Film

The Red Baron

A 2008 German war film about Manfred von Richthofen, the legendary WWI fighter pilot, balancing aerial combat heroism with the human cost of mechanised slaughter. It's a handsomely mounted, intimate look at how myth-making works in wartime—less about dogfights than disillusionment. For anyone drawn to character-driven historical drama that questions the romance of warfare.

TMDb rating3.3

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like aerial dogfights shot with real craft and a sense of how romance and doubt can puncture a myth, rather than a straight shoot-em-up.

Skip it if you expect the dogfights to fill the whole running time, because much of this is quieter, earthbound drama and a fairly familiar love story.

What it asks of you: At 106 minutes it runs at a measured pace, moving between cockpit sequences and quieter scenes on the ground, so settle in rather than expecting constant motion.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

All Quiet on the Western Front1930

The definitive WWI film about the grinding, senseless brutality of trench warfare. Haunting, unflinching, and technically extraordinary for its time. Sets the tone for every war film that followed.

But It's relentlessly bleak and the pacing occasionally feels slow by modern standards, which some find didactic rather than dramatically engaging.

All Quiet on the Western Front poster

Gallipoli1981

Peter Weir's masterpiece about young Australian soldiers in WWI—intimate character study meets sweeping historical tragedy. Focuses on friendship, idealism, and how quickly both can be destroyed.

But The final act is emotionally devastating in a way that leaves you wrung out rather than satisfied.

Gallipoli poster

Flyboys2006

American pilots in WWI France with genuine aerial sequences and a focus on the nascent fighter pilot culture. Has the same 'noble combatants in an ignoble war' tension as The Red Baron.

But The character development is thinner than it should be and some subplots feel obligatory rather than earned.

Flyboys poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Red Baron

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

A Very Long Engagement2004

Both films are interested in how individuals process the gap between the myth of war (honour, heroism, legacy) and its actual reality.

Audrey Tautou investigates the truth behind her fiancé's death in the Somme. It's a detective story wrapped in a love story wrapped in a war film—uses mystery structure to explore how we construct narratives about death and sacrifice.

But It's 2.5 hours and deliberately digressive; the investigation takes priority over historical accuracy, which frustrates history-first viewers.

A Very Long Engagement poster
More like this (7)

The Blue Max1966

A German pilot climbing the ranks through aerial kills while wrestling with conscience and ambition. Direct thematic cousin to The Red Baron, with brilliant dogfight choreography for the era.

But Heavy on military protocol and office politics, which means stretches feel more like procedural than drama.

The Blue Max poster

Wings1966

Soviet WWI aviation film with stunning aerial photography and a focus on camaraderie between pilots. Quiet, observant, beautiful—a different cultural take on the same material.

But Pacing is deliberate and contemplative; if you want action, this prioritises atmosphere and character reflection instead.

Wings poster

Aces High1976

British WWI pilot drama with Malcolm McDowell. Explores how the air war creates a separate caste of heroes while ground troops die in futility. Sharp-eyed about mythology.

But The aerial sequences don't match modern standards and some performances veer theatrical for what the material needs.

Aces High poster

The Dawn Patrol1930

Early talkie about RAF squadron commanders sending men to certain death. Intimate, morally complex, and genuinely moving about the cost of command.

But It's brief and sparse by design, which some feel doesn't dig deep enough into character.

The Dawn Patrol poster

Paths of Glory1957

Kubrick's devastating indictment of WWI command structure and injustice. Not about pilots, but the same rage at how the war was conducted and who paid the price.

But It's a courtroom drama as much as a war film, and the final section shifts register completely—some find it jarring.

Paths of Glory poster

Johnny Got His Gun1971

A soldier returns from WWI as a living torso—conscious, trapped, unable to communicate. Surreal, anti-war, and philosophically uncompromising about the cost of combat.

But It's genuinely difficult to watch. The premise alone will alienate viewers and the execution spares nothing.

Johnny Got His Gun poster

Das Boot1981

Like The Red Baron, it's a German-made film about Germans in combat that refuses to lionise either side—both centre individual experience over national mythology.

A German submarine's final patrol. Incredibly tense, visually confined, and tells the war from inside a metal tube. German perspective on WWII (not WWI, but similar moral architecture) with no propaganda, just men trapped by circumstance.

But Three hours, dialogue-heavy, and largely underwater. If claustrophobia bothers you, it's almost unbearable.

Das Boot poster

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Recommended by

The Dawn Patrol, The Blue Max, Battle of Britain, Captains of the Clouds