War films are an iconic and enduring cinematic genre that continuously dominate the box office and garner immense praise and accolades. The 1990s was a period in the entertainment industry that saw a resurgence of acclaimed war pictures taking audiences by storm, with beloved hits like Saving Private Ryan and Braveheart commanding theaters with their spellbinding heroic tales.

Many films of the decade are still talked about to this day, and are considered masterpieces in their own right. There were also war dramas that despite being just as compelling and poignant as their fellow flicks have often been overlooked since their initial debuts, with movies like The Thin Red Line and Crimson Tide retrospectively failing to get the attention and respect they deserve. Let’s look at some of the most underrated war movies of the 1990s.

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9 Behind the Lines

     Artificial Eye

Chronicling a group of British soldiers during World War I as they are sent to the Craiglockhart War Hospital to heal from their battle traumas, 1997’s Behind the Lines centers on real life English soldier and war poet Siegfried Sassoon and the famous letter he wrote criticizing the conflict.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

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MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

Based on the Pat Baker novel of the same name, the drama features the talents of stars like Jonathan Pryce, James Wilby, and Jonny Lee Miller and was praised for its compelling performances, sharp storytelling and realistic depiction of trench warfare. The BBC lauded Behind the Lines as “a film that achieves its power through understatement.”

8 A Midnight Clear

     InterStar Releasing 

Touting a superb ensemble cast led by Ethan Hawke, Gary Sinise, and Kevin Dillon, the 1992 war drama A Midnight Clear is adapted from the William Wharton novel and takes place in the Adrennes Forest during the Battle of the Bulge, where a unit of American soldiers discover a German platoon that wants to seemingly surrender.

The exhausted men realize the opposing forces wish to lay down their weapons peacefully as they acknowledge the end of the war in imminent, yet their plan of submission takes an unexpected, tragic turn. Director Keith Gordon went on to earn an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Screenplay and was lauded for its sensitive storytelling and emotional complexity.

7 Stalingrad

     Strand Releasing 

Joseph Vilsmaier’s 1993 German anti-war film Stalingrad is told from the perspective of German Army soldiers during World War II and depicts the fallout of the violent and deadly Battle of Stalingrad, during which Nazi Germany unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city.

Witnessed through the eyes of Lieutenant Hans von Witzland and his platoon, the gritty drama follows the men as they attempt to survive the brutal winter and outside forces that are swiftly closing in on them. Stalingrad has been noted for its realistic and harsh look at the infamous battle and is an accurate portrait of how the events unfolded and the diminishing power of the Germans after Stalingrad.

6 Crimson Tide

     Buena Vista Pictures Distribution 

Cinema greats Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman are clashing military officers in Tony Scott’s 1995 action thriller Crimson Tide, which is set in post-Soviet Russia aboard a U.S. ballistic missile submarine where hardened Capt. Frank Ramsey (Hackman) butts heads with young Lt. Cmdr. Ron Hunter (Washington) over launching missiles to attack a Russian rebel.

The exciting picture draws inspiration from the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Soviet submarine B-59 that considered firing a nuclear torpedo during the tense period after believing they were under attack. Crimson Tide was lauded by critics upon its release and went on to earn three Academy Award nominations and was given an “A” CinemaScore rating from moviegoers.

5 Michael Collins

     Warner Bros.

Liam Neeson delivers a brilliant performance as the eponymous Irish soldier, politician, and freedom fighter in the 1996 biographical period drama Michael Collins, a leading figure during the Irish Civil War who helped negotiate a treaty with the British and led numerous attacks against the UK during the crucial conflict. Neeson is joined by Alan Rickman, Julia Roberts and Brendan Gleeson in the absorbing picture, which had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival where it nabbed the prestigious Golden Lion prize.

For his rousing portrayal of Collins, Neeson was nominated for a Golden Globe and won the award for Best Actor at the Evening Standard British Film Awards; the The New York Times wrote, “Played with great magnetism and triumphant bluster by Liam Neeson, the film’s Michael Collins easily lives up to his nickname.”

4 Courage Under Fire

     20th Century Fox

Set during the 1991 Gulf War, a Lieutenant Colonel struggling with guilt over a friendly fire accident must determine whether a fallen female Army Captain deserves to receive the medal of honor in the 1996 war drama Courage Under Fire. Denzel Washington and Meg Ryan headline the compelling film, which provides a poignant look at the horrors of battle and the emotional toll serving takes on the brave men and women who do so.

Washington is once again sensational as Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Serling, who amid his own inner struggles and war demons must decide the fate of a fallen comrade; he earned a Best Actor nomination at the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for his haunting performance.

3 The Thin Red Line

Documenting the harrowing Battle of Mount Austen during World War II and one of the Battalion’s at the center of the Guadalcanal campaign, Terrence Malick’s 1998 epic war drama The Thin Red Line follows the American soldiers as they battled against Japanese forces in 1942. The plot and storyline is based on the James Jones novel and the author’s personal experiences during the various conflicts of the dangerous campaign, and featured a stacked cast including Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, George Clooney and John Cusack.

Though the Oscar-nominated picture was lauded by critics and audiences and won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, it is often overlooked for its impressive achievements, since it was released the same year Steven Spielberg’s mainstream masterpiece Saving Private Ryan was. Regardless, Gene Siskel declared the drama “the greatest contemporary war film I’ve seen,” and many people consider it to be the greatest war movie of the 1990s.

2 The Last of the Mohicans

Though no film starring the revered Daniel Day-Lewis is ever truly “underrated”, the legendary actor’s portrayal of Nathaniel “Hawkeye” Poe in the 1992 epic historical drama The Last of the Mohicans doesn’t always get the props it deserves. The Michael Mann picture depicts the French and Indian War and focuses on the Native American tribe as three trappers are tasked with rescuing the kidnapped daughters of a British colonel, forcing them to engage in the deadly conflict.

The notorious method actor learned how to live off the land, developed wood-working skills and made canoes in order to prepare for the hefty role, all of which helped him deliver a rich and exhilerating performance.

1 Three Kings

David O. Russell’s film from 1999, the dark war comedy Three Kings, stars George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube and Spike Jonze as an elite group of American soldiers at the tail end of the Gulf War who plot to steal Saddam Hussein’s hidden fortune. When one of their own is captured by the Iraqi intelligence, the soldiers fight alongside Iraqi rebels to retrieve their man and protect the land and its people.

Three Kings earned rave reviews upon its release, with even then President Bill Clinton requesting a private for his staff and friends at the White House. Roger Ebert called the flick a “weird masterpiece, a screw-loose war picture that sends action and humor crashing head-on into each other and spinning off into political anger.”