While war movies are often popular with critics and audiences alike, some remain underappreciated.

War provides the backdrop for dramatic and poignant storytelling.

There are many war movies, however, that remain underrated even though they contain particularly notable performances.

Tigerland

Image via 20th Century Studios

These characters elevate their respective stories.

The fact that these ordinary men question themselves at length makes their characters easier to understand.

This movie represents the moral crisis that Britain found itself facing during World War II in particular.

Erich von Stroheim and Pierre Fresnay in The Grand Illusion

Image via Réalisation d’Art Cinématographique

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he is separated from his family when their city is evacuated.

The movie provides a unique perspective on war by showing the chaos through a child’s eyes.

The movie presents a highly vulnerable character who has to face impossible odds to survive.

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The movie starsMark Leeas Archy Hamilton, andMel Gibsonas Frank Dunne.

The performances inThe Big Red Oneare notable because they are so unvarnished.

Each character featured in this movie has deeply human reactions when being confronted with the horrors of war.

Clive Candy looking intently in ‘The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp’

Image via General Film Distributors

Together, this ensemble emphasizes the comraderie that develops among those who experience war together.

The movie follows people living under Nazi occupation in Rome during World War II.

This cast showcases characters who find themselves caught in the path of someone abusing their power.

Jim (Christian Bale) sees the flash of the Nagasaki bombing in ‘Empire of the Sun’ (1987)

Image via Warner Bros.

This grittiness makesThe Battle of Algiersall the more poignant.

The movie is a timeless reflection on what Algerian’s fight for independence entailed.

As a U.S. Marine, Swofford was deployed to Saudi Arabia.

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The movie follows Swofford’s experiences in the Middle East.

Specifically,Jarheadfocuses on Swofford’s perspective on the ridiculous nature of war.

Throughout the movie, Swofford is confronted with the fact that war has a devastating effect on mental health.

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The movie follows Roland through training camp in preparation for deployment to Vietnam.

The movie focuses on Roland’s conflict in preparing to fight a war he doesn’t agree with.

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Two young sprinters who enlist in the army

Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

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Mark Hamil as Private Griff and Lee Marvin The Sargent peaking out from cover in The Big Red One

Image via United Artists

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Woman (Anna Magnani) and soldier in Rome, Open City 1945

Image via Minerva Film

Kirk Douglas holding a gun and blowing a whistle on a poster for Paths of Glory (1958)

Image via United Artists

Fighting scene in The Battle of Algiers (1966)

Image via Allied Artists

Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard in ‘Jarhead’

Image via Universal Pictures

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Colin Farrell in Tigerland

Image via New Regency Productions

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Movie

Paths of Glory