Overview
A powerful tale of friendship and survival amidst the horrors of war.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- sentimental
- melancholic
- sweeping
- historical drama night
- family movie night with older teens
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's technical mastery, sweeping imagery, and emotional sincerity while noting its old-fashioned sentimentality and reliance on Anglo-German clichés.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Joey's movement through farms, cavalry units, occupied territory, and the battlefield connects multiple wartime perspectives.
Spielberg contrasts plowed English farmland and intimate horse scenes with cavalry charges, trenches, artillery, and no man's land.
Joey's survival brings him into contact with British, German, and French characters despite the divisions of the conflict.
The film's broad compositions, orchestral emotionalism, moral clarity, and unabashed sentiment recall John Ford and studio-era war epics.
Films like War Horse, and why
1917
shared world war i setting, emotional humanism, battlefield spectacle, and traditional studio-era sentimentality
saving private ryan
shared epic war drama structure, young protagonists, earnest emotional tone, and large-scale combat imagery
the black stallion
shared animal-centered wartime storytelling, family appeal, adventure drama, and bittersweet emotional stakes
the english patient
shared sweeping historical drama, classical visual craftsmanship, and sentimental focus on personal resilience amid war
Movie Details
- Director
- Steven Spielberg
- Release Date
- 2011-12-25
- Runtime
- 146 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (3777)
Cast
- Jeremy Irvine
- Peter Mullan
- Emily Watson
- Niels Arestrup
- David Thewlis
- Tom Hiddleston
- Benedict Cumberbatch
- Céline Buckens
- Toby Kebbell
- Patrick Kennedy
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is War Horse about?
- A beloved farm horse becomes the emotional thread connecting young Albert and strangers across the devastation of the First World War.
- What is War Horse like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of War Horse as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is War Horse violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in War Horse as brutal.
- What did critics think of War Horse?
- Critics broadly praised the film's technical mastery, sweeping imagery, and emotional sincerity while noting its old-fashioned sentimentality and reliance on Anglo-German clichés.
- Which films are like War Horse?
- Films with a similar feel include 1917, saving private ryan, the black stallion, and the english patient.
- How long is War Horse?
- War Horse runs 146 minutes.
- Where can I watch War Horse?
- In United States, War Horse is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
