All present and accounted for: every Tom Hanks war movie, ranked

Let’s state the obvious: Tom Hanks has spent an astonishing amount of time either marching across battlefields, strategising in government offices, or narrating American history in his films. For an actor famed for his ‘everyman’ roles and endless likability, he’s got a particular fascination with stories about war — not the sort to act as background noise, but the kind that stick in your mind for decades. He’s not just starred in the big-name blockbusters; he’s also quietly produced a bunch of must-watch war series on telly and streaming. But if you’ve ever tried to rank his actual war films, you’ll realise quickly: some are unarguably first-rate, others are more ‘solid, but’. Let’s put them in their place, from perfectly competent to proper classics.

Greyhound was released as an Apple TV exclusive in July 2020 after its planned cinema run was ditched by the pandemic.

'Greyhound' (2020)

Greyhound was supposed to be Tom Hanks’ grand return to war-movie action after the carnage of Saving Private Ryan, but things didn’t quite turn out as planned. Based on C.S. Forester’s decades-old thriller ‘The Good Shepherd’, the film follows Commander Ernest Krause (Hanks), a Navy man given his first major responsibility: shepherding an Allied convoy through U-boat-infested waters during the Battle of the Atlantic. This is all very tense stuff, largely set at sea, with sonar pings and crewmen dashing about. If you’re after a war movie where everyone stands around sweating and waiting for torpedoes, it ticks the boxes.

The idea was for a proper cinema release, but COVID scuppered those plans. Sony sold it to Apple, who made it their streaming flagship in July 2020 — turns out, that worked. Greyhound racked up enormous viewing figures for Apple TV, and even got a nod from the Oscars for its sound design. There’s already a sequel in development (yes, Tom’s back for another go). But if I’m honest, it’s decent rather than dazzling — the sort of film that gives you echoes of his earlier blockbusters but never truly matches them. A lesser Hanks war flick is still a good night in, but you’ll know he’s done better work in this genre.

'Charlie Wilson's War' (2007)

Charlie Wilson’s War has a different approach: this time, Hanks trades in battlefield grit for political gamesmanship. Under the direction of the late, great Mike Nichols (his swan song, as it happens), Hanks plays real-life Congressman Charlie Wilson — the man instrumental in channelling US money and arms to Afghan fighters during the Soviet-Afghan War. The cast is rammed with heavyweights: Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman (stealing every scene), Amy Adams, Om Puri, Emily Blunt, and plenty more. It’s the sort of film that feels weighty just reading the credits.

The film puts Hanks’ Charlie well away from bullets and bayonets; this is about phone calls, talks behind closed doors, and decisions with far-reaching effects. In typical Sorkin fashion (he’s the man behind the script), it moves fast and talks a lot, but it also skirts over the fallout — namely, the link between these interventions and the later rise of terrorism. Critics wondered why the last act waves away the deeper mess. It didn’t scoop up awards like everyone expected, considering all the A-list talent. Still, it’s slick, it’s whip-smart, and you get to watch Hanks wrangle with politics in his own, slightly baffled way.

'Forrest Gump' (1994)

No Tom Hanks rundown would be complete without Forrest Gump. Some people still consider it peerless, others reckon it’s aged like milk, but there’s no denying its cultural grip. Hanks is the sincere, slightly oblivious Forrest — a man who seems to end up at every major event in 20th-century America, pure through accident. His run-ins with the Vietnam War are some of the film’s best-known (and most frequently debated) scenes. He’s not exactly a hero with guns blazing, but his time in uniform shapes the whole narrative.

The debates rage on whether it genuinely deserved Best Picture in 1994, but nostalgia or no, what you get is a slice of ’90s filmmaking that still draws a crowd. Some will always see Forrest Gump as a bit sentimental or simplistic; it’s more than just a war movie, yet its Vietnam parts leave a proper mark, both on Forrest and American culture. If you’re ranking pure ‘war films’, it goes in the middle — crucial in Hanks’ career, a bit less so for war purists.

'Bridge of Spies' (2015)

Like Charlie Wilson’s War, Bridge of Spies keeps Hanks away from direct action and gives him a pile of moral quandaries instead. Here, Hanks is James B. Donovan, an insurance lawyer strong-armed by the US government to negotiate a high-stakes prisoner swap at the height of the Cold War. It’s all Cold War paranoia and poker-faced negotiation — not a shot fired, just relentless legal jockeying.

Spielfberg directs, and Mark Rylance (as Soviet spy Rudolf Abel) absolutely steals scenes — he even picked up an Oscar for it. Bridge of Spies did respectably at the box office, nabbing $165 million worldwide, and bagged an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. Still, it’s a film that a surprising number of people have managed to overlook. Among Spielberg’s work post-2000, this is definitely in the ‘gem’ category. With a different script, it might’ve taken top spot for Hanks’ war projects — but there’s one film you’re never going to dislodge from number one.

'Saving Private Ryan' (1998)

The absolute benchmark for Hanks in the war genre is — and always has been — Saving Private Ryan. Released in 1998, it gave filmgoers a jolt with its raw, honest depiction of D-Day, violence so uncompromising it set new standards for realism. Hanks leads as Captain Miller, sent to fetch Private Ryan (played by Matt Damon) after the lad’s brothers have been killed in action — so begins a grim dash across enemy territory that makes for some of the tensest scenes Spielberg ever shot.

Saving Private Ryan became 1998’s top-grossing film in the US, out-earning every Hollywood tentpole in its path, and remains the touchstone for WWII cinema nearly three decades later.

Spielberg nabbed his second Best Director Oscar for his efforts, though (in what many still consider robbery) the film lost Best Picture to Shakespeare in Love. Three hours, relentless violence, a cast with Giovanni Ribisi, Adam Goldberg, and Vin Diesel — it’s an ensemble that holds up. Nearly thirty years on, it’s still the one every serious war film is measured against.