Blog Films · Ranked
War Films, Ranked from CHUD to WOKE
War films, ranked from the most CHUD to the most WOKE: how each is seen in the culture war, with the reason under each title. Every vote moves the scores.
Vote on these films →← CHUD · swipe · WOKE →| # | Title and why | Score | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Red Dawn (1984)Cold War invasion film, seen as right-leaning | 10CHUD | Vote |
| 2 |  13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)Benghazi action film, seen as favorable to the right | 16CHUD | Vote |
| 3 |  The Alamo (1960)John Wayne patriotic Alamo epic | 27CHUD | Vote |
| 4 |  American Sniper (2014)Sniper hero war film, praised on the right, criticized by the left | 30CHUD | Vote |
| 5 |  Lone Survivor (2013)Patriotic Navy SEAL combat drama, praised by conservative audiences | 32CHUD | Vote |
| 6 |  Rules of Engagement (2000)Marine court-martial drama seen as pro-military | 32CHUD | Vote |
| 7 |  Black Hawk Down (2001)Gritty war film about US troops in Somalia | 33CHUD | Vote |
| 8 |  The Outpost (2020)Afghanistan battle film, pro-soldier | 33CHUD | Vote |
| 9 |  The Patriot (2000)Patriotic Revolutionary War epic, mainstream | 37Leaning CHUD | Vote |
| 10 |  Heartbreak Ridge (1986)Gruff Marine drama, traditional military values | 39Leaning CHUD | Vote |
| 11 |  Midway (2019)WWII battle film, patriotic | 39Leaning CHUD | Vote |
| 12 |  Patton (1970)WWII general biopic; antiwar and patriotic readings | 39Leaning CHUD | Vote |
| 13 |  Pearl Harbor (2001)Patriotic WWII romance drama | 39Leaning CHUD | Vote |
| 14 |  Unbroken (2014)WWII survival story with faith themes, mild conservative lean | 39Leaning CHUD | Vote |
| 15 |  Platoon (1986)Anti-war Vietnam drama | 66WOKE | Vote |
| 16 |  Jojo Rabbit (2019)Anti-Nazi satire, widely praised | 76WOKE | Vote |
| 17 |  The Battle of Algiers (1966)Anti-colonial war film, ambiguous on violence | 77WOKE | Vote |
| 18 |  The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008)Holocaust drama condemning Nazi cruelty | 78WOKE | Vote |
| 19 |  The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)Anti-British Irish independence drama by Ken Loach | 81WOKE | Vote |
| 20 |  Born on the Fourth of July (1989)Anti-war Vietnam veteran drama | 83WOKE | Vote |
Across these 20: average score 45, median 39, from 10 to 83. Highest score: Born on the Fourth of July (1989) (83). Lowest score: Red Dawn (1984) (10).
What critics said about the quality
Scores are about how a title is seen in the culture war, not whether it is good. For some of the titles on this list, here is how critics judged them, word for word from Wikipedia.
Red Dawn (1984)
Red Dawn received mixed reviews, receiving a "Rotten" 48% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 5.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "An appealing ensemble of young stars will have some audiences rooting for the Wolverines, but Red Dawn's self-seriousness can never conceal the silliness of its alarmist concept." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 53 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
Wikipedia, Red Dawn, quoted verbatim · CC BY-SA 4.0
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 52% based on 223 reviews, with an average rating of 5.60/10. The site's consensus reads, "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is a comparatively mature and restrained effort from Michael Bay, albeit one that can't quite boast the impact its fact-based story deserves." On Metacritic the film has a score of 48 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
Wikipedia, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, quoted verbatim · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008)
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas has a 65% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 145 reviews, with an average rating of 6.30/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A touching and haunting family film that deals with the Holocaust in an arresting and unusual manner, and packs a brutal final punch of a twist." On Metacritic, the film has a normalised score of 55 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Wikipedia, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (film), quoted verbatim · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)
It received positive reviews from film critics. As of 2025, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 90% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 116 reviews – with an average rating of 7.7/10.
Wikipedia, The Wind That Shakes the Barley (film), quoted verbatim · CC BY-SA 4.0
Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
Based on 56 reviews, Born on the Fourth of July holds a score of 84% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 7.50/10. The website's consensus reads, "Led by an unforgettable performance from Tom Cruise, Born on the Fourth of July finds director Oliver Stone tackling thought-provoking subject matter with ambitious élan." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 75 out of 100 based on reviews from 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
Wikipedia, Born on the Fourth of July (film), quoted verbatim · CC BY-SA 4.0