Happy New Year everyone!

Today’s post has been one of my favourites to put together, as it has involved watching plenty of film trailers. I am now convinced we have some amazing war films coming our way in 2017.

However, my list has been completely dominated by films focusing on World War Two, so if you’ve seen or heard about some other military history films in 2017, please let us know!

Hacksaw Ridge

UK Release: 27th January 2017
Directed by Mel Gibson
Starring Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington

“WWII American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people, and becomes the first man in American history to receive the Medal of Honor without firing a shot.”
Source: IMDb

Although Hacksaw Ridge has already been released in cinemas across the world, there are a few us still waiting to see the Golden Globe-nominated film.

 

The Man with the Iron Heart

Release: 2017
Directed by Cédric Jimenez
Starring Rosamund Pike, Jack O’Connell, Mia Wasikowska

“1942: The Third Reich is at its peak.
The Czech resistance in London decides to plan the most ambitious military operation of WWII: Anthropoid.
Two young recruits in their late twenties, Jozef Gabcik and Jan Kubis, are sent to Prague to assassinate the most ruthless Nazi leader - Reich-protector Reinhard Heydrich, Head of the SS, the Gestapo, and the architect of the "Final Solution"."
Source: IMDb

There is no trailer for this one, which is unfortunate, but with that cast and synopsis, The Man with the Iron Heart certainly sounds interesting.
 

The Zookeeper’s Wife

UK Release: 5 May 2017
Directed by Niki Caro
Starring Jessica Chastain, Daniel Brühl

“The Zookeeper's Wife tells the account of keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, Antonina and Jan Zabinski,
who helped save hundreds of people and animals during the Nazi invasion.”
Source: IMDb 

Whilst this doesn't seem to be an action-packed film, I still had to share the trailer with you. The film is an adaptation of the New York Times bestselling book, which was itself based on the diaries of Antonina Żabińska. 
 

Pegasus Bridge

Release: 2017
Directed by Lance Nielsen
Starring Jason Flemyng, Phil Davis

“In the early hours of the 6th of June 1944 Allied Airborne Forces launched one of most daring assaults in history. 181 men in 6 gliders landed at night to capture two bridges vital to the success of the D-Day landings, one of these would become known as Pegasus Bridge. The men who captured and held these objectives were led by two young charismatic and very different leaders. Major John Howard led the men of the Ox and Bucks Light Infantry who managed to land their gliders a stone's throw from the bridge and Colonel Geoffrey Pine-Coffin led the men of the 7th Parachute Battalion who occupied the surrounding ground and held off the German counter attacks. Pegasus Bridge tells the story of these leaders and the young men who would follow them into battle. This film is a grand tale of real wartime heroism-the story follows an ensemble cast of key characters from their initial briefing on the operation in the UK and training through to the actual assault on the bridges, their capture and the desperate defence that followed in the immediate twenty-four hours. It is told not only from the British perspective but also through the eyes of the first French family to be liberated, the sweethearts left behind and several key German characters who were responsible for the defence of the area. As the British paratroopers and glider infantrymen struggle to hold off the ever increasing number of German forces will they will be relieved from the sea in time?”

Again, there isn't a trailer for this one but that synopsis from the director certainly sets the scene.
 

Dunkirk

UK Release: 21st July 2017
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy

“Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire and France are surrounded
by the German army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.” 
Source: IMDb 

Everyone on our Facebook and Twitter feeds were loving the new trailer for Dunkirk, it’s just a shame we have to wait until the summer to finally see it.

That’s the five I have to share with you today. Let me know if there’s any I missed and which ones you’ll be going to the cinema to see in 2017!

Also, if you’re interested in reading more about Okinawa or Dunkirk, see our Campaign books, Okinawa 1945 and Dunkirk 1940. Alternitively, see our 2016 book, Fifty Greatest War Films by Tim Newark.