Fictional military movies are fascinating as they normally make it easier for filmmakers to incorporate the one-man-army trope and insert wild subplots. While this is ideal for action fans, war, and history buffs tend to appreciate it more when the characters being depicted actually existed in the real world. By relying on biographical stories, movies not only celebrate these individuals but also make more people aware of their exploits.
Today, there are numerous films about people who participated in wars and either did something outstanding or shot themselves in the foot. Whichever side of the heroism seesaw they fall on, these individuals will forever be remembered for doing way more than just firing weapons and getting it over with. The majority of the biographical military movies are generally accurate too, though a few creative liberties are taken, especially when it comes to the dialogue.
10 MacArthur (1977)
Douglas MacArthur is rarely talked about nowadays, yet he was one of the most influential American citizens during World War II and the Korean War. After demonstrating exemplary leadership skills during the former conflict, MacArthur was leading the troops in Korea but strong differences in opinion and strategy forced President Truman to relieve him of his command.
The veteran’s story is best told in MacArthur where audiences get to see his entire journey from the days before he was influential to the days when he lost his glory. A lot of surprising details about him are provided, notably the fact that he was both smart and inhumane. At one point, he even suggested using nuclear bombs on China and North Korea, well aware of the damage such weapons had caused in Japan.
9 American Sniper (2014)
Among the few Hollywood actors turned filmmakers, Clint Eastwood’s work is arguably the most impressive as his directorial work has attracted numerous accolades. In American Sniper, he presents the story of Chris Kyle who had 255 confirmed kills across four tours of duty in Iraq, hence earning his spot as the deadliest sniper in American history. Unfortunately, after retiring, he was killed by a veteran who was suffering from PTSD.
American Sniper is, therefore, both a sad and happy film. As high as his kill count is, Kyle is shown to be very patriotic and caring. When asked if his kills haunt him, he says that only the souls of the people he didn’t save haunt him. Bradley Cooper also gives an outstanding performance as the war hero and because of his work, he earned himself an Oscar nomination.
8 Hacksaw Ridge (2015)
Whether war is justifiable in God’s eyes is a matter of debate and Hacksaw Ridge explores such a topic while sprinkling in plenty of dramatic moments. The story is about Desmond Doss, who strongly believed in the “Thou shall not kill” commandment but chose to enlist anyway so that he could serve as an army medic. Well, even medics have to learn the use of weapons but Doss totally refused to do so.
The movie thus shows how Doss’ case was an extremely complex one for his army superiors and the government to handle. If he had been brutally treated and discharged for his pacifist beliefs, the government would have alienated most American citizens (who are religious). And while some might have assumed Doss was using religion to mask his cowardice, he proved to be braver than his gun-totting colleagues. During the Battle of Okinawa, he saved 75 men without firing a single shot.
7 Che (2008)
Decades after he died, Marxist revolutionary leader, Ernesto “Che” Guevara, remains one of the most celebrated figures in the world and his life story is told conclusively by Steven Soderbergh in Che. The film uses an interspersed rather than a chronological format, hence audiences don’t find themselves having to wait too long for the iconic moments that they have read about before.
And unlike many other Hollywood movies about foreign influential figures — which often use English as the default language — Che sticks to Spanish. Most importantly, the biopic digs into the revolutionary’s mind frame, showing that he was a great military strategist but a poor politician. While he could have gone on to be one of the most powerful people in Cuba, he chose to continue to stick to a life of fighting, a decision that eventually cost him his life.
6 Lone Survivor (2013)
Military missions can go terribly wrong, especially when the soldiers become a little too empathetic. In Lone Survivor, a Navy SEAL unit is sent to the Hindu Kudish region of Afghanistan to take out Taliban leader Ahmad Shah. While hiding out in the hoods, shepherds spot them. Unsure what to do with them, they let them go and abandon the mission. This proves to be costly for them as the men alert the Taliban, resulting in a deadly ambush.
The spotlight is mainly on Marcus Luttrell, who ended up becoming the only survivor out of the four SEALs. As tense and brutal as the film is, it’s very enjoyable because it gives a very accurate picture of how things tend to be on the ground for even the most skilled military units. Though they have been properly trained, the SEALs get overwhelmed by Taliban attacks. Worse still, they have numerous communication problems due to poor signal.
5 Valkyrie (2008)
Among the many Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie collaborations is Valkyrie. The Hollywood star plays Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg — a first rising Third Reich officer who plotted to assassinate Adolf Hitler and take over Germany during “Operation Valkyrie” in 1944. Because many high-ranking officers were feeling disgruntled too, Stauffenberg found it easy to gather conspirators.
Despite knowing the outcome, anyone watching the film can’t help but hold on to little hope that Stauffenberg will be successful. He remains confident and meticulous, and even after the bomb goes off, he refuses to believe the reports informing him that Hitler has survived. Unfortunately for him, that turns out to be the case, hence he and his partners are eventually put in front of a firing squad.
4 Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Great scores, great performances, and a unique conflict are the major reasons Lawrence of Arabia has stood the test of time. The movie actually has more journeying than fighting, and it follows British military cartographer, Lieutenant T.E. Lawrence, as he makes a long camel journey to attack a Turkish post against the orders of his superior. This happens after he is sent to Arabia to assess the Arab revolt against the Turks.
With a running time of 227 minutes, Lawrence of Arabia counts as one of the longest movies ever made, but no minute ever feels unnecessary. There are tons of beautiful scenes and audiences will be glad that none of them were left in the chopping block. Additionally, the film takes time to develop each minor character, further justifying the lengthy running time,
3 A Private War (2018)
A Private War is an examination of resilience, and it’s a distinctive film because it’s not about a soldier but a reporter for The Sunday Times. Still, it qualifies as one of the most recommendable female-led war movies because the protagonist Marie Colvin is just as brave as the women in uniform. To her, life is meaningless without her job, so she keeps covering wars, even after an RPG hit during the Sri Lankan War caused her to lose one eye.
What’s even more impressive about that particular incident is that despite the fresh injury, Colvin managed to complete a 3000-word article in time to meet the deadline. Truly, passion isn’t demonstrated in a better way than that and the rest of the movie shows Colvin traveling to different warring regions all over the world and putting herself right at the center of the action.
2 Isoroku (2011)
America’s conflict with Japan during World War II has mostly been examined from the former’s perspective, but there was a lot more to it than just the Pearl Harbor attacks followed by retaliation. Isoruku covers the professional life of Japan’s Combined Fleet Commander Isoroku Yamamoto, who was never in favor of an American invasion in the first place.
Because he had studied in the United States, Isoroku knew just how deadly the country was, but the higher-ups didn’t listen to him. They didn’t listen either when he told them not to sign the Tripartite Pact with Italy and Germany. Still, given his high rank, Isoroku was left with no choice but to follow orders. Consequently. Japan paid dearly.
1 Jarhead (2005)
War isn’t fun, at least according to Jarhead. And things tend to be even more boring when you are a sniper. The Sam Mendes war drama chronicles the life of sniper Anthony “Swoff” Swofford, who got assigned to the Gulf War but went through the entire conflict without firing a single weapon. Most of his time was spent doing rills and chatting with his colleagues.
Since not much action takes place, Jarhead can be presumed to be a dull movie but it’s far from that. There are numerous thought-provoking conversations, especially those revolving around the necessity of war, and the fears that military personnel have. One major fear involves losing their wives to ‘Jodies” (men who seduce soldiers’ lonely wives while they are away on duty). Swoff and his colleagues also engage in plenty of base mischief, though much of that appears fictionalized.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
