8 Best Wolfgang Petersen Movies, Ranked

Versatile and ingenious are two of the best words to describe the late Wolfgang Petersen and his filmography. From war epics and sci-fi to children’s fantasy and political thrillers, Petersen delivered commercial and critically acclaimed hit films throughout his career, while attracting some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

In addition, the man carved out a special place for claustrophobia as a recurring element in his high-stakes stories. Most of his films were action thrillers, and unlike action movies of the ‘80s and ‘90s, where stunts and action dominated, his movies had a mind of their own. The list below consists of Wolfgang Petersen's eight career-best movies worth revisiting.

8 Best High-Stakes Wolfgang Petersen Movies

1. Das Boot (1981)

War is hell, but in Das Boot, people are stuck in a disabled submarine in the middle of the ocean while fighting, which is way worse. Starring Jürgen Prochnow as the captain, Das Boot follows a crew of German Nazi sailors who set out to patrol the Atlantic; instead, they face intense psychological distress and strain on their well-being.

Wolfgang Petersen’s Das Boot was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Director. It is widely considered one of the greatest war films as well as one of the best German films of all time.

2. In the Line of Fire (1993)

There’s a saying that thrillers are only as good as their villains, and John Malkovich, as a former CIA operative gone rogue, does exactly that. Not only was In the Line of Fire a box office hit, but it was also nominated for three Oscars.

The plot follows a veteran Secret Service agent named Horrigan (Clint Eastwood) who still feels guilty for not being able to protect John F. Kennedy 30 years ago. Mitch, played by Malkovich, makes a series of calls threatening to assassinate the President of the United States. As he plays mind games with Horrigan, giving him a couple of false alarms, he is taken off White House duty. Now, Horrigan has to break rules in order to apprehend Mitch and his plans.

3. The NeverEnding Story (1984)

The NeverEnding Story tells the story of the Kingdom of Fantasia that’s about to be wiped out not by an evil force, but by nothingness and dullness. The only thing standing between Fantasia and nothingness is a small boy named Bastian (Barret Oliver), who discovers the kingdom in a book. He can save the kingdom by giving a name to the Child Empress (Tami Stronach).

The idea of the story within a story is a nice touch in The NeverEnding Story. Another one is the idea that a child’s faith is the deciding factor in changing the course of fate. It’s a great kids' movie, which teaches them that storytelling is a never-ending act of childlike imagination.

4. Air Force One (1997)

The box office hit movie Air Force One features Gary Oldman as the leader of a gang of terrorists who gain control of Air Force One as it’s flying back home from Moscow. As the United States President James Marshall (Harrison Ford) is one of the hostages with his wife and child on the same flight, he has to forge a plan to take down the terrorists himself.

The film struggles with hostage cliché tropes, but the star power and Ford’s charisma pull off the impossible mission. The movie was nominated for two Oscars in technical categories and became one of the most popular action movies of the ‘90s, grossing over $300 million worldwide.

5. Outbreak (1995)

Featuring the likes of Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Kevin Spacey, and Morgan Freeman, Outbreak might be Wolfgang Petersen’s most underrated thriller; however, it has an exciting plot along with a helicopter combat sequence that certainly makes your mouth go dry.

With the race against time to save the nearby town and its residents from a dangerous virus outbreak, contagious disease expert Sam (Dustin Hoffman) and his pilot, Major Salt (Cuba Gooding Jr.), capture the host animal to develop antibodies and save the city from being nuked. Outbreak is indeed an exciting disaster movie to watch.

6. Enemy Mine (1985)

In Petersen’s only straight sci-fi film, Enemy Mine, the spaceships of two warring pilots crash-land not far from each other on an alien planet. One of the pilots is a human (Dennis Quaid) and the other is a reptilian humanoid (Louis Gossett Jr.) from the planet Dracon. Despite being natural enemies, they learn to live together, to help each other, and eventually, to love each other.

Due to some great visual effects work and performances, the film looks convincing enough. It’s effectively about the theme of communication between two alien species that we can learn a lot from. The film initially failed, but critics and the audience eventually came around and have been more welcoming.

7. Troy (2004)

Loosely based on the epic poem The Iliad by Homer, Troy recounts the legend of the Trojan War, as the fortress is attacked by a Greek army led by Menelaus of Sparta and Agamemnon of Mycenae.

The movie stars talented actors like Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Diane Kruger, Brian Cox, and Brendan Gleeson. Critics initially blasted the film for its focus on spectacle rather than emotional nuance, but Troy will grant you popcorn entertainment with its violent, watered-down version of The Iliad.

Moreover, Brad Pitt is worth watching in his complex portrayal of Achilles, which somehow goes against the Greek style of storytelling, where heroes don’t have doubts or second thoughts.

8. The Perfect Storm (2000)

Petersen’s The Perfect Storm is based on the bestseller by Sebastian Junger, and is mostly about a fishing ship named the Andrea Gail and its crew, out of Gloucester, Massachusetts, which had the misfortune in 1991 of running into ‘The Perfect Storm,’ when three great storm systems collided in the Atlantic.

The Perfect Storm was nominated for two Oscars (Visual Effects and Sound Mixing) and features a great ensemble cast, including George Clooney, Diane Lane, and Mark Wahlberg, in this gripping survival thriller. If you want to watch a bunch of people fighting for their lives in a small boat amidst a big storm, The Perfect Storm will keep you hooked.

Summing It Up

Did we miss out on any of your favorite Wolfgang Petersen movies?

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