (Jason Momoa) and his father (Stephen Lang) on a trip to their hunting cabin find themselves fighting for survival when they encounter a gang of ruthless drug traffickers.