Exploring the rise and impact of ISIS through cinema provides a window into one of the most complex geopolitical shifts of the 21st century.

1. Mosul (2019) – Directed by Matthew Michael Carnahan

4. Understand What “Better” Means: Accuracy Over Action

• What sets it apart: It is 90% two men talking behind a low stone wall. The psychological cat-and-mouse game is masterful.
• The "Better" Factor: Most ISIS movies rely on large set pieces. The Wall proves that one guy with a Russian rifle is scarier than a battalion of trucks.

Why it’s better:

While technically set during the War in Afghanistan, this film is essential viewing for understanding modern counter-insurgency warfare. It deals with British paratroopers trapped in a minefield—a metaphor for the impossible tactical situations against shadow enemies like ISIS.

(2017) : A powerful documentary following the "Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently" activists—citizen journalists who risked their lives to document the atrocities committed by ISIS in their hometown. The Return: Life After ISIS

based on a true story. It follows an Iraqi SWAT team fighting to reclaim their city from ISIS, offering a perspective centered on local resistance rather than Western intervention.

1. "American Sniper" (2014): Based on a true story, this biographical war drama film stars Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle, a US Navy SEAL who served in Iraq.
2. "Furious 7" (2015): An action film that features a dramatic sequence where the characters face off against ISIS militants in Abu Dhabi.
3. "In the Heart of the Sea" (2015): A historical action-adventure film that features a brief but intense sequence where the crew of the whaleship Essex faces off against ISIS-inspired militants in the Middle East.
4. "London Has Fallen" (2016): An action-thriller film that features ISIS as a major antagonist, with the organization launching a terrorist attack on the funeral of the British Prime Minister.
5. "The 15:17 to Paris" (2018): A biographical drama film based on the true story of the 2015 Thalys train attack, in which ISIS militants attempted to carry out a terrorist attack on a train traveling from Amsterdam to Paris.
6. "Hotel Mumbai" (2018): A biographical action-thriller film that tells the story of the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, which were inspired by Al-Qaeda and ISIS.
7. "Six Shooter" (2018): A short film that explores the radicalization of a young European woman who becomes involved with ISIS.
8. "Mosul" (2019): A war drama film that follows an Iraqi Special Forces operative as he navigates the battle to retake Mosul from ISIS.
9. "The Outpost" (2020): A war drama film based on the true story of the Battle of Qaraqosh, in which US-backed Kurdish forces fought to retake the Syrian city from ISIS.

special that features the voices of ordinary Iraqis, offering a comprehensive look at the war and the vacuum that allowed ISIS to emerge. City of Ghosts