This is the day that changed the world... When history held its breath.

Starring: John Wayne, Robert Ryan, Robert Mitchum, Richard Burton, Henry Fonda, Eddie Albert, Jeff Hunter, Hans Christian Blech, Wolfgang Büttner, Red Buttons, Sean Connery, Ray Dnaton, Irina Demick, Trevor Reid, Peter Lawford, Curd Jürgens, Gert Fröbe, Paul Anka, Mel Ferrer, Richard Todd, Rod Steiger, Stuart Whitman

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"This is history. We are living an historical moment. We are going to lose the war because our glorious Führer has taken a sleeping pill and is not to be awakened. Sometimes I wonder which side God is on." - Maj. Gen. Gunther Blumerntritt

Why watch this? This epic event, with 42 top film stars, recounts the Day of Days.

Plot Summary: This film details the events of June 6, 1944, a pivotal moment in World War II known as D-Day. This film portrays the Allied forces' preparations and execution of the massive invasion of German-occupied Normandy, France, emphasizing the various perspectives of Allied and Axis soldiers and commanders involved. Despite significant obstacles, including unfavorable weather and initial German resistance, the Allies ultimately manage to secure a foothold on the Normandy beaches.

Darryl F. Zanuck Productions;
20th Century-Fox

Train them! Excite them! Arm them!...Then turn them loose on the Nazis!

Starring: Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, Donald Sutherland, John Cassavetes, Richard Jaeckel, George Kennedy, Trini Lopez, Ralph Meeker, Robert Ryan, Telly Savalas, Clint Walker, Robert Webber

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"You've seen a general inspecting troops before haven't you? Just walk slow, act dumb and look stupid!" – Maj. John Reisman

Why watch this? This film is for guys, sure, and it even makes a sarcastic statement that is very anti-war and anti-government.

Plot Summary: Major John Reisman is tasked with forming a special unit of twelve convicted American soldiers facing serious sentences, including death row, during World War II. These individuals, known as the "Dirty Dozen," are trained and led on a daring mission behind enemy lines in France, just before the Allied invasion. The objective is to infiltrate and disrupt the German command structure by eliminating high-ranking officers gathered at a French chateau. If successful, they'll have their records cleared.
 

Dad's Preview: In a way, this is the original Suicide Squad (2021), minus Margot Robbie, of course. Present as a mob of Army convicts is an all-star cast, including NFL Running Back, Jim Brown. There is also a ton of bad language, crappy attitudes and war violence. Just what a growing boy needs!

Kenneth Hyman Prod.; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

The last desperate fight that changed the course of history.

Starring: Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw, Robert Ryan, Dana Andrews, George Montgomery, Charles Bronson, Telly Savalas

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"There are many kinds of victory. For the German Army to survive, for us to remain in uniform - that is our victory. Conrad, the world is not going to get rid of us after all." - Col. Hessler

Why watch this? Tank battles during war have intrigued me. This is the best tank film ever!

Plot Summary: This chronicles Nazi Germany's final Western Front counterattack of World War II, set in the winter of 1944, as Allied forces prepare to invade Germany. To prevent this, Hitler orders an all-out offensive to retake French territory and capture the vital port city of Antwerp. The film depicts this conflict from the viewpoints of both an American intelligence officer who tries to warn of the impending German attack and a German Panzer commander leading the offensive.

Cinerama Prod., United States Pics; Warner Bros.

It was the greatest art heist in history

Starring: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, Cate Blanchett

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"If you destroy their history, you destroy their achievements and it's as if they never existed. That's what Hitler wants and that's exactly what we are fighting for." - Frank Stokes

Why watch this? A truly inspirational story about saving Europe's art during WWII.

Plot Summary: A group of unlikely Army representatives in World War II tasked with protecting and recovering stolen art masterpieces from Nazi Germany. This platoon, composed of museum directors, curators, and art historians, navigates dangerous wartime conditions to safeguard Europe's cultural heritage. Their mission becomes a race against time to prevent the destruction of countless works of art and return them to their rightful owners before the war's end.

Columbia Pictures, Fox 2000 Pictures,
Smokehouse Pictures, Studio Babelsberg;
Sony Pictures Releasing

Hilarious, heart-tugging! You'll laugh... you'll cry... you'll cheer William Holden!

Starring: William Holden, Don Taylor, Otto Preminger, Robert Strauss, Peter Graves, Neville Brand, Harvey Lembeck, Richard Erdman, Michael Moore, Sig Ruman, Peter Baldwin

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"The first week I was in this joint, somebody stole my Red Cross package, my blanket, and my left shoe. Well, since then I've wised up. This ain't no Salvation Army - this is everybody for himself, dog eat dog." – J. J. Sefton

Why watch this? ... it's a very good WWII prisoner-of-war film, with lots of cynical comedic moments.

Plot Summary: During Christmas of 1944 at a German POW camp, American airmen in Barracks 4 suspect that one of their fellow prisoners is a Nazi informant after two escape attempts fail and result in deaths. The men’s suspicions are focused on Sgt. Sefton, a resourceful and cynical prisoner who engages in black market dealings and openly trades with the German guards. Sefton denies being the informant and resolves to find the real traitor.
 

Dad's Preview: This dark comedy dances the fine line between a rip-roaring comedy, and the fact that it depicts life in a Nazi-run prison camp. It is a miserable place to be, and nobody in the gulag can be trusted. In fact, there is a traitor among the captives. The film was a smashing success upon its release and William Holden won the Best Actor Oscar that year for his role as the shifty, wise-cracking J. J. Sefton.

Billy Wilder; Paramount Pictures

The boldest book of our time... Honestly, fearlessly on the screen!

Starring: Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra, Philip Ober, Mickey Shaughnessy, Harry Bellaver, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Warden

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"That's what I like about you, Sergeant: you have confidence. It's also what I dislike about you." – Karen Holmes to Sgt. Warren

Why watch this? It's an inside look at 1940's Army life, ugly warts and all.

Plot Summary: This critically successful film follows an Army regiment at Pearl Harbor a few weeks before the attack. A new soldier joins them, and immediately is pressed to join their boxing club. He refuses for personal reasons, and this makes his life a living hell. However, his sergeant, Warden, begins to respect the lad. Sgt. Warden himself is having an affair with this commanding officer's wife.

Bud Adler; Columbia Pictures

Hell was an ocean away.

Starring: James Badge Dale, Joseph Mazzello, Jon Seda, Jon Berethal, Rami Malek, Ashton Holmes, Josh Helman, Martin McCann, Kkeith Nobbs, Toby Leondard Moore, Jacob Pitts, William Sadler

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Well, the Marine Corp. taught me how to kill Japs. And I got really good at it." - Cpl. Eugene Sledge, when asked by a job interviewer what skills he had learned in the Marines

Why watch this? Axs".

Plot Summary: This 10-part miniseries follows the intense, interconnected experiences of three U.S. Marines across the brutal Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II. Based on true stories, the narrative tracks their journeys from the initial battles on Guadalcanal through key, violent campaigns on islands like Peleliu and Okinawa. It highlights the intense physical and psychological toll of combat and survival, exploring the profound impact of war on these men's lives.

Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman,
HBO Entertainment, DreamWorks Television,
Playtone; HBO

April 1945, a nation awaits its... downfall

Starring: Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Ulrich Matthes, Corinna Harfouch, Juliane Köhler, Heino Ferch, Christian Berkel, Matthias Habich, Thomas Kretschmann, Michael Mendl

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Who do you think you are to dare disobey an order I give? So this is what it has come to! The military has been lying to me. Everybody has been lying to me, even the SS! Our generals are just a bunch of contemptible, disloyal cowards" - Adolf Hitler

Why watch this? This is an excellent deep-dive into Adolph Hitler.

Plot Summary: This story depicts the final, frantic days of the Third Reich from inside Adolf Hitler's Berlin bunker in April 1945 as Soviet forces close in. Told partly through the eyes of his secretary, Traudl Junge, the film portrays a delusional Hitler commanding non-existent armies while his inner circle begins to unravel.

Bernd Eichinger; Constantin Film,
Momentum Pictures

The great adventure! The great entertainment!

Starring: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, James Donald, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, David McCallum

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Are all American officers so ill-mannered?" - Von Luger

Why watch this? A great WWII POW film with an all-star cast.

Plot Summary: A group of Allied prisoners of war, considered notorious escape risks, are all transferred to a high-security German POW camp during World War II. Despite the camp being supposedly escape-proof, the prisoners, representing various Allied nations, collaborate on an ambitious plan to engineer a mass breakout through a series of expertly disguised tunnels.

The Mirisch Company; United Artists

It belongs on any list of the greatest war films ever made - Roger Ebert

Starring: (the voice talents of:) Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Akemi Yamaguchi, Yoshiko Shinohara, Kôzô Hashida, Masayo Sakai, Kazumi Nozaki, Yoshio Matsuoka, Masahiro Kanetake, Kiyoshi Yanagawa

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Why do fireflies have to die so soon?" - Setsuko

Why watch this? War is hell on soldiers, but it's also hell on the civilians that live beneath falling bombs.

Plot Summary: During the final months of World War II in Japan, teenage Seita and his young sister Setsuko are orphaned after an American firebombing destroys their home and separates them from their parents. The two children must rely completely on one another for survival, struggling to find food and shelter in the war-torn countryside after a falling out with their unsympathetic aunt. Their story is a heartbreaking tale of the devastating impact of war on innocent civilians and the profound strength of their sibling bond amidst unimaginable hardship.

Studio Ghibli; Toho

Music was his passion. Survival was his masterpiece.

Starring: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finley, Maureen Lipman, Emilia Fox, Ed Stoppard, Julia Rayner, Jessica Kate Meyer, Ronan Vibert, Ruth Platt, Andrew Tiernan, Michal Zebrowski, Richard Ridings

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"They're exterminating us. It won't take them long. We are 60 thousand left, out of half a million. Mostly young people." - Majorek

Why watch this? This is a superb telling of survival within Poland during WWII.

Plot Summary: Based on the autobiography of Władysław Szpilman, the film follows a renowned Polish-Jewish classical pianist struggling to survive as the Nazis occupy Warsaw and enforce brutal persecution. After being separated from his family during the liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto, he endures years of starvation and hiding, relying on the help of non-Jewish allies and the Polish resistance. Amidst the destruction of the city, he finds a unlikely glimmer of hope through the compassion of a music-loving German officer.

Canal+, Studio Babelsberg,
SudioCanal; BAC Films

They had a date with fate in Casablanca!

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"You know, Rick, I have many a friend in Casablanca, but somehow, just because you despise me, you are the only one I trust." - Ugarte

Why watch this? This is film noir's holy grail. It has all the classic elements.

Plot Summary: Rick Blaine is an expatriate running a seedy bar in Casablanca. In walks Ilsa Lund, an old love, who is now married to Victor Laszlo, a secret Czech resistance leader trying to escape the city. The love triangle heats up as Ilsa clearly still has feelings for Rick. However, World War II is also heating up, and although Rick claims to be neutral, he certainly has no love for the Germans.

Hal B. Wallis; Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.

The towering triumph of adventure from the makers of "Lawrence of Arabia."

Starring: William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa, James Donald, Andre Morell, Geoffrey Horne

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"Must we work so well? Must we build them a better bridge than they could have built for themselves?" - Major Clipton

Why watch this? This epic WWII film shows the madness war can infect men held in brutal war camps.

Plot Summary: British prisoners of war are forced to build a railway bridge in Burma for their Japanese captors during World War II. A battle of wills emerges between the British Colonel Nicholson and the Japanese commander Colonel Saito over the treatment of officers. An allied mission aims to destroy the bridge, creating a conflict between the objective of the mission and Colonel's drive to finish the bridge.

Horizon Pictures; Columbia Pictures

A Salute to a Rebel

Starring: George C. Scott, Karl Malden, David Bauer, Edward Binns, John Doucette, Michael Strong

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." - General Patton

Why watch this? This is the role George C. Scott was destined to play.

Plot Summary: This war film chronicles the World War II career of the controversial American General George S. Patton, beginning with his command in North Africa after a devastating defeat. The film follows his leadership across key campaigns, including the Allied invasion of Sicily and the Battle of the Bulge. Throughout, it explores his complex personality, highlighting both his brilliant military strategy and his outspoken nature and difficult relationships with superiors and subordinates.

Frank McCarthy; 20th Century Fox

In Her Arms . . . He Felt A Quiet Peace No Terror Could Disturb.

Starring: Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Teresa Wright, May Whitty, Reginald Owen, Henry Travers, Richard Ney, Henry Wilcoxon, Christopher Severn, Brenda Forbes, Clare Sandars, Rhys Williams

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"I know how comfortable it is to curl up with a nice, fat book full of big words and think you're going to solve all the problems in the universe. But you're not, you know. A bit of action is required every now and then." - Carol Beldon, to Vin Miniver

Why watch this? Say what you want about the British, but you can't call them cowards.

Plot Summary: Set in a quiet English village, the story follows the comfortable life of Kay Miniver, a middle-class wife and mother, as it is completely upended by the outbreak of World War II. Kay struggles to maintain a sense of normalcy, grace, and community solidarity while the war moves closer through air raids, the departure of her husband for Dunkirk, and her son joining the RAF.

Sidney Franklin, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer;
Loew's Inc.

Once in a generation...a motion picture explodes into greatness!

Starring: Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Maximilian Schell, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"Those people, those millions of people...I never knew it would come to that. YOU must believe it, you MUST believe it." – Ernst Janning

"Herr Janning, it came to that the first time you sentenced a man to death you knew to be innocent." - Judge Dan Haywood, responding to Janning

Why watch this? Its historical significance. War criminals must face judgment.

Plot Summary: An American military tribunal convenes in post-WWII Nuremberg, Germany, to try four German judges accused of crimes against humanity under the Nazi regime. The proceedings delve into the extent of individual and collective responsibility for Nazi atrocities, examining whether the judges were simply following orders or willingly participating in a corrupt legal system. Presiding Judge Dan Haywood faces moral and political pressure as he navigates the complex issues of justice, truth, and the value of a single human life amidst a tense international backdrop including the onset of the Cold War.
 

Dad's Preview: This is the trial of the key German scientists and officers who oversaw the prison camps and atrocities that would become known as The Holocaust. It's important to see and absorb. This is a film about historical record. It happened. Don't let anyone tell you different. This all-star cast, and Kramer's stern direction, puts forth an amazing, yet understandably disturbing film. While Tracy, Widmark and Lancaster deliver memorable performances, its Maximilian Schell, as the German defense attorney, who captivates us - he's relentless as a man defending the indefensible.

Roxlom Films, Amber Entertainment;
United Artists

Stripped of everything - they lived and loved and fought as if there were no tomorrow...

Starring: John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Henry Fonda, Burgess Meredith, Patricia Neal, Brandon DeWilde, Dana Andrews, Tom Tyron, Paula Prentiss, Jill Haworth, Stanley Holloway, Franchot Tone, Patrick O'Neal, Carroll O'Connor, Henry Fonda

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 100 #96 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of In Harm's Way

"Old Rock of Ages, we've got ourselves another war. A gut bustin', mother-lovin' Navy war." - Cmdr. Paul Eddington, after the attack on Pearl Harbor

Why watch this? One of the best films ever about the US Navy.

Plot Summary: During the immediate aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor, U.S. Navy Captain Rockwell "Rock" Torrey finds himself reassigned to a desk job following a controversial decision in battle. While adjusting to this new role, he begins a romance with nurse Maggie Haynes and attempts to reconnect with his estranged son, Jere, who is also serving in the Navy. As the war intensifies in the Pacific, Rock is given a chance at redemption when he is tasked with leading a crucial and dangerous mission against the Japanese forces.
 

Dad's Preview: This film is not a typical Wayne war movie. It focuses on the effect war has on the men and women embroiled within it. It paints a realistic picture of the lives of Navy personnel. Wayne's Rock Torrey can command a ship, but his marriage failed and his own son hates him. Kirk Douglas' Paul Eddington knows how to get things done, but he is hiding a violent temper beneath his easy-going persona. We also see the savagery of Naval sea battles, where ships fire huge shells at one another, causing incredible damage and mutilate the sailors on board.

Otto Preminger; Paramount Pictures

Ordinary men. Extraordinary times.

Starring: Damien Lewis, Ron Livingston, Dale Dye, Scott Grimes, Neal McDonough, Donnie Wahlberg, David Schwimmer, Kirk Acevedo, Michael Cudlitz, Rick Gomez, Frank John Hughes, Matthew Settle, Rick Warren

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"The only hope you have is to accept the fact that you're already dead. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to function as a soldier is supposed to function: without mercy, without compassion, without remorse. All war depends upon it." – Lt. Speers to a very nervous Pvt. Blithe

Why watch this? This encapsulates WWII in an enthralling, intense, realistic package.

Plot Summary: The story follows Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, from their training in the United States to the end of World War II in Europe. The series chronicles their experiences through significant battles like D-Day, Operation Market Garden, and the Battle of the Bulge, highlighting their courage, sacrifice, and the bonds of brotherhood forged in combat.

Playtone, Dreamworks Television;
HBO Entertainment

The list is life. The man was real. The story is true.

Starring: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall, Jonathan Sagallie, Embeth Davidtz, Mark Ivanir, Beatrice Macola

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 50 #25 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of Schindler's List

"They came with nothing. Nothing. And they flourished. For six centuries there has been a Jewish Krakow. Think about that. By this evening those six centuries are a rumor. They never happened. Today is history." – SS 2nd LT Amon Göth

Why watch this? ... to remember, and not let it happen again - EVER on this Earth.

Plot Summary: During World War II in German-occupied Poland, a German industrialist named Oskar Schindler arrives in Kraków seeking to make his fortune amidst the war's chaos. Initially driven by profit, he establishes a factory employing Jewish workers, seeing them as a source of cheap labor. As the Nazi regime intensifies its persecution of Jews, Schindler is confronted with the atrocities of the Holocaust and undergoes a profound moral transformation.

Amblin Entertainment; Universal Pictures

The Most Honored Picture In History!

Starring: Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Harold Russell, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo, Cathy O'Donnell, Hoagy Carmichael

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 50 #23 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of The Best Years of our Lives

"I was burned. When I came to, I was on a cruiser. My hands were off. After that, I had it easy..." - Petty Officer 2C Homer Parish

Why watch this? Civilians need to see this to better understand our armed service veterans.

Plot Summary: Set in the aftermath of World War II, this story follows three servicemen returning to their small Midwestern town. Each man faces unique challenges readjusting to civilian life, including joblessness, changing family dynamics, and physical disability. The ex-servicemen must face the emotional and practical difficulties of transitioning back into society and navigate their new realities.

Samuel Goldwyn Prod.; RKO Radio Pictures

the mission is a man.

Starring: Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, Giovanni Ribisi, Matt Damon, Vin Diesel, Adam Goldberg, Barry Pepper, Dennis Farina

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 50 #3 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of Saving Private Ryan

"The boy's alive, and we are going to send somebody to find him, and we are going to get him the hell out of there." - Gen. George C. Marshall

Why watch this? This film honestly illustrates what many infantry soldiers went through during WWII.

Plot Summary: A squad of US soldiers during World War II, led by Captain John Miller, survive the D-Day invation. They get a new assignment to venture behind enemy lines in German-occupied France to locate Private James Ryan and bring him home safely. This extraordinary assignment is sparked by the tragic news that Ryan's three brothers have already been killed in action, and the government hopes to spare his family from further loss. As the soldiers confront the brutal realities of war, the film explores the moral dilemmas of risking many lives to save one man.

Amblin Ent., Mutual Film Co.; DreamWorks
Pictures, Paramount Pictures