More often than not, movies opt for a more sensationalized portrait of military life, prioritizing action and thrills in lieu of grounded realism.
Every so often, though, a more realistic war movie will come along, displaying the everyday life of a service member with startling accuracy.
Check out these movies that understood military life.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
When Saving Private Ryan first came out in 1998, many D-Day survivors reportedly had to leave the theater when watching the film’s opening sequence.
Depicting the horrific conditions of the Normandy invasion, director Steven Spielberg forever immortalized the brave efforts of the men who stormed Omaha Beach with the first 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan.
Dunkirk (2017)
Leave it to Christopher Nolan to think of a war film as unorthodox as Dunkirk.
Dividing up its eponymous subject matter by showing the evacuation from the land, air, and sea, Nolan manages to capture the sheer desperation on Allied soldiers’ faces as they struggle to flee from the encroaching Axis forces, escaping from France by the mere skin of their teeth.
Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
A biographical drama centered around combat medic/religious pacifist Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), Hacksaw Ridge focuses on Doss’s first-hand experiences in combat training and on the battlefields of World War II.
With keen attention to detail spent on Doss’s bureaucratic battles against the Marines’ hierarchy, Hacksaw Ridge also underscores the horrendous conditions of the Pacific Theater (including non-stop violence waiting around every corner).
Black Hawk Down (2001)
A dramatization of the failed U.S. intervention in Somalia, Black Hawk Down zeroes in on the Battle of Mogadishu between a coalition of U.S. special forces and local Somali militia groups.
Humanizing every U.S. service members who appears on-screen, Black Hawk Down also showed the complicated circ*mstances that led to the battle in the first-place, including the deplorable actions of opportunistic Somali warlords.
Lone Survivor (2013)
At first glance, Lone Survivor might appear as an average shoot-'em-up thriller, but in reality, director Peter Berger presents a harrowing biographical drama centered around 2005’s Operation Red Wings.
Doing plenty of justice to every participant involved in the mission, Lone Survivor serves as a fitting lasting testament to the brave men who lost their lives in the operation.
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
While some viewers might debate elements of Full Metal Jacket’s second half, the first act of this 1987 classic remains beyond repute.
Focusing on the stressful, dehumanizing effect of Marines’ basic training, Full Metal Jacket also shows the gradual transformation such a process has on the average soldier, turning them from young men into hardened, unthinking, unfeeling killing machines.
Platoon (1986)
More so than most Vietnam War movies, Platoon hammers home the notion that war breeds monsters of us all, threatening to strip the average soldier of their dignity, morality, and very humanity.
Incorporating some unsavory aspects of the Vietnam War into its narrative, Platoon underlines the most problematic aspects of its historical conflict (including the systemic violence heaped on civilian non-combatants).
Jarhead (2005)
More often than not, people tend to look back at 2005’s Jarhead and label it with one word above all else: “boring.”
Yet throughout its two-hour runtime, director Sam Mendes presents the everyday experiences of American soldiers overseas, including the endless tedium, boredom, and homesickness troops face on the frontlines.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
When most people imagine an 18th century naval battle, they might think of the larger-than-life sea battles of Pirates of the Caribbean.
Compared to its fictional counterpart, though, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World illustrates the day-to-day reality of life aboard a Napoleonic warship, from the looming threat of random sea squalls to the lengthy chases between two enemy vessels.
1917 (2019)
A rare war movie set against the backdrop of World War One, 1917 also emphasizes the true horrors soldiers faced in the trenches of its historical conflict.
Facing death, disease, and crippling mental and physical exhaustion, 1917 depicts the utter chaos that characterized the Great War, all told from the average soldiers’ perspective.
Glory (1989)
One of the finest Civil War movies ever made, Glory chronicles the inspirational story of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment — one of the earliest Union regiments that relied on Black servicemen.
Focusing on the regiment’s earliest formation up to its fateful charge against Fort Wagner, Glory analyzes the overwhelming heroism displayed by the 54th during a pivotal time in our nation’s history.
The Hurt Locker (2008)
Through its shaky handheld camera angles and more realistic tone, The Hurt Locker achieves a semblance of reality that most other war movies could only dream of capturing.
Transporting viewers to the Middle East amid the War on Terror, The Hurt Locker gets audience members’ blood pumping through its tense bomb disposal sequences and heart-stomping military stand-offs.
Stalingrad (1993)
The second German war film to depict the Battle of Stalingrad, Stalingrad never holds back when it comes to its subject material.
Detailing one of the worst battles in World War II, it shows countless human war crimes throughout its two-hour runtime.Stalingrad recaptures the same hellish conditions troops faced in its historical battle.
Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
World War II films tend to adopt the point of view of soldiers on the Allied side of the conflict, distancing themselves from the authoritarian undertones of the Axis Powers.
With Letters from Iwo Jima, though, director Clint Eastwood helps humanize the Imperial Japanese Army, allowing us to better understand their perspective as the Pacific War came to a close.
Rescue Dawn (2006)
Based on the actual experiences of Vietnam War fighter pilot Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale), Rescue Dawn chronicles Dengler’s torture and captivity at the hands of Laotian nationalists in the mid-1960s.
Valuing realism above all else, Rescue Dawn’s adherence to historical reality makes for a startling cinematic experience, as well as one that does plenty of justice to Dengler’s story.
All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
A loose remake of the 1930 film of the same name, All Quiet on the Western Front offers a more harrowing portrait of World War One than its earlier predecessor.
Never shying away from the most uncomfortable aspects of the First World War, All Quiet on the Western Front illustrates the actual experiences of life in the trenches in a way few films can.
We Were Soldiers (2002)
Though not as morally gray as most other Vietnam War movies out there, We Were Soldiers excels at displaying the reality behind its historical subject matter.
Presenting the initial battle between U.S. and North Vietnamese forces, We Were Soldiers underlines the brutal atrocities soldiers witnessed on both sides of the conflict.
Das Boot (1981)
More so than most navy-focused movies, Das Boot shows off the arduous reality behind life aboard a submarine (in this case, the German U-96 sub).
Examining the day-to-day life of U-96’s crew, Das Boot also displays the disconnect between longtime veterans and new recruits, juxtaposing the former’s pragmatic cynicism with the latter’s youthful patriotism.
