World War II backdrop

World War II movies

Global war stories: resistance, intelligence missions, major campaigns, and the moral extremes of total war.

Overlord

1. Overlord

Horror War Science Fiction Monster Horror World War II
6.6
20181h 50min

Overview

France, June 1944. On the eve of D-Day, some American paratroopers fall behind enemy lines after their aircraft crashes while on a mission to destroy a radio tower in a small village near the beaches of Normandy. After reaching their target, the surviving paratroopers realise that, in addition to fighting the Nazi troops that patrol the village, they also must fight against something else.

Themes

Deception and coercion, Survival under occupation, Ethical costs of experimentation, Science as weapon, Mutant power consequences, Desegregation under fire

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Where Hands Touch

2. Where Hands Touch

War Drama Romance World War II Historical Drama
6.6
20182h 2min

Overview

Germany, 1944. Leyna, the 15-year old daughter of a white German mother and a black African father, meets Lutz, a compassionate member of the Hitler Youth whose father is a prominent Nazi soldier, and they form an unlikely connection in this quickly changing world.

Themes

Family loyalty under pressure, Coming of age, Jew persecution, Interracial romance, State sanctioned racism, Displacement and motherhood

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Catcher Was a Spy

3. The Catcher Was a Spy

Drama War Thriller History Historical Drama
6.3
20181h 34min

Overview

Former major league baseball player Moe Berg lives a double life working for the Office of Strategic Services in World War II Europe.

Themes

Duty versus personal life, Dual life under pressure, Spy ethics under pressure, Espionage tension and risk, Race against science, Hidden loyalties and deception

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Resistance Banker

4. The Resistance Banker

War Drama World War II Historical Drama
6.9
20182h 4min

Overview

In the occupied Netherlands during World War II, banker Walraven van Hall is asked to use his financial contacts to help the Dutch resistance. With his brother Gijs, he comes up with a risky plan to take out huge loans and use the money to finance the Resistance.

Themes

Illicit finance networks, Deception through forged assets, Resistance funding under occupation, Coercion and survival under oppression, Conflicting loyalties and betrayals, State power versus clandestine finance

Available on

Netflix
Kanopy
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The 12th Man

5. The 12th Man

War Drama World War II Historical Drama
7.3
20172h 16min

Overview

After a failed anti-Nazi sabotage mission leaves his eleven comrades dead, a Norwegian resistance fighter finds himself fleeing the Gestapo through the snowbound reaches of Scandinavia.

Themes

Survival under pressure, War resilience under occupation, Deception under occupation, Collective loyalty under duress, Aid under risk

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Unknown Soldier

6. Unknown Soldier

War Drama World War II Historical Drama
7.7
20172h 59min

Overview

The film follows Finnish army machine gun company in Continuation War against Soviet Union, 1941–1944. Based on Väinö Linna's best selling novel Tuntematon Sotilas (The Unknown Soldier) and the novel's uncensored version, Sotaromaani (A War Novel).

Themes

Frontline resilience under siege, Casualties and reinforcements, Trench warfare endurance, Duty under relentless pressure, Civilian interactions in occupied spaces, Defense strategies at river crossings

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Battleship Island

7. The Battleship Island

Action History Drama War Historical Event
7.1
20172h 12min

Overview

During the Japanese colonial era, roughly 400 Korean people, who were forced onto Battleship Island 'Hashima Island' to mine for coal, attempt to escape.

Themes

Survival under coercion, Collective resilience, Coercive control, Colonial oppression, Forced labor, Labor as resistance

Available on

Amazon Video
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Dunkirk

8. Dunkirk

War Action Drama World War II Military Action
7.8
20171h 47min

Overview

The story of the miraculous evacuation of Allied soldiers from Belgium, Britain, Canada and France, who were cut off and surrounded by the German army from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk between May 26th and June 4th 1940 during World War II.

Themes

Air-sea coordination under limits, Duty vs survival under siege, Evacuation under fire, Identity and deception, Civilian vessels in war, Hope amid grim odds

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Exception

9. The Exception

War Drama Romance World War II Historical Drama
6.8
20171h 47min

Overview

Nothing is as it seems in this riveting World War 2 thriller as a wary soldier goes to investigate a mysterious German monarch at his secluded mansion, leading him into a web of deceit and a dangerous love affair with a local Jewish woman.

Themes

Loyalty vs duty, Forbidden romance, Deception under pressure, Political manipulation, Secrecy and exposure, Legitimacy of rule

Available on

Apple TV
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Man with the Iron Heart

10. The Man with the Iron Heart

War Action History Thriller World War II
6.4
20172h

Overview

With the Third Reich at its peak in 1942, the Czech resistance in London plans the most ambitious military operation of WWII – Anthropoid. Two young recruits are sent to Prague to assassinate the most ruthless Nazi leader – Reinhard Heydrich, head of the Reich Security Main Office, the Gestapo and the architect of the Final Solution.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Deception as strategy, Resistance under occupation, Coercion through information, Collective action under risk, Elite control and risk

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.