John Wayne's Best War Movies, Ranked

Movie Web ^ | 2/11/2023 | Vic Medina

[Saije]

John Wayne is a Hollywood icon with a presence so dominating, he defined two different American film genres: westerns and war films. While Hollywood's golden age may have produced better actors, few approached the charisma or screen presence of Wayne, who was the embodiment of America and masculinity on movie and television screens for nearly half a century.

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Of the more than 150 films Wayne made in his career, just over a dozen of them are non-western war films. Yet, he remains a war movie icon, because most of those films were box office hits and classic movies that still stand out more than 40 years after his death. Let's take a look at the 10 best war films from The Duke, with many available to stream online or purchase on physical disc.

5. The Longest Day

A number of film buffs don't consider The Longest Day a John Wayne film, as they call his role a glorified cameo. It's a valid argument, as the film is an ensemble piece featuring over two dozen high-profile stars, including Henry Fonda, Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum, Sean Connery, Red Buttons, Robert Ryan, Roddy McDowell, and Peter Lawford. His screen time is limited, although it is one of the larger roles in the film, which chronicles the D-Day invasion from both sides of the conflict. His presence in the film, however, is pivotal, evidenced by his separate listing in the film's credits (as "and John Wayne").

Although The Longest Day romanticizes war at times, the film is excellent overall, with nice attention to the historic details. All the actors get a chance to shine, with Burton in particular getting some great scenes. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It won two, for Best Cinematography and Best Special Effects.

[rxh4n1]

I was very disappointed in Wayne’s performance in the Longest Day. His worst performance and I’ve seen most of his moves and some many times.

Agree. He was horrible.

[shoff]

Ping for movie night!

[Rockingham]

Manchester's account of Wayne getting booed is in Goodbye, Darkness, his searing account of the brutal island fighting in the Pacific during World War II. When Manchester wrote it, he had long parted ways with Bobby Kennedy due to a dispute over the not always flattering details in his draft of Death of a President. More than that, Manchester was not a Leftist but a liberal of the old school, pro-American and a New Englander of New Deal reformist views.

[laplata]

My favorite WW II Wayne movie is “In Harm’s Way”. All of his WW II movies were very good.