Being a screenwriter means that research is key to your work. It’s rare that you can just make something up and have it pass over the heads of the audience. Film goers are smarter than any screenwriter should think they are. Even if they’re writing an over-the-top, end-of-the-world action film, there needs to be some logic to it, and usually that is where the good ol’ government comes in to assist with their knowledge of what works on screen and what doesn’t.
Conspiracy theorists will probably tell you that Hollywood and the U.S. government are buddies. There’s some truth to that, though. Without the help of something like the Department of Defense, would we get some gripping, realistic war dramas that depict a true account, or would the idea of an asteroid hitting earth seem highly realistic if the right information was given to a screenwriter? Many big-budget movies utilize the help of Uncle Sam and his shed of weapons out back, so let’s look at some of the best-known ones.
10 Air Force One (1997)
Harrison Ford plays a fictional United States president in the action film Air Force One. President James Marshall gives a speech in Moscow, where he states he will not be negotiating with terrorists. What follows is him and the first family boarding the president’s aircraft back home, only to be hijacked by a group of Russian terrorists.
Get Off My Plane!
Regarded as one of the best Die Hard-like films of all time, however, it includes the President of the United States as the protagonist this time around. Not just the writing of Air Force One was in close collaboration with the United States Army, but the film had many advisors on set, and it shows in the final product. It was also a screenplay that went through multiple revisions by representatives of the DOD. Everything feels very buttoned up and tied up nicely, like how a government would handle a crisis like this. The film also got the stamp of approval from the real-life president at the time, Bill Clinton, who screened it twice at the White House. Rent on Prime Video.
Watch the trailer for Air Force One here.
9 Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Tomorrow Never Dies was Pierce Brosnan’s second outing as 007, as Bond must go to war with a deranged media mogul who is attempting to pit the world’s superpowers against one another to set the stage for another world war, and he gets to benefit from it all!
The Most Military Bond Ever!
Bond movies at times can have repetitive plot lines, but Tomorrow Never Dies is hailed as one of the most military-heavy Bond films to date. Both the British and American Departments of Defense were highly consulted in the making of the film, as they also contributed with the usage of some heavy-duty aircraft loaned to producers.
We see things like the MH-53J helicopter in the film or the F-15E Strike Eagle Jet as well. It is also noted that the Pentagon wanted some line changes in the plane jump scene in Vietnam. There were lines referencing the Vietnam War that never made it into the shooting script. See the theatrical cut of the scene referenced below. Rent on Prime Video.
8 Deep Impact (1998)
Deep Impact is about a comet making its way towards Earth that could potentially end life as we know it for the human race. The U.S. government basically keeps things covered up until a reporter learns of the looming danger. With the wide spread of news about it, a group of astronauts must land on the comet, place explosives on it, and hope the explosions will deter its path.
Script Changes for The President’s Speech
Morgan Freeman’s portrayal of fictional U.S. President Beck had to undergo some script changes in some of his speeches. Apparently, in an initial draft of the scene where President Beck informs the nation about the comet, he says that “looters will be shot.” Cathleen Ross was the entertainment liaison for the Army at the time and apparently ordered that speech to be reworked. The notes further explain that the president has not declared martial law, so he therefore can’t order this act of violence against Americans to take place. Stream on AMC+.
Watch the trailer for Deep Impact here.
7 GoldenEye (1995)
GoldenEye
- Release Date
- November 16, 1995
- Runtime
- 130
GoldenEye is arguably Pierce Brosnan’s best outing as 007. In the movie, Bond must save the planet as a satellite system has fallen into the hands of a former MI-6 agent who has turned on the organization and plots to use the system as a weapon.
The Pentagon Changed a Whole Character’s Country of Origin
There’s a good chance that most Bond films have input from many government defense organizations, mainly British and American. Since Bond is mainly viewed by American audiences, despite being British, the Pentagon sometimes has a lot to say about the decisions being made in the script.
In Goldeneye, there is a scene where an admiral who has the keys to a high-level helicopter has a night of passion with villain Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen). She kills him and takes off with the helicopter. The admiral was supposed to be American in the scene, but entertainment advisors at The Pentagon threw in an audible in there and asked to have the character be French; the French didn’t take too kindly to it, so the character became Canadian. Rent on Prime Video​​​​​​​.
Watch the Goldeneye trailer here.
6 Iron Man (2008)
Iron Man
- Release Date
- April 30, 2008
- Runtime
- 126
Iron Man, the first film in Marvel’s MCU franchise, has billionaire playboy Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) getting a new lease on life after escaping a kidnapping in a cave by terrorists. Now he decides to use his knowledge and skills for good as he creates an armored suit to combat crime and terrorism.
The Military Loves Marvel
Iron Man is one of what is believed to be six Marvel films that had the backing of the U.S. military. There is a lot of government talk in Iron Man, as Tony Stark is a prized position of the United States DOD. Of all the departments responsible for keeping America safe, the Air Force was the movie’s biggest contributor. How can we forget the iconic scene of Iron Man smashing through a CGI F-22 jet in the air? It’s easy to want to jump at the film as propaganda, but in reality, Iron Man is taking on the U.S. government more than he is fighting for it. Stream on Disney+
5 Apollo 13 (1995)
Apollo 13
- Release Date
- June 30, 1995
- Runtime
- 140
Apollo 13 is the true story of the lunar mission that nearly ended in utter tragedy for those who were on the space shuttle. With tensions running high after an oxygen tank explodes and numerous technical difficulties occurring, a complex rescue mission is put into play to save the astronauts while they float in limbo out in space.
The Most Accurate Depiction of Traveling to Space
With Ron Howard at the helm of this project, you know there is going to be a sense of realism in the material. Apollo 13 is hailed as one of the most accurate looks at NASA. The film is adapted from the book by Jim Lovell, who also consulted on the film, and is played by Tom Hanks on screen. Both Hanks, Kevin Bacon, and Bill Paxton all went to Space Camp to make the film, and anyone who knows about Space Camp knows that there are a lot of military connections to it. A prime example is when the actors flew on a simulated weightless mission aboard a KC-135 in the sky above NASA headquarters. Stream Apollo 13 on Netflix​​​​​​​.
Watch the trailer for Apollo 13 here.
4 Captain Phillips (2013)
Captain Phillips
- Release Date
- October 10, 2013
- Cast
- Tom Hanks , Barkhad Abdi , Barkhad Abdirahman , Faysal Ahmed , Mahat M. Ali , Michael Chernus
- Runtime
- 134
To keep it going with Tom Hanks for a moment, he stars in the intense true account of a cargo ship captain who has his ship taken over by Somalian pirates in Captain Phillips. The events actually happened back in 2009 and were recreated incredibly well by director Paul Greengrass.
The Thrilling Ending of Captain Phillips
If you really want to see how our military works in a time of crisis, just watch the last twenty minutes of Captain Phillips. The United States Navy made a massive contribution to the film and the real-life rescue mission that took place. From Seal Team Six to the medical staff that makes an appearance in the film at the end, Captain Phillips is loaded with a lot of “just another day in the office” kind of feel to how the men and women of the Navy seem to work.
There is debate over Phillips’ character as a captain, as he was supposedly told to sail away from certain areas to avoid a situation like this, but he ignored it. Regardless, one of Hank’s final scenes in the film is bound to leave you misty-eyed as he plays opposite a real-life Navy corpsman. Stream on Freevee​​​​​​​.
Watch a scene the DoD helped with in Captain Phillips here.
3 Red Dawn (1984)
Taking place in an alternate version of the 1980s, Red Dawn is about Soviets who invade a small Colorado town and the teenagers who take the fight back to their communist enemies. As the Soviets continue to invade the country, their group goes from fighting a war locally to helping out with the bigger picture of defeating Russia once and for all.
The 1980s in a Nutshell
When you think of 1980s movies, Red Dawn is up there, as it depicts the red scare of the Russians in the peak Cold War era. There was always a looming fear of the Russians invading America during this time, so, like the film or not, Red Dawn accurately examines what Americans really felt at the time.
The cast and crew went to a military boot camp to prepare for their roles as some of America’s finest at killing Soviets. Let us not forget, Ronald Reagan was in office, pro-America was the lifestyle at the time, so you bet your red, white, and blue butts that the DOD signed off on a lot of themes and action sequences in this film. Stream Red Dawn on Max.
2 Black Hawk Down (2001)
Black Hawk Down is based on the true story of the 1993 battle between U.S. forces and Somalian forces, as the Americans arrived to help destabilize tensions in the country and help poverty and growing hunger. In return, Somalian warlords shot down two Black Hawk helicopters, leading to an all-out violent shootout.
Mike Durant Advised the Cast of Black Hawk Down
Mike Durant was one of the soldiers held captive during the violent events of nearly a decade earlier. He met the cast during their training exercises in Kentucky and gave them a detailed lecture on what transpired. The actors also took a ton of courses, like the Army’s Ranger Familiarization Course and commando training courses as well. Lastly, one of the Black Hawk pilots in the film was actually at the events of Mogadishu. Ridley Scott went full-on with tactical military realism in his gritty war drama, only adding to how unforgettable it is. Stream on The Roku Channel​​​​​​​.
1 Top Gun (1986)
Top Gun
- Release Date
- May 16, 1986
- Runtime
- 110
Top Gun, Tony Scott’s action drama about the happenings at the Top Gun Naval Fighter Weapons School. The film follows a hot-shot, cocky pilot, Maverick (Tom Cruise), whose actions put his fellow pilots in danger.
The U.S. Navy Never Looked Better
Top Gun may as well be a two-hour-long promotional ad for the U.S. Navy. As a matter of fact, this film does not become the classic that it is without the Navy’s help. They had a lot of notes on the script before shooting commenced, as it is believed that they cut a whole scene out of the film where a jet crashes into an aircraft carrier, and for some reason, the Navy wanted Kelly McGillis’ character to be a civilian who trained fighter pilots and not a woman in uniform.
Regardless, there is a lot to soak up in Top Gun, and it isn’t just the near-perfect aesthetic of a Tony Scott film, but how it feels like the DOD’s hand prints are all over it. Stream Top Gun on Paramount+.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
