This has been quite a difficult list to make because there are so many brilliant battle scenes around. Despite that, I have managed to cull the list down to the 10 best. If you think I have left a great scene off the list – be sure to add it to the comments (preferably with a link to YouTube so everyone can watch). From good to great, here are the top 10 battle scenes in movies.
10. Gladiator Battle in Germania
Classical chaos in the thrilling Germania opening battle, as the Romans pitch a mudfight against hairy, scary forest-dwelling barbarians. Russell Crowe single-handedly revived epic sword-and-sandal films; thousands of movie extras cheered, then were digitally replaced.
9. Ran Attack on Hidetora’s Castle
This scene is probably the greatest scene filmed by Japanese filmmaker, Akira Kurosawa. Ran was Kurosawa’s last great epic. With a budget of $12 million, it was the most expensive Japanese film ever produced. The film was hailed for its powerful images and use of color – costume designer Emi Wada won an Academy Award for Costume Design for her work on Ran. The distinctive Gustav Mahler-inspired film score, written by Toru Takemitsu, plays in isolation with ambient sound muted (most notably during the battle at the third castle).
8. Tora! Tora! Tora! Attack on Pearl Harbour
There are two good films about Pearl Harbor. If “From Here to Eternity” dealt brilliantly with the human drama of the event, “Tora! Tora! Tora!” captures the sheer audacity of the Japanese aerial raid on the naval base. Massively expensive for its time (it cost an estimated $25 million) and featuring three directors, one American and two Japanese, this is truly filmmaking on an epic scale.
7. Braveheart Battle of Stirling
“They may take our lives, but they will never take our FREEDOM!” Woaded-up Mel Gibson plays Scottish rebel William Wallace and tries nobly to overthrow the beastly English. His victory at the Battle of Stirling is scarcely a model of historical accuracy, but tremendous fun nonetheless and, if there were one, Gibson’s rousing taunts would have won him the Oscar for best battlefield banter.
6. The Two Towers Helm’s Deep
The battle of Helms Deep begins, and the Elves manage to hold the Uruk-hai at the wall, but it is blown up and many are killed during the ensuing attack through the breach. The Uruk-hai also manage to break the Gate despite Aragorn and Gimli’s best efforts, and they fall back to the Keep.
5. Henry V The Battle of Agincourt
Before the Battle of Agincourt, victory looks uncertain, and the young king’s heroic character is shown by his decision to wander around the English camp at night, in disguise, so as to comfort his soldiers and find out what they really think of him. Before the battle begins, Henry rallies his troops with his famous speech: “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile [...]“.
4. A Bridge Too Far Parachute Drop
Thousands of doomed Allied troops are dispatched behind enemy lines in an awe-inspiring parachute drop, followed by the climactic tank and infantry battle over the bridge at Arnhem. Richard Attenborough’s cast is stellar (including Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier, Sean Connery, Dirk Bogarde, Ryan O’Neal and Robert Redford) and his pre-CGI achievement staggering.
3. Glory The Storming of Fort Wagner
Glory is a 1989 Academy Award-winning drama based on the history of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment during the American Civil War. The Battle of Fort Wagner, Morris Island, was the Union attack on July 18, 1863, led by the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, one of the first major American military units made up of black soldiers. Colonel Robert Gould Shaw led the 54th Regiment on foot while they charged and was killed in the assault.
2. 300 The Battle of Thermopylae
In the Battle of Thermopylae of 480 BC, an alliance of Greek city-states fought the invading Persian Empire at the pass of Thermopylae in central Greece. Vastly outnumbered, the Greeks held back the Persians for three days in one of history’s most famous last stands. A small force led by King Leonidas of Sparta blocked the only road through which the massive army of Xerxes I of Persia (Xerxes the Great) could pass.
1. Saving Private Ryan Omaha Beach Landing
The graphic depiction of the Omaha beach D-Day landing shocked audiences and even induced flashbacks in Normandy veterans. The shaky, hand held cameras, the desaturated color and the unflinching portrayal of the near-suicidal assault all add up to a sickening sense of realism that remains unmatched in war films.
Notable Omissions: Battle of Rourke’s Drift from Zulu, Enemy at the Gates
If anyone can give me a better video clip for Braveheart, let me know please
Cool list, but surely this isn’t copyright-kosher.
This list made me mentally compile an interesting list of Great War Movies That Don’t Have A Battle Scene Worthy Of This List. I’m particularly surprised that I couldn’t think of any from Apocalypse Now or Full Metal Jacket.
the helicopter attack scene from apocalypse now. robert duvals air calvery unit clears out that viet cong village with napalm and then lands on beach so they can go surfing. "charlie dont surf"
Daniel: I think it is fine because it is only a small snippet from those films. It is interesting that you mention Apocalypse now – I did consider the bombing of the village from the choppers – but I left it off because it isn’t really a battle per se.
I’d give a vote to the Pickett’s charge scene in Gettysburg.
one of my personal fav’s is in The Patriot, where Gibson takes out the patrol of British soldiers. there are alot of good battle scenes in that one.
also ranking up in my fav’s is John Wayne in True Grit where he charges 6 men firing two guns
This scene – http://youtube.com/watch?v=Rq5edjlhcaQ – from Stalingrad definitely could’ve made the list. It’s way better than the one from Braveheart, anyway.
xdarkhor*****
yea, i thought of that scene in The Patriot too.
but Saving Private Ryan’s opening scene deserves the top spot i fully agree, good list.
its the most immitated scene ever ive seen it in games, t.v and described in books
Patrask: thanks for the addition.
JF!! Dude I got a great idea for a list….the greatest car chases in movie history!! I love movies with good ol car chases:)
i completely agree with your #1. the opening scene of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN blew me away.
i’m not sure if the hospital scene in HARDBOILED is technically a battle scene, but it takes the cake for shootouts. its a 40 minute sequence. may be that could be another list.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=4SNmELMoOaQ
Dude i love this list. 300 is one of the best movies EVER! Although I think a great addition to the list would have been Troy.
i think you should make a list of movies that pump you up. im sure alot of these movies would definatley be on there.
awesome list, I absolutely love the saving private ryan scene
Again, well done
one other possible addition-
Seven Samurai- defending the village. Couldn’t find a clip on youtube.
#2 should’ve been number one man, that movie was awesome!!
Hate to say it, but I actually didnt like the scene from 300 as much. It was good in its on aspect, but here im not so sure. Maybe a scene from Alexander could have been number 8 or so and bumped the rest up, but thats just my opinion. The rest are great
The battle at Cassino (the French port town) in The Longest Day, while maybe not one of the greatest “battle scenes” is amazing for the long, single take/shot.
Really really glad to see that you included the battle for Helm’s Deep. SO amazing. (Huge LOTR fan here…) But I haven’t seen a lot of the other movies on the list…so I can’t really comment on the placing, but also props for 300.
A notable omission in my opinion was The Last of the Mohicans. In particular, the scene in which Hawkeye, his brother, and his father, race through the woods weapons in hand, taking down Magua and his crew one by one. The music, which is currently featured in an NFL ad with Stephen Jackson and Shawne Merriman, is especially moving.
I couldn’t find the whole scene, but I found a montage of the film’s greater scenes with the music playing over.
Definitely agree with your #1. Depending on your definition of battle, how about the chariot sequence from Ben-Hur?
Platoon & The Mission, are missed on the list…
im so glad glory finally made a main list the last 20-25 minutes of that movie are amazing and the end always makes me cry.
great list
Thanks for the comments and suggestions – there is not a single film that has been mentioned here that doesn’t deserve a mention. Maybe this can spawn a new list based on the genre of these types of movies rather than battles specifically.
I’m a pacifist who sometimes forgets that, since I’m just as susceptible to a rousing battle scene as the next person. Not to put a damper on the fun, but in real life, people die and they aren’t extras who will go home with a t-shirt saying ‘I survived the Battle of Helm’s Deep.’ *another LOTR fan*
I guess what I’m trying to say – it’s way too late to be trying to think – is that I always take battle scenes and rousing speeches with a grain of salt. Man has been making war for millenia and it hasn’t changed anything. Geographically speaking, the Battle of Thermopylae took place not so far away from the desert of current-day Iraq.
I would like to offer up the opening battle from Cold Mountain as one of the best. The entire shootin-Yankees-in-a-barrel was intense, war-whoops and all.
The beach landing from Saving Private Ryan definitely deserves #1, unfortunately though It’s impossible to capture the scope of the scene on the website. I remember seeing it in theaters and being blown away.
This is a great list! I definitely agree with most of the battles, especially Saving Private Ryan and Braveheart.
a good scene is in Enemy at the Gates, when they’re crossing the river on the boats and then must storm the hillside under fire.
first 30 minutes of saving private ryan – most riveting half hour in film history!
Juan: That whole film is great – it is a shame that it never became as popular as other similar ones.
2overpar: yeah – it is pretty brilliant. There was no doubt it had to be number 1.
I don’t have a link but I think the Battle of Pellenor Fields from RotK deserves to be on here
Boron: I was torn about adding that one so I left it off. It was pretty damned good though.
this is a great list but i think we were soldiers should deffenatly be on this list if not close to the top
thats pretty good.. but what about enemy at teh gates? Full of violent good scenes. Or how could they leave out the final battle scene in LOTR return of the king? It was amazing. That was probably the only one missing from this.
ya i agree. Troy definitly should have been on there.
Where the ***** is the fight from We Were Soldiers? Granted, it was pretty much the whole movie, but I’d rank it right up there with Saving Private Ryan, and it tugs just as hard on the heartstrings.
what about the last day of the battle in the movie hamburger hill? that was a pretty good battle scene
How could you possibly not include the Ride of the valkries invasion from apocalypse now?? And also what about the gunfight from Heat? The Apocalypse now battle should be rated over and CGI movie, this scene was revolutionary in film and simply breathtaking.
derek: Ride of the Valkyries was left off because it is less a battle than a one sided attack on a village. I agree it is a great scene though.
This is a very nice list…pretty much the last 20 minutes of Last of the Mohicans would have made my list…Also, it’s a mini-series, not a movie, but Band of Brothers, which was produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Speilberg is probably my favorite war epic ever. If you haven’t seen it…check it out.
Oh, I forgot…I am not a Tom Cruise fan, but the last battle in The Last Samurai is quality…
Sorry…stuff just keeps popping in my head. The Last Castle could be one of the greatest sleeper movies ever, and the battle between the inmates and the guards in the end is incredible!
One of my favourite battle scenes is in ‘Children of Men’.
What sort of list is this that leaves out the fantastic battle scene between Arthur and his knights and the French in ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’. I’m shocked, simply shocked.
Barb: A good one nevertheless?
Yes, jf, a good one nevertheless. All is forgiven.
Barb:
I can’t believe nobody else mentioned this, but what about either the battle of hoth or the space battle over endor or even the battle over the deathstar in ep. 4?
I’m not sure if anyone’s mentioned this yet, but I get pretty sucked into some of those Star Wars battles. Darth Maul or general grievous or something along those lines comes to mind.
O sorry didn’t see gmoney. (props!)
i think the “Rome” episode depicting the Battle of Philippi sholud make the list.
that is if series are included too, of course
Anda: I didn’t include series – but thanks for mentioning it anyway – I have actually yet to see the series.
-maby the scene in kill bill v1 when the bride kills all/most off the crazy 88 i think thats a battle…
Im glad you left out Troy that movie sucked (in my opinion)
Does Sci-Fi not get included in this? I some of the Star Wars ones should be in it. XD I don’t know if it’s just me, but that scene from Saving Private Ryan just made me really dizzy. Heh.
X-Men 2′s Nightcrawler opening sequence is one of my favs.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=qJHnQFcR1_E
While 300 was a very awesome movie. The fight scene great but not #2 great. There are some better fight scenes out there and in that list.
No Ong Bak. And sadly no Mention about any of the fight scenes from any of The Matrix movies.
Thats makes me a sad Panda. =’(
Maybe another top 10 list!
Since there are so many good fights.
Maverick22: there will definitely be another list – I did consider adding the matrix – so consider it 11 – until there is a second list
When I first saw both “Gladiator” and “Braveheart”, I kept thinking of “Spartacus”. Long before mechanical horses (“Braveheart”) and CGI (“Gladiator”) there was “Spartacus”!
Some movies with great battle scenes:
BAND OF BROTHERS
BRAVO TWO ZERO
THE CRIMSON PIRATE
BEN HUR
SHARPE’S WATERLOO
BARRY LYNDON
THE PATRIOT
LITTLE BIG MAN
ENEMY AT THE GATES
3. Gladiator
2. The Patriot
1. The Last Samurai
What about the alice from resident evil vs. nemesis
and when she kicks all the black-helmeted guys asses! ohh ohh and the battle scene from children of men,when theyre battling with the tanks
Helms Deep HAS to be number one! Come on!!