10 Brilliant Military Movies to watch on Veterans Day

Hollywood is obsessed with war movies. And so, if you wish to get into the Veterans Day spirit, watching a movie is a good way to start. And if you have high-speed Internet plans such as Spectrum Internet packages, finding and renting a classic military movie online is no big deal. Let’s see the 10 brilliant military movies to watch on Veterans Day.

We all know that Veterans Day is a tribute to the ones who served and are currently serving America. This day is celebrated with traditional barbecues, special events, military-themed gatherings, and watching a military-themed movie.

Here are some movies, classic and new, masterfully capturing the struggles of the veterans on the battlefield. 

1: American Sniper

After returning home from a war in Iraq, Chris Kyle struggles to let go of the trauma he experienced on the battlefield. This begins to affect his life and marriage. It is loosely based on Chris Kyle’s memoir.

Chris becomes the deadliest marksman in the history of the US military with 355 kills from 4 tours in the Iraq war. Kyle (played by Bradly Cooper) had a successful military career but his tours of duty took a toll on his life. 

2: Lone Survivor

It’s an American biographical war movie based on a book by Marcus Luttrell. The film sets during a war in Afghanistan dramatizing the successful mission of the US Navy SEAL. During this mission, a 4 four-man SEAL reconnaissance and surveillance team was assigned the task of tracking Ahmad Shah, a Taliban leader. As these men are sent to the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan, they become targets of the enemy attacks. 

3: Flags of Our Fathers

This movie is based on a book by James Bradley & Ron Powers with the same name. It’s about the combat of Iwo Jima in 1945, telling the story of 4 marines and a navy corpsman who raise the flag on the battlefield. 

The film has been produced from the American viewpoint. Flags of our father failed to perform on the box office but it received favorable reviews from critics. It takes us to the tale of a young man who sets out to interview his dad’s fellow soldiers who raised the flag on the battlefield during WWII.

4: Platoon

Oliver Stone has been a problematic figure in Hollywood for all sorts of reasons. However, his move Platoon left the audience spell-bound. It’s considered one of the most realistic battle movies made about the Vietnam War. 

The movie is about a platoon of American soldiers who fight and die in the Jungles of Vietnam. From the immorality of the political masters to the horrors of warfare, everything feels so real. 

Here are several true-to-life moments. One such is the scene where the army brass informs the leaders of the platoon that while the show must go on, the uniform code of military justice applies to all the troops in the field or until the mission is complete. Overall, the movie does a great job of depicting the madness and the chaos of the war.

5: Top Gun

Top Gun is one of the movies that works if you accept it for its exaggeration of military life and a fantasy that involves aircraft carriers and fighter pilots. Honestly, actual people from the Navy hated the film because it worked as a recruiting tool for the air force. 

You would be disappointed if you watch the movie with the military realism expectations. Consider it; Star wars of navy recruitment. 

6: Stalag 17

American cinema did a fine job in focusing on the darker themes of the war in quite the same way its counterparts did. Stalag 17 is one of the important military-themed films since it portrays cinematic artifice. 

Here is how the story goes. Two prisoners in the German camp of the POW with inmates of American airmen, try to flee the compound. They are shot dead after being discovered quickly. The remaining men suspect that one of them is a German spy and so they all set their eyes on Sargent Sefton who repeatedly makes exchanges with the German guards. Sefton has to protect himself from an angry mob of inmates who find the true traitor among them.

Stalag 17 was a milestone introduction to a realistic portrayal of the world. If you are a sucker for Hollywood classics, this movie is going to fascinate you. 

7: The Thin Red Line

This movie is about a group of soldiers who are faced with an unlikely battle at the Guadalcanal where they have to fight all the odds to survive. As the war progresses, they lose track of each out whilst hoping to win the war. 

Some people have been offended by this film. Although it is set during WWII on Guadalcanal and chronicles the narrative of one soldier’s adventures there, it is not a typical military film. The story is told differently. It succeeds at what it sets out to do, but if you aren’t along for the voyage, you may be left unconvinced of its qualities.

The Thin Red Line is more of a meditation on the personal cost of war than a film about events, consequences, or narratives linked with the war because it focuses on the inner conversation of the protagonists. Hence, it’s not everyone’s kind of movie.

8: A Few Good Me

It’s another Tome Cruise movie that might set you for disappointment. 

Courtroom movies usually fall into one of two categories: they’re either amusing or they’re not. This military-themed courtroom film is high on drama, makes a few political statements, and isn’t too technical to offend.

If you can get past the idea that Cruise’s character as a junior counsel, might be the primary prosecutor in a case involving a command-level officer, A Few Good Men is surprisingly a good film. To actually enjoy the movie, it’s important to remember that it’s not technically military. So, ignore the goods and enjoy the chemistry between Tom Cruise, Moore, and Pollak.

9: Iron Eagle

Okay, people in the military may have criticized this movie for its many flaws. It’s bad but it’s entertaining. It’s safe to watch to have some fun. 

Anyone with slight familiarity with the air force flight operations will enjoy many good laughs over this movie. Iron Eagle has a Top Gun-like theme. The son of a veteran US air force pilot colonel hopes to follow his father’s suit until his hopes come crashing down when he receives a rejection notice from the academy. Things get worse when he hears the news that his father has been shot and captured by an Arab state (which is fictional). 

10: The Great Escape

It’s one of the military movies proving that war films don’t always have to be grim and gloomy. The Great Escape is received inspiration from a true story of a mass escape from the German Stalag Luft III.  The movie however has several fictionalized versions of the escape. Much of it is a commercial appeal, though. 

The motorcycle chase and the jump scene in the movie were considered to be the best stunts ever performed.  

These movies will give you a new appreciation for the men and women in the military to basically sacrifice their whole lives to protect you.

Tagged: best military movies, military boot camp movies