6 Best Jack Hawkins Movies

By Vlad Zakh · February 9, 2026

Jack Hawkins brought a commanding, authoritative presence to British cinema and became the definitive screen embodiment of stoic military leadership. Zulu has a small British garrison facing a Zulu army, Lawrence of Arabia follows an officer uniting Arab tribes, Ben-Hur sends a betrayed prince after his Roman friend, and Waterloo chronicles the climactic battle between Napoleon and Wellington. The Bridge on the River Kwai and The Cruel Sea round out the list.

Waterloo (1970)

TMDB ★ 7.1

Jack Hawkins features in this epic that chronicles the climactic final battle between Napoleon and the Duke of Wellington in exhaustive detail.

Directed by Sergei Bondarchuk · 2h 14m

Where to watch

Stream: ITVX Premium · Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, Sky Store, YouTube

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Zulu (1964)

TMDB ★ 7.6

Jack Hawkins features in this war epic about a small garrison of British soldiers making a desperate last stand against an overwhelming Zulu force.

Directed by Cy Endfield · 2h 18m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, FlixFling, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Troma NOW, Artiflix · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, FlixFling

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

IMDb ★ 8.3 RT 93% Metacritic 100

A British officer unites Arab tribes to fight the Ottoman Empire during the First World War.

Directed by David Lean · 3h 48m · Rated PG

Won 7 Oscars31 wins & 14 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads, Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Ben-Hur (1959)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 87% Metacritic 90

A betrayed Jewish prince seeks revenge on his childhood friend, now a powerful Roman official.

Directed by William Wyler · 3h 32m · Rated G

Won 11 Oscars29 wins & 13 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 96% Metacritic 88

British prisoners of war are made to build a strategic railway bridge for their Japanese captors.

Directed by David Lean · 2h 42m · Rated PG

Won 7 Oscars30 wins & 7 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Cruel Sea (1953)

TMDB ★ 7.4

Jack Hawkins plays a British naval captain whose crew endures the brutal, unrelenting demands of anti-submarine warfare.

Directed by Charles Frend · 2h 06m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: BFI Player Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Jack Hawkins Movies

Waterloo (1970)

Zulu (1964)

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Ben-Hur (1959)

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

The Cruel Sea (1953)

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