Unforgettable ’70s War Films: 5 Classics That Resonate Today

This shift toward a more critical and layered depiction of warfare was undoubtedly influenced by America’s tumultuous involvement in Vietnam, which was broadcast in graphic detail on nightly newscasts. The anti-war sentiment surged during the ’60s and ’70s as many young men rejected participation in a war they found unjust. Those who did return from Vietnam often bore deep physical and psychological scars, questioning the purpose of their sacrifices. Although John Wayne attempted to present his perspective on Vietnam with “The Green Berets,” the era of unexamined glorification of U.S. military campaigns had ended. Here are five impactful war films from the ’70s that continue to resonate, many of which rank among the finest in the genre.

In the throes of World War II, General George S. Patton, portrayed by George C. Scott, is assigned to lead the II Corps in North Africa following their crushing loss at the Battle of Kasserine Pass. As a lifelong military man who fancied himself a reincarnation of historic warriors, General Patton instills discipline, order, and respect for regulations among his troops. His methods draw criticism, notably after he slaps a soldier he accuses of cowardice. Nonetheless, his strategic prowess yields triumphs that help the Allies prevail against Axis forces. Despite his success, Patton’s outspoken nature leads to his downfall when he controversially equates American politics with the Third Reich, resulting in his dismissal.

Set during WWII, the film centers on Corporal Rolf Steiner, played by James Coburn, who receives Germany’s prestigious Iron Cross. Captain Stransky, portrayed by Maximilian Schell, covets the same honor and does not hide his ambitions from Colonel Brandt, played by James Mason. Tensions flare as Stransky and Steiner clash over the fate of a captured Russian soldier; Stransky wishes to execute him, while Steiner opts to hide him. Their rivalry intensifies as Steiner leads his men into battle on the Russian front, with Stransky deceitfully claiming credit for an attack. When Steiner denies Stransky the Iron Cross, Stransky retaliates by sending Steiner’s platoon on a perilous mission through enemy lines.

Unlike most WWII films that highlight Allied heroism, Sam Peckinpah’s “Cross of Iron” examines the war through the eyes of German soldiers, exploring the class divide between the elite Nazis and the common soldiers fighting their battles. Released in 1977, the film is as gritty and harrowing as war movies get, its impact magnified by focusing on the futile struggles of those fighting for a disreputable cause, willingly or not. Admired by directors like Orson Welles, who compared it to the 1930 classic “All Quiet on the Western Front,” and Quentin Tarantino, who drew inspiration from it for his film “Inglourious Basterds,” “Cross of Iron” remains a powerful testament to the chaos and despair of war.

During WWII, embittered German army Corporal Rolf Steiner (James Coburn) receives one of the country’s highest military honors: the Iron Cross. The newly arrived Captain Stransky (Maximilian Schell) desperately wants an Iron Cross of his own, which he makes no secret of to Colonel Brandt (James Mason). The aristocratic Stransky clashes with Steiner over the handling of a Russian soldier his platoon captured: Stransky wants the boy shot, while Steiner hides him in a bunker. Their feud continues as Steiner leads his men into battle on the Russian front, and the cowardly Stransky takes credit for a gruesome military attack. When Steiner squashes Stransky’s hopes of receiving the Iron Cross, he takes his revenge by forcing Steiner’s platoon to make a dangerous trek through enemy territory.

Although most WWII movies center on the brave efforts of the Allied forces, Sam Peckinpah’s “Cross of Iron” views the war from the German perspective, dramatizing the class conflict between the high-society Nazis and the grunts forced to fight their battles for them. Released in 1977, it’s as violent and bleak as war movies get, and its impact is all the more powerful for focusing on the futile efforts of losers fighting for a dishonorable cause, whether they want to or not. Among its fans were Orson Welles, who likened it to the 1930 Oscar-winning classic “All Quiet on the Western Front,” and Quentin Tarantino, who used it as inspiration for one of his best movies, the Nazi-bashing “Inglourious Basterds.”

In 1968, lifelong friends Mike (Robert De Niro), Nick (Christopher Walken in one of his most memorable roles), and Steven (John Savage) prepare for a tour of duty in Vietnam. Before they deploy, the Pennsylvania steelworkers attend Steven’s lavish Russian Orthodox wedding and go deer hunting one last time. While in Vietnam, they are captured and placed in a POW camp, where they are forced to play Russian roulette. The three are separated after making a daring escape, with Mike returning home and forging a tentative relationship with Nick’s sweetheart, Linda (Meryl Streep). He finds Steven confined to a wheelchair in a veterans hospital, and returns to Saigon during its chaotic fall to rescue Nick, who has become an underground Russian roulette champion.

“The Deer Hunter” had a seismic impact when it hit theaters in 1978, only a few short years after the end of the Vietnam War. Clocking in at three hours, Michael Cimino’s epic drama dramatized the impact of the war on the ordinary men and women who fought it in devastating detail. Although it has been criticized for its portrayal of the Vietnamese people and dubious depiction of Russian roulette as a POW torture technique (most notably by Jane Fonda, whose Vietnam drama “Coming Home” was released that same year), there’s no denying the awesome power of everything else surrounding it. The film earned nine Oscar nominations and won five prizes: best picture, best director, best supporting actor (Walken), best film editing, and best sound.

As the Vietnam War rages on, Captain Benjamin L. Willard (Martin Sheen) spends his nights getting drunk in a cheap motel room, unable to deal with his trauma. He is recruited by a shadowy military group to assassinate Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a high-ranking special forces officer who has reportedly gone rogue. Traveling by riverboat with the crew of a Navy patrol boat, Willard’s journey becomes increasingly hallucinatory and violent, from an air raid with the surf-obsessed Colonel Kilgore (Robert Duvall) to the massacre of a Vietnamese family aboard a fishing boat. He finds Kurtz in the jungles of Cambodia, where he lords over the natives in a decrepit temple riddled with dead bodies. As he attempts to kill Kurtz, Willard confronts his own heart of darkness.

Released in 1979, “Apocalypse Now” was Francis Ford Coppola’s attempt to make the definitive film about the war that had dominated the better part of two decades. Taking its inspiration from Joseph Conrad’s novella “Heart of Darkness,” it’s less about the Vietnam War and more about the very nature of warfare itself, from the devastation of its carnage to its impact on the human psyche. Although the many bizarre things that happened on set nearly ruined its director (detailed in the documentary “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse,” directed by Coppola’s wife, Eleanor), its power is overwhelming, and its images are awe-inspiring. One of the best historical movies of all time, “Apocalypse Now” earned eight Oscar nominations, including best picture, and won prizes for its cinematography and sound.

While in his mother’s womb, German baby Oskar Matzerath (David Bennent) refuses to come out until he’s promised a tin drum. So his mother, Agnes (Angela Winkler), gifts her son the desired instrument on his third birthday. Reluctant to enter a world filled with adult problems, Oskar refuses to grow older and remains stuck inside the body of a three-year-old boy as the years pass. Angered by the dishonesty and treachery surrounding him, Oskar bangs his tin drum in protest, screaming as he clangs it louder and louder. As the years pass, Oskar matures as his body remains the same, fighting back against impending adulthood even while engaging in its many troubles. His desire to remain unsullied intensifies with the rise of Nazism and the chaos of WWII, which he responds to by beating his drum.

Adapted from the novel by Günter Grass, “The Tin Drum” employs magical realism to examine the horrors of WWII. Director Volker Schlöndorff takes a darkly comedic approach to the material, which stands in stark contrast to the bleakness of its subject matter. Yet in many ways, satire is the only rational way to deal with such tragedies, much like Oskar’s banging on the drum is the only way to respond to hypocrisy and injustice that goes unpunished. Released in 1979, “The Tin Drum” won the Oscar for best foreign language film and tied another 1970s war movie, “Apocalypse Now,” for the prestigious Palme d’Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival.