The 10 best British war movies of all time - Dunkirk only at number 7

As a nation, one thing we excel at is producing great art. Whether through the medium of literature, music or film, Britain is a frontrunner in all of these areas. One particular genre of film, however, dominates the classics in British cinema, and that is war movies. We've been on the case for years, and this list reflects that. Collider has compiled a ranking of the 10 best British war films, and we have shared their choices below. From classic dramas to one-take style cinematography, this list is quite extensive - do you agree with the choices?

10. The Imitation Game

The Imitation Game is a 2014 biographical thriller film directed by Morten Tyldum and written by Graham Moore, based on the 1983 biography Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Turing, with Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear, Charles Dance, and Mark Strong appearing in supporting roles. The film's synopsis reads: "British mathematician Alan Turing joins the cryptography team to help decrypt the Enigma code but builds his own machine that is a prototype of the modern computer to decipher German codes."

9. 1917

1917 was shot all in a one-take style and directed by Sam Mendes. It is a harrowing story of two soldiers on a mission to deliver an urgent message to a commander in person. The film stars George MacKay as Lance Corporal Will Schofield and Dean-Charles Chapman as Lance Corporal Tom Blake. The film picked up three Academy Awards.

8. The Bridge on the River Kwai

The Bridge on the River Kwai is a 1957 epic war film directed by David Lean and based on the novel The Bridge over the River Kwai, written by Pierre Boulle. The cast includes William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, and Sessue Hayakawa. The film's synopsis reads: "Colonel Nicholson reluctantly agrees to camp commander Saito's suggestion of getting the World War II POWs to build a railway bridge. However, the project soon becomes an obsession for him."

7. Dunkirk

This war epic from Christopher Nolan is set in World War II, when soldiers from Britain, Belgium, and France attempted to escape battle from German troops on the beaches of Dunkirk. The historical drama stars Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy, Fionn Whitehead, Jack Lowden, Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance, Barry Keoghan and Harry Styles in his first acting role. The movies synopsis reads: "In May 1940, Germany advanced into France, trapping Allied troops on the beaches of Dunkirk. Under air and ground cover from British and French forces, troops were slowly and methodically evacuated from the beach using every serviceable naval and civilian vessel that could be found. At the end of this heroic mission, 330,000 French, British, Belgian and Dutch soldiers were safely evacuated."

6. The King's Speech

The King's Speech is a 2010 historical drama film directed by Tom Hooper, written by David Seidler, and starring Colin Firth. The film's synopsis reads: "England's Prince Albert (Firth) must ascend the throne as King George VI, but he has a speech impediment. Knowing that the country needs her husband to be able to communicate effectively, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) hires Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), an Australian actor and speech therapist, to help him overcome his stammer. An extraordinary friendship develops between the two men, as Logue uses unconventional means to teach the monarch how to speak with confidence."

5. Barry Lyndon

Barry Lyndon is a 1975 historical drama film written, directed, and produced by Stanley Kubrick, based on the 1844 novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace Thackeray. It was narrated by Michael Hordern, and stars Ryan O'Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee, Leonard Rossiter and Hardy Krüger. The film's synopsis reads: "Barry, an Irish rogue, gets into a relationship with a rich widow and cheats his way to the top of the 18th-century British society, by assuming the identity of her dead husband."

4. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is a British romantic-war film written, produced and directed by the British filmmaking team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Released in 1943, it stars Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr and Anton Walbrook. The title derives from the satirical Colonel Blimp comic strip created by David Low, but the story is original. Although the film is strongly pro-British, it also serves as a satirical commentary on the British Army, particularly its leadership. It has been described as suggesting "Britain faced the option of following traditional notions of honourable warfare or to fight dirty in the face of such an evil enemy as Nazi Germany". The film's synopsis reads: "General Candy (Livesey), who's overseeing an English squad in 1943, is a veteran leader who doesn't have the respect of the men he's training and is considered out-of-touch with what's needed to win the war. But it wasn't always this way. Flashing back to his early career in the Boer War and World War I, we see a dashing young officer whose life has been shaped by three different women (all played by Kerr), and by a lasting friendship with a German soldier."

3. Zulu

Zulu is a 1964 British epic historical drama film that follows the 1879 Battle of Rorke's Drift between a detachment of the British Army and the Zulu, during the Anglo-Zulu War. The film stars Stanley Baker and introduces Michael Caine in his first major role, with a supporting cast including Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Nigel Green, Paul Daneman, Glynn Edwards, Ivor Emmanuel, and Patrick Magee. Zulu chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi (a future South African political leader) played Zulu King Cetshwayo kaMpande, his great-grandfather. Richard Burton provided narration for the opening and closing sections of the film. The film's synopsis reads: "In 1879, the Zulu nation hands colonial British forces a resounding defeat in battle. A nearby regiment of the British Army takes over a station run by a missionary (Jack Hawkins) and his daughter (Ulla Jacobsson) as a supply depot and hospital under the command of Lieutenant John Chard (Stanley Baker) and his subordinate Gonville Bromhead (Michael Caine). Unable to abandon their wounded soldiers even in dire circumstances, the regiment defend their station against the Zulu warriors."

2. The Dam Busters

The Dam Busters is a 1955 British epic docudrama war film starring Richard Todd and Michael Redgrave, and directed by Michael Anderson. It was adapted by R. C. Sherriff from the books The Dam Busters (1951) by Paul Brickhill and Enemy Coast Ahead (1946) by Guy Gibson. A summary of the plot reads: "During WWII, a British scientist develops a chemically modified bomb that skips across the waters until it meets a dam and causes a massive explosion. It is dropped on Germany's Ruhr Valley Dams."

1. Lawrence of Arabia

Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 epic biographical adventure drama film directed by David Lean and produced by Sam Spiegel through the latter's British company Horizon Pictures and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was based on the life of T. E. Lawrence and his 1926 book Seven Pillars of Wisdom (also known as Revolt in the Desert). It stars Peter O'Toole as Lawrence with Alec Guinness playing Prince Faisal. A summary of the film's plot reads: "Lawrence, a lieutenant in the British Army, is asked by Colonel Brighton to moderately assess Faisal, their ally. Lawrence is impressed with Faisal and seeks his help to plan an attack on the enemy."