Military Movies to Watch for Memorial Day

Touted as the “last great silent film,” Wings stars Paramount It girl Clara Bow in a Great War drama that’s cheeky with the bromance, heavy on the melodrama, and generous with the comedy. But, really, it’s the stunt flying and aerial combat that’ll keep you glued to the screen. Watch

It takes many battles to win the war. The battle in Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal’s crosshairs is the black ops manhunt for most-wanted Osama bin Laden following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Jessica Chastain takes the reins as the operative ultimately responsible for locating the target. Watch

Connection in combat can go beyond the brother- and sisterhoods and extend to those on four legs. This based-on-a-true-story film from Blackfish director Gabriela Cowperthwaite depicts the bond between a Marine corporal (played by Kate Mara) and the K-9 who helped her save countless lives. Watch

A story about truth, lies, and honor, Edward Zwick’s military mystery stars Denzel Washington as a lieutenant colonel wrestling with Desert Storm demons who's tasked with investigating an army captain (Meg Ryan) killed in action for the Medal of Honor. Watch

You know her best as wannabe freak Lindsay Weir or sibling accomplice Meg Rayburn, but in 2011, Linda Cardellini made a huge impact in a tiny film directed by Liza Johnson. An under-appreciated character study, Return charts a soldier’s struggle to get reacquainted with life before tour. Watch

Aaron Sorkin’s tactical dialogue is so iconic, some quotes have practically become our country’s national anthem. There's no time like Memorial Day to dust off the whites and hunker down with Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson for one of Hollywood’s greatest war of words. Watch

Who knew the Dunkerque, France, military op was going to be the cinematic trend of 2017? With Christopher Nolan’s layered masterpiece joining British rom com Their Finest and Gary Oldman’s Darkest Hour, the WWII battle had a moment. Nolan’s take, however, might be the actual finest. Watch

There’s more to Sam Mendes than American Beauty and movies starring his then-wife Kate Winslet. This wartime diamond in the rough stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a marine sniper whose lack of gunfire combat is causing him to misfire personally. Jamie Foxx, fireworks, and Santa hats all co-star. Watch

Duty, honor, camaraderie, patriotism: there are many reasons to enlist. But Bill Murray and Harold Ramis join the army in Ivan Reitman’s comedy for a more curious purpose: fun. If you haven’t seen this camo-clad razzle-dazzle, dig up the version with resurrected deleted scenes. Watch

Ask not what your country can do for you, but rather, what a maverick Tom Cruise in aviators and a bomber jacket can do for your country. At more than 30 years old, Tony Scott’s 1986 aerial classic about a bunch of fighter pilots doing fighter pilot things just keeps getting better with time. Watch

Francis Ford Coppola’s seminal wartime thriller is a must-see that chronicles one captain’s journey into the murkiest crevices of Cambodia’s jungle and the darkest corners of his own psyche. The horror, the encounters, the mission: it’s all so visceral, you can practically smell the napalm. Watch

Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman butt heads - or rather, nuclear war objectives - in this action-packed Jerry Bruckheimer war thriller that takes place way below sea level. Actually, the duo are so dominate you almost forget the rest of the splashy cast: James Gandolfini and Viggo Mortensen. Watch

Director Oren Moverman delivers a gut punch with his Oscar-worthy indie film about a soldier’s onerous tour of duty in the Army’s Casualty Notification service. In layman’s terms: Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson star in a movie alerting next of kin their loved ones have been killed. It’s heavy. Watch

Never one to bend to stereotypes, Kathryn Bigelow takes on the Iraq War with a thriller that examines the cost of freedom through the POV of a nonconformist sergeant leading a bomb squad through hostile territory. Jeremy Renner is that sergeant, and war-torn Baghdad is that hostile territory. Watch

There is no home of the free without acts of the brave. In Peter Berg’s studio retelling of Marcus Luttrell’s memoir, that sentiment is clear. The fact that it’s a Berg production tells you three things: 1) There will be action, 2) there will be emotion, and 3) there will be a role for Taylor Kitsch. Watch

Think twice before diving into movie snacks when queuing up this Spielberg gem - the opening scene launches into heavy combat on the shores of Omaha Beach: vomiting soldiers, severed bodies and all. And, to be honest, the heartbreak and stomach-wrenching fare doesn’t really let up from that point on. Watch

Get in, sit down, shut up, hold on. That's the best advice we can give you for Wolfgang Petersen’s German U-boat thriller. A claustrophobic naval adventure set during the Battle of the Atlantic, it’s a harrowing account that will make you thankful your time stuck in a sub runs no longer than the length of the film. Watch

Neill Blomkamp made indie sci-fi history when he imagined the post-alien dystopian future ravaging South Africa, along with some of the most creative artillery to ever grace the screen. Its complementary recipe of one part innovative action, one part human condition is something to savor. Watch

Every self-described tough guy or gal is a fan of Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, and every self-described war film enthusiast dissects Oliver Stone’s Platoon. But there’s more to explore, like Joel Schumacher’s gritty boot camp drama that marks one of several career highs for Colin Farrell. Watch

A reimagined home-invasion thriller about a soldier who shakes up the lives of his fallen comrade’s family, Adam Wingard’s Halloween-set mumblegore indie takes a sharp turn into military ambush about a third of the way through. Oh, the genres that will blend. Just go with it. Watch

Not that Michael Curtiz’s Rick-loves-Ilsa classic showcases actual battle per se, but it does use the early stages of WWII as a backdrop for one of the most iconic romances ever. Also, spending some time with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman is much-needed therapy after some of the entries on this list. Watch

A U.S. fighter pilot on a classified mission crashes in Laos, is taken prisoner, then plots his escape. Sounds like a familiar war plot, sure, but what sets this survival tale apart from the others is the talent in front of the lens - Christian Bale leads - and behind it, as Werner Herzog directs. Watch

David O. Russell’s royal trio consists of George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Ice Cube. Their mission: to turn one of history’s most uneventful events, the Gulf War, into an entertaining adventure comedy about greed, gold, and good deeds. It’s unexpectedly one of the best war movies of the ‘90s. Watch

Emily Blunt and Tom Cruise suit up for a time-travel military mind-bender that’s like Groundhog Day with a sci- fi twist. Doug Liman directs a genius screenplay from Christopher McQuarrie, somehow melding aliens, humor, and bad-assery to create lightning in a bottle. Sequel’s coming soon. Watch