These essential films cover wide swaths of history.

The 10 most thought-provoking war documentaries streaming on HBO Max

These essential films cover wide swaths of history.

By Jordan Hoffman

Jordan Hoffman

Jordan Hoffman is a writer at **, mostly covering nostalgia. He has been writing about entertainment since 2007.

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February 14, 2026 8:00 a.m. ET

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The most essential war documentaries on HBO Max. Credit:

HBO (2); Courtesy Everett

If you don’t know your past, you don’t know your future. It’s a cliche, but it’s true. Here’s another one: history repeats itself. The best way to educate yourself about world affairs and their domestic impact is to investigate previous conflicts, their causes, and their legacies. While nothing beats reading a thick book (and a local library is the best route) those with limited time can always turn to documentary films.

Luckily, ** is here to help you further your history education with the best war documentaries on HBO Max.

The premium cable network has been home to some of the most important and thought-provoking documentaries ever produced, and its streaming service is brimming with options. Here are a few titles to get you started.

December 7th (1943)

The U.S. government recruited Hollywood icons to make 'December 7th'.

Office of War Information

This Oscar-winning film blurs the lines of a typical documentary, but is nonetheless an important work. Developed by U.S. government agencies as a propaganda tool and directed by John Ford (you may remember him from *The Fabelmans*) and Gregg Toland (cinematographer of *Citizen Kane*, among others), this exploration of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor incorporates what little actual footage existed mixed with recreations and miniatures filmed in a Hollywood studio.

Though scripted and featuring actors like Walter Huston as the avatar “Uncle Sam,” the news aspect makes it significant. Multiple versions exist; the 32-minute release cut served audiences who felt the need to see the events up close, and to rally the homefront for the fight ahead.

For All Mankind (1989)

The Cold War paves the way for a touchstone human achievement in 'For All Mankind'.

Apollo Associates

A literally uplifting look at NASA’s voyage to the moon, *For All Mankind *qualifies as a war documentary in that Neil Armstrong taking “one giant leap” never would have happened were it not for the ongoing Cold War. But let’s not let that trouble us. Al Reinert’s masterpiece of collage takes preexisting footage from multiple space adventures and shows the moon landing in an impressionistic style. Thousands of people made it possible, so individual faces and names are less important than the forward thrust.

Though the original score by Brian Eno, Roger Eno, and Daniel Lanois has been repurposed so many times, new viewers may be surprised to learn its origins. This is an inspiring film, and one of the best examples of real life adventure.

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George Stevens: D-Day to Berlin (1994)

A-list director George Stevens captured the most comprehensive color footage of World War II in Europe.

Already an established director with films like *Woman of the Year *(1942) and *Gunga Din *(1939), George Stevens joined the U.S. Army Signal Corps in 1943 and assembled a crew known as the “Stevens Irregulars.” They shot some of the most important footage of World War II, including images from the D-Day landing, the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp, the meeting of American and Russian forces, and images of Berlin in ruins.

It wasn’t until after Stevens’ death (and a post-war career including *Giant *and *Shane*) that his cache of unseen color film from this period was discovered — the most comprehensive color film of the war in Europe. This documentary, framed by George Stevens Jr., is a remarkable reflection of that period.

Ghosts of Abu Ghraib (2007)

A corridor at Abu Ghraib during the Iraq War.

This frank look at the prisoner abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib during the Iraq War, directed by Rory Kennedy (RFK Jr’s sister), does its best to explain how an absurd environment can enable otherwise ordinary soldiers to become torturers. In interviewing military officials and psychologists, *Ghosts of Abu Ghraib* dismisses theories of bad seeds or bad apples, and shows how obedience to authority can quickly erode a person’s moral compass. Think it couldn’t happen to you? Stanley Milgram’s experiments — footage of which is shown here — have shown how malleable people often are.

Most striking are interviews with military police reflecting back with horror on their own actions, expressing remorse at the past and frustration with who got left with the blame.

Guerras Ajenas (2016)

'Guerras Ajenas' focuses on a small narrative within the larger War on Drugs.

*Guerras Ajenas *(*Wars of Others*) looks at a tiny aspect of the so-called "War on Drugs" to expose how whole communities can get swept up in wider political currents.

For years the government of Colombia, at the behest of the United States, has been spraying a dangerous chemical called glyphosate from airplanes with an aim toward killing coca crops and disrupting the drug trade. In 2015, the World Health Organization declared that glyphosate was a likely carcinogen. As you can imagine, powerful forces have worked to obfuscate this fact, while innocent people suffer. Lilia Luciano’s documentary examines the issue from the ground up.

Hearts and Minds (1974)

Father and child during the 1968 Tet Offensive.

Courtesy Everett

This concise documentary quickly became a flashpoint in America upon its release, exposing just how unwinnable (not to mention unjust) the ongoing quagmire in Vietnam had become. The film mixes interview footage of American infantrymen (some of whom had become drug addicts) as well as a notorious interview with General William Westmoreland, who infamously concluded: “The Oriental doesn't put the same high price on life as does the Westerner.”

This statement, juxtaposed with footage of grieving Vietnamese at a funeral, remains one of the darkest and lowest moments of American history.

Jim: The James Foley Story (2016)

James Foley was an American freelance videojournalist who was compelled to go into harm’s way to expose atrocities. In 2011 he was kidnapped while shooting footage in Libya but was released 44 days later. Then in 2012, while working on assignment in Syria for French and American outlets, he was captured by ISIS — then later decapitated in a video message to President Obama.

That video is thankfully *not *shown in this film, but what you do see is a portrait of the man as told by his loved ones and fellow prisoners. Most insightful, perhaps, is learning how an ordinary family reacts when they suddenly become the focus of an international news story.

Night and Fog (1956)

Legendary filmmaker Alain Resnais made one of the definitive cinematic statements on the Holocaust.

Courtesy Everett

Can a historical film actually be history itself? Alain Resnais’ short, stylistic project was one of the first major films to address the Holocaust. It uses some archival (often gruesome) footage, but is more notable for its contemporary imagery — a camera eye roving through abandoned Nazi extermination camps juxtaposed with voiceover narration.

The film was revelatory upon its release, and controversial in its native country for not sugarcoating collaborationist French efforts. Indeed, the film could only be originally released if Resnais agreed to alter some shots to obscure someone in a French police uniform observing mass deportations.

Wartorn: 1861–2010 (2010)

James Gandolfini speaks with Gen. Raymond T. Odierno in 'Wartorn: 1861-2010'.

Though not exactly an easy film to watch, *Wartorn: 1861–2010* is an insightful look at what we now call post-traumatic stress disorder, but used to call battle fatigue or shell shock. Co-produced by James Gandolfini, who also leads the interviews, this is partly a history lesson, but also an examination of more recent struggles.

Iraq veterans suffering from PTSD bravely reveal how routine activities like supermarket shopping can become mental torture. Conversations with family members of those who survived their tour, only to die by suicide at home, are even more heartbreaking.

White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (2007)

'White Light/Black Rain' features interviews with several Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors.

It’s fair to say the use of atomic weapons to end World War II remains one of the most significant “turn the page” events in human history. This Emmy-winning film boasts contemporary interviews with over a dozen survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, most of whom were children at the time.

Also included are some airmen who flew the *Enola Gay*, as well as Los Alamos scientists. The enormity of what they witnessed is not lost on them, but director Steven Okazaki recognizes it’s through detail and specificity that we arrive at a wider truth. In a world where current weapons of mass destruction make the bombs dropped on Japan look like Nerf toys, there are not many films more important than this.

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