Modern War Documentaries Rated 7.0 and Above

by hnzbl | created - 11 Mar 2016 | updated - 12 Mar 2016 | Public

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1. The Fog of War (2003)

PG-13 | 107 min | Documentary, Biography, History

87 Metascore

The story of America as seen through the eyes of the former Secretary of Defense under President John F. Kennedy and President Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert McNamara.

Director: Errol Morris | Stars: Robert McNamara, John F. Kennedy, Fidel Castro, Richard Nixon

Votes: 25,049 | Gross: $4.20M

2. Hearts and Minds (1974)

R | 112 min | Documentary, History, War

68 Metascore

A startling and courageous landmark documentary that unflinchingly confronted the United States' involvement in Vietnam at the height of the controversy that surrounded it.

Director: Peter Davis | Stars: Tin Chan, Chau Diem, Ngo Dinh Diem, John Foster Dulles

Votes: 6,106 | Gross: $0.03M

3. Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

R | 122 min | Documentary, Drama, War

67 Metascore

Michael Moore's view on what happened to the United States after September 11 and how the Bush Administration allegedly used the tragic event to push forward its agenda for unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Director: Michael Moore | Stars: Michael Moore, George W. Bush, Ben Affleck, Stevie Wonder

Votes: 132,391 | Gross: $119.19M

4. Why We Fight (2005)

PG-13 | 98 min | Documentary, History, War

68 Metascore

Is American foreign policy dominated by the idea of military supremacy? Has the military become too important in American life? Jarecki's shrewd and intelligent polemic would seem to give an affirmative answer to each of these questions.

Director: Eugene Jarecki | Stars: Gore Vidal, John McCain, Ken Adelman, John Ashcroft

Votes: 10,231 | Gross: $1.44M

5. Standard Operating Procedure (2008)

R | 116 min | Documentary, Crime, War

70 Metascore

Errol Morris examines the incidents of abuse and torture of suspected terrorists at the hands of U.S. forces at the Abu Ghraib prison.

Director: Errol Morris | Stars: Megan Ambuhl Graner, Javal Davis, Ken Davis, Anthony Diaz

Votes: 4,114 | Gross: $0.23M

6. No End in Sight (2007)

Not Rated | 102 min | Documentary, War

89 Metascore

A comprehensive look at the Bush Administration's conduct of the Iraq war and its occupation of the country.

Director: Charles Ferguson | Stars: Campbell Scott, Gerald Burke, Ali Fadhil, Omar Fekeiki

Votes: 8,629 | Gross: $1.43M

7. Taxi to the Dark Side (2007)

R | 106 min | Documentary, Crime, History

82 Metascore

Alex Gibney exposes the haunting details of the USA's torture and interrogation practices during the War in Afghanistan.

Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: Alex Gibney, Brian Keith Allen, Moazzam Begg, Christopher Beiring

Votes: 16,803 | Gross: $0.27M

8. In the Year of the Pig (1968)

Not Rated | 103 min | Documentary, History, War

A documentary chronicling the background to, and history of, the Vietnam War.

Director: Emile de Antonio | Stars: Harry S. Ashmore, Daniel Berrigan, Joseph Buttinger, William R. Corson

Votes: 1,917

9. The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers (2009)

Not Rated | 92 min | Documentary

75 Metascore

An exploration of the life and work of Dr. Daniel Ellsberg, former Marine and military strategist, who was responsible for the publication of secret government documents that revealed the truth behind America's involvement in Vietnam.

Directors: Judith Ehrlich, Rick Goldsmith | Stars: Peter Arnett, Ben Bagdikian, Ann Beeson, John Dean

Votes: 2,421 | Gross: $0.45M

10. The Power of Nightmares (2004)

60 min | Documentary, History

78 Metascore

A series of three documentaries about the use of fear for political gain.

Stars: Gilles Kepel, William Kristol, Melvin Goodman, Richard Perle

Votes: 4,542

11. Restrepo (2010)

R | 93 min | Documentary, Biography, History

85 Metascore

A year with one platoon in the deadliest valley in Afghanistan.

Directors: Tim Hetherington, Sebastian Junger | Stars: The Men of Battle Company 2nd of the 503rd Infantry Regiment 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Juan 'Doc Restrepo, Dan Kearney, LaMonta Caldwell

Votes: 24,424 | Gross: $1.33M

12. Last Days in Vietnam (2014)

Not Rated | 98 min | Documentary, History, War

86 Metascore

During the final days of the Vietnam War, North Vietnamese forces closed in on Saigon as South Vietnamese resistance crumbled. An unlikely group of heroes emerged as Americans and South Vietnamese took matters into their own hands.

Director: Rory Kennedy | Stars: Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger, Stuart Herrington, Juan Valdez

Votes: 4,098 | Gross: $0.47M

13. Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers (2006)

Not Rated | 75 min | Documentary, War

68 Metascore

Robert Greenwald looks at war profiteering in Iraq by private contracting companies Halliburton, CACI, and KBR.

Director: Robert Greenwald | Stars: Katy Helvenston-Wettengal, Scott Helvenston, Donna Zovko, Jozo Zovko

Votes: 1,667

14. Control Room (2004)

Not Rated | 84 min | Documentary

79 Metascore

A documentary on perception of the United States's war with Iraq, with an emphasis on Al Jazeera's coverage.

Director: Jehane Noujaim | Stars: Samir Khader, Josh Rushing, George W. Bush, Hassan Ibrahim

Votes: 5,263 | Gross: $2.59M

15. Winter Soldier (1972)

Not Rated | 96 min | Documentary, History, War

For three days in 1971, former US soldiers who were in Vietnam testify in Detroit about their war experiences. Nearly 30 speak, describing atrocities personally committed or witnessed, ... See full summary »

Director: Winterfilm Collective | Stars: Rusty Sachs, Joe Bangert, Scott Shimabukuro, Kenneth Campbell

Votes: 1,081

16. The Road to Guantanamo (2006)

R | 95 min | Drama, War

64 Metascore

Part drama, part documentary, The Road to Guantánamo focuses on the Tipton Three, a trio of British Muslims who were held in Guantanamo Bay for two years until they were released without charge.

Directors: Mat Whitecross, Michael Winterbottom | Stars: Riz Ahmed, Farhad Harun, Waqar Siddiqui, Arfan Usman

Votes: 11,473 | Gross: $0.32M

17. Dirty Wars (2013)

Not Rated | 87 min | Documentary, Crime, History

76 Metascore

Investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill is pulled into an unexpected journey as he chases down the hidden truth behind America's expanding covert wars.

Director: Rick Rowley | Stars: Jeremy Scahill, Nasser Al Aulaqi, Saleha Al Aulaqi, Muqbal Al Kazemi

Votes: 9,396 | Gross: $0.38M

18. Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1997)

Not Rated | 80 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama

German-American Dieter Dengler discusses his service as a U.S. naval pilot in the Vietnam War. Dengler also revisits the sites of his capture and eventual escape from the hands of the Viet Cong, recreating many events for the camera.

Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Dieter Dengler, Werner Herzog, Eugene Deatrick

Votes: 6,830

19. The Tillman Story (2010)

R | 94 min | Documentary, Biography, Mystery

86 Metascore

Chronicles the life of the late Pat Tillman, who walked away from a multimillion-dollar contract with the NFL's Arizona Cardinals in 2002 to join the Army but died from friendly fire in Afghanistan.

Director: Amir Bar-Lev | Stars: Pat Tillman, Josh Brolin, Mary Tillman, Russell Baer

Votes: 5,431 | Gross: $0.80M

20. Lessons of Darkness (1992 TV Movie)

Not Rated | 54 min | Documentary, War

This film surveys the disaster of the Kuwaiti oil fields in flames, with little narration and scarcely any interviews. Hell on Earth is presented in such transcendent visions and music that one can only be fascinated by it.

Director: Werner Herzog | Star: Werner Herzog

Votes: 6,745

21. The Weight of Chains (2010)

Not Rated | 125 min | Documentary, History, News

The Weight of Chains is a Canadian documentary film that takes a critical look at the role that the US, NATO and the EU played in the tragic breakup of a once peaceful and prosperous ... See full summary »

Director: Boris Malagurski | Stars: Rade Aleksic, James Bissett, John Bosnitch, Michel Chossudovsky

Votes: 4,538

22. War Photographer (2001)

96 min | Documentary, War

79 Metascore

Documentary about war photographer James Nachtwey, considered by many the greatest war photographer ever.

Director: Christian Frei | Stars: James Nachtwey, Christiane Amanpour, Hans-Hermann Klare, Christiane Breustedt

Votes: 4,302

23. Loose Change 9/11: An American Coup (2009 Video)

Unrated | 99 min | Documentary, History, War

An exploration of the viewpoint that the September 11, 2001 attacks were planned by the United States government.

Director: Dylan Avery | Stars: Osama bin Laden, Johnelle Bryant, George W. Bush, Laura Bush

Votes: 3,735

24. The Unknown Known (2013)

PG-13 | 103 min | Documentary, Biography, History

69 Metascore

Former United States Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, discusses his career in Washington D.C. from his days as a congressman in the early 1960s to planning the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Director: Errol Morris | Stars: Donald Rumsfeld, Errol Morris

Votes: 4,291 | Gross: $0.28M

25. Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam (1987 TV Movie)

PG-13 | 84 min | Documentary, History, War

Feature-length documentary film featuring real-life letters written by American soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines during the Vietnam War to their families and friends back home.

Director: Bill Couturié | Stars: Tom Berenger, Ellen Burstyn, J. Kenneth Campbell, Richard Chaves

Votes: 1,962

26. General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait (1974)

Not Rated | 92 min | Documentary

A documentary on the military dictator of Africa's Uganda.

Director: Barbet Schroeder | Stars: Idi Amin, Fidel Castro, Golda Meir

Votes: 2,019

27. Iraq in Fragments (2006)

Not Rated | 94 min | Documentary, War

84 Metascore

Stories from modern day Iraq as told by Iraqis living in a time of war, occupation and ethnic tension.

Director: James Longley | Stars: Marmar Alhilali, Mohammed Haithem, Suleiman Mahmoud, Mohamed Qasim Sainakh

Votes: 1,546 | Gross: $0.20M

28. The War Tapes (2006)

Not Rated | 97 min | Documentary, War

77 Metascore

Called up for service in Iraq, several members of the National Guard were given digital video cameras. This film, edited from their footage, provides a perspective on a complex and troubled conflict.

Director: Deborah Scranton | Stars: Zack Bazzi, Duncan Domey, Ben Flanders, Mike Moriarty

Votes: 1,314 | Gross: $0.25M

29. Armadillo (2010)

Not Rated | 105 min | Documentary, War

72 Metascore

Danish soldiers are sent to Afghanistan in 2009 for 6 months, to help stabilize the country against the Taliban. They're stationed on Armadillo military base in Helman province. Unlike other war movies, this is the real deal - no actors.

Director: Janus Metz

Votes: 10,331 | Gross: $0.01M

30. Drone (II) (2014)

78 min | Documentary, History, War

65 Metascore

The documentary is about the covert CIA drone war. Through voices on both sides of this new technology, the film reveals crucial information about the drone war in Pakistan and offers unique insights into the nature of drone warfare.

Director: Tonje Hessen Schei | Stars: Brandon Bryant, Zubair Rehman, John Bellinger III, Mark Mazzetti

Votes: 754

31. Virunga (2014)

Not Rated | 100 min | Documentary, War

95 Metascore

A team of brave individuals risk their lives to protect the last mountain gorillas.

Director: Orlando von Einsiedel | Stars: André Bauma, Emmanuel de Merode, Mélanie Gouby, Rodrigue Mugaruka Katembo

Votes: 12,258



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