In no way, shape or form is there anything good about war. Lives are lost, innocent people, who don’t have much to gain are killed. From a distance, war may seem necessary or appealing to a certain extent, but when looked at from a closer angle, the experience of war is the equivalent of man’s own version of hell, created by man himself.
Since the invention of filmmaking as a medium, storytellers have used historical conflicts as a foundation to base their stories on. Some war films are re-imaginations of incidents that actually occurred, while others are a figment of the maker’s imagination. Whatever the source of inspiration, the effect and outcome stays the same: war is thrilling to look at on a screen, but traumatic to experience in real life. Here are some of the best characters in war movies, ranked.
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10 Lt. Aldo Raine - Inglourious Basterds (2009)
If only war and fighting were as suave as depicted in Quentin Tarantino’s magnum opus, Inglourious Basterds. The film revolves around a squad of American soldiers led by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt). The mission of the group is simple, kill as many Nazis as you can get your hands on. What makes Lt. Raine standout from hard-boiled military commanders is his embodiment of charm and cruelty in equal measures.
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9 Oskar Schindler - Schindler’s List (1993)
Universal Pictures
As much of the story of Schindler’s List is about the horrors that ensued at the Kraków ghetto, the film is also a case study into the transformation of a man. From exploiter to protector. When the film begins, Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) starts out as a rich Nazi industrialist, leaving no stones unturned to make a profit from the misery of the Jews. As the horrors of the ghetto increase in volume, so does the guilt in Schindler’s conscience. He eventually sees the light and jeopardizes his position to work for the oppressed rather than work against them.
8 Alan Turing - The Imitation Game (2014)
Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) belongs to a list of individuals that played a huge part in shaping the course of history and modern day UK as we know it. A genius by intellectual capacity, a homosexual by orientation, it was Turing’s timely intervention that gave Britain the upper hand in deciphering the “Enigma” code, used by the Germans. The methods used by Turing were of such repute that in today’s time’s they’d be known as computers. Despite his nationwide heroics, in 1952, Turing was prosecuted for homosexuality and died two years later from cyanide poisoning.
7 Farrier - Dunkirk (2017)
Warner Bros. Pictures
Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk is the re-imagination of the battle of Dunkirk, retold with Nolan’s signature style of parallel timelines. The film has many prominent stars, but its Tom Hardy’s Farrier that stands out the most. Farrier, is loosely based on New Zealand’s Spitfire pilot named Al Deere. During the airborne dogfight, Deere’s plane was hit in the cooling system by a Luftwaffe aircraft causing the Deere to crash-land on the water’s edge. This brave feat of Deere’s saved hundreds of men, who, had it not been for him, would have been sitting ducks for the Germans.
6 Florya - Come and See (1985)
Photo Credit - Belarusfilm, Mosfilm
Come and See is one of the most horrifying portrayals of war. The film viscerally documents the of effect war through the eyes of a teenage boy named Florya. As the film begins, young Florya is oblivious to war and the catastrophe it brings with it. With this naive attitude, he enlists himself to join a group of Soviet partisans. As bodies hit the floor and streams of blood flow, young Florya is forced to look death in the eyes.
5 Colonel Walter E. Kurtz - Apocalypse Now (1979)
United Artists
It’s been 18 years since Marlon Brando passed away, but his legacy still lives on. Regarded as one of the most proficient actors, Marlon Brando’s body of work is a spectacle to behold. One of the crown jewels in his body of work is his portrayal of Colonel Walter E. Kurtz. In Apocalypse Now, Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) along with a team of ragtag soldiers are sent deep into Vietnam to bring back former commander Kurtz, who has gone AWOL and is rumored to have assembled his own army of cannibals.
4 Hendrik Hoefgen - Mephisto (1981)
Manfred Durniok Filmproduktion
There are very few characters that have as much range and depth as Hendrik Hoefgen, in Mephisto. The film takes place in Germany during the rise of Nazism, where Hendrik plays the role of a stage actor, a job that’s not considered very ideal by Hendrik’s sponsor: a senior member of the Nazi party. As Heofgen goes through the various trials and tribulations of being an actor, there is no way for the audience to gauge the interworkings of the individual.
3 Hitler - Downfall (2004)
Newmarket Films / Momentum Pictures
Downfall documents Hitler’s last few days before his apparent suicide. As the Soviet forces surround Berlin, Hitler’s most loyal allies abandon him one after the other. Bruno Ganz portrays the German dictator with eerie accuracy, capturing the little nuances of constantly having shaky hands, to bits of spittle protruding from the lips while delivering a motivational speech.
2 Schmel - Boy In The Striped Pyjamas (2008)
Miramax Films
Boy in The Striped Pyjamas is a tale of two friends Bruno and Schmel. While Bruno is the son of an SS officer, Schmel is a Jew living in the concentration camp run by Bruno’s father. As the atrocities mount on the helpless Jews, so does the love and strength of the bond between Bruno and Schmel. From an early age the boys understand the norms of the world they live in, and yet push the boundaries of chance in favor of a shard of hope.
1 Jojo - Jojo Rabbit (2019)
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Jojo, from Jojo Rabbit is the epitome of cuteness. Raised by a single mother, the young boy dreams of joining Hitler’s youth force, and helping out with the war effort. Even in his most hateful moments towards Jews, Jojo’s innocence is always endearing and charming.
