This article contains discussions of violence and war crimes.
Summary
- Pro-military movies often receive backing from governmental institutions and may encourage viewers to enlist.
- Controversial war films directly address the impact of conflict on civilians and criticize the military.
- Some military-supported movies glamorize war, gloss over harsh realities, and serve as advertisements for the armed forces.
War movies fall into a wide variety of genres, but some are made with the intent of displaying a positive depiction of the military. These are not propaganda films, as those serve a different and more explicit purpose, but they frequently have monetary backing from governmental institutions and might even encourage audiences to enlist. However, there are plenty of films that discuss the subject of conflict while trying to remain neutral or even taking a negative approach. Many of the great controversial war movies speak out against the military and directly interact with the impact that war has on civilians.
It’s typical of most pro-military movies to glance over some of the harsh realities of war.
Just because a movie has a plot or characters who support the military doesn’t mean they have the most realistic or accurate war scenes in movies. It’s typical of most pro-military movies to glance over some of the harsh realities of war. A film that uplifts the military might not be about war and could fall into another separate genre like sci-fi or fantasy. However, within the fictional conflicts that filmmakers create, there is a reflection of the real world, making it easy to draw comparisons to the battles onscreen and the fight of the military in the modern day.
Related The 20 Best War Movies Based On True Stories
War movies based on true stories may have their endings known but the best of them raise the drama with fantastic performances and stellar set pieces.
5
10 Top Gun (1986)
Directed by Tony Scott
Top Gun PGDramaAction Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
In this classic action flick, Tom Cruise stars as daring young pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Among the other students at the United States Navy’s elite fighter weapons school, he competes to be best in the class, and learns a few things from a civilian instructor that are not taught in the classroom.
Director Tony Scott Release Date May 16, 1986 Studio(s) Paramount Pictures Cast Tom Cruise , Kelly McGillis , Val Kilmer , Anthony Edwards , Tom Skerritt Runtime 110 minutes
The score and editing make flying the jets seem more akin to a video game simulation than real life.
Today, Top Gun is remembered with reverence, as its popularity was revived with the release of Top Gun: Maverick, the long-awaited sequel, in 2022. It’s an exciting glimpse into Tom Cruise’s past as a budding action star, and watching him fly those incredible planes with ease makes it impossible for the audience not to feel the adrenaline coursing through their bodies. Even though Top Gun: Maverick had more advanced technology at its fingertips when filming the in-air flight scenes, Top Gun remains one of the top examples of a movie made with the support of the military.
The film is one of many that received monetary contributions from the Department of Defense, and this led to Top Gun working hard to create a military movie that was fun. Top Gun is considered almost entirely an advertisement for the Naval Aviator section of the Armed Forces because of the story and the creative choices. The score and editing make flying the jets seem more akin to a video game simulation than real life. Additionally, the movie’s central conflict doesn’t include an enemy and is almost entirely about the characters moving up in the ranks of their team.
9 The Green Berets (1968)
Directed by John Wayne & Ray Kellogg
The Green Berets GDramaWar Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Director Ray Kellogg , John Wayne , Mervyn LeRoy Release Date June 19, 1968 Cast John Wayne , David Janssen , Jim Hutton , Aldo Ray , Raymond St. Jacques , Bruce Cabot Runtime 142 Minutes
The Green Berets is one of John Wayne’s best war movies, and as one of America’s greatest movie stars, it makes sense that it was popular with viewers. Wayne’s reputation as a Western hero easily translated to his role as a Green Beret Colonel during the Vietnam War and was a huge draw at the box office. Despite its divisive nature, The Green Berets is an interesting time capsule of how Hollywood attempted to find common ground between the militaristic might of the U.S. and the audience’s perception of war.
Public opinion surrounding the Vietnam War has always been a sensitive and ideologically rife conflict in both the American public and the international community. The Green Berets was clearly a response to the massive protests and opposition to the war. It attempted to turn the tide on how citizens were reacting to the conflict, even if Wayne claimed this wasn’t necessarily the case. Audience and critical reception of The Green Berets differed strongly, as reviewers found the movie to be disingenuous and inauthentic when portraying both the American soldiers and the Viet Cong.
8 American Sniper (2014)
Directed by Clint Eastwood
American Sniper R Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
American Sniper is based on the true story of U.S. Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle and his tour of duty in Iraq. The film explores his legendary career on the field as he battles hidden in enemy lines to protect his brothers in arms despite the growing bounty on his head and the havoc it wreaked on his personal life.
Director Clint Eastwood Release Date December 25, 2014 Cast Bradley Cooper , Sienna Miller , E.R. Ruiz , Luke Grimes , Jake McDorman , Max Charles Runtime 132minutes Studio(s) Warner Bros. Pictures
Bradley Cooper took on the role of Kyle, and it’s considered one of his best performances.
Based on the autobiography of the same name by Chris Kyle, American Sniper follows a dramatized version of Kyle’s time as a sniper in the Iraq War. The film tracks Kyle’s life from early childhood. It focuses on how he became an expert marksman, centering his relationships and struggles over the larger questions of the ethics and effects of war. However, this doesn’t mean American Sniper doesn’t see Kyle grapple with his duty as a sniper. Bradley Cooper took on the role of Kyle, and it’s considered one of his best performances.
The American Sniper movie makes changes to the true story, including developing certain characters that played smaller roles in the book into major antagonists in the film. Additionally, aspects of Kyle’s tours in Iraq are elevated and made more intense by the film to increase stakes and tensions. All of these differences are typical of Hollywood adaptations of biographical stories. However, the film glamorizes war and the violence that accompanies it as much as it engages with Kyle’s difficulty returning to civilian life.
7 Black Hawk Down (2001)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Black Hawk Down RWarDramaHistory Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Black Hawk Down recounts the harrowing true story of a U.S. military mission gone awry in Somalia. Tasked with capturing a warlord, elite soldiers find themselves in a fierce battle against Somali militia forces.
Director Ridley Scott Release Date January 18, 2002 Cast Jason Isaacs , Eric Bana , Josh Hartnett , Ewan McGregor , Tom Sizemore , Tom Hardy , Hugh Dancy , Orlando Bloom Runtime 144 minutes
Of all of Ridley Scott’s films, Black Hawk Down is one of the least fantastical, as the director initially made his name on sci-fi films like Alien and historical epics like Gladiator. However, Black Hawk Down features plenty of Scott’s trademark explosive action scenes and fight choreography. The film tells the true story of a group of U.S. soldiers who were shot down in Somalia during the Battle of Mogadishu. Much of the controversy surrounding the film has to do with the morally one-dimensional depiction of the Somalian people in the movie.
The issue of U.S. intervention in toppling independent foreign governments is one that has a long history of conflicting tones and messages in Hollywood. When it comes to Black Hawk Down, the film took many liberties with the actual events that took place, which led to criticism of the project despite its popularity and accolades. This positive reaction, despite the film’s issues, can be attributed to the fact that Black Hawk Down treats war as fuel for an action thriller rather than face its grim reality.
6 Red Dawn (1984)
Directed by John Milius
Red Dawn PG-13DramaAction Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Red Dawn, starring the likes of Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, and Lea Thompson, imagines World War III becoming a reality and a group of teenagers known as Wolverines fighting back against the Soviets. The film received mixed reviews but is notable for being the first PG-13 rated film to be released in the United States. In 2012, a remake was released starring Chris Hemsworth.
Director John Milius Release Date August 10, 1984 Cast Jennifer Grey , Patrick swayze , Lea Thompson , C. Thomas Howell , Charlie Sheen Runtime 114 minutes Studio(s) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Red Dawn
follows the story of an alternate history where the U.S. was invaded by the Soviet Union and other world powers.
The 2012 remake of Red Dawn pales in comparison to the 1984 original, which was deeply connected to the era of the Cold War and U.S. fears about nuclear war and foreign invasion. This makes sense, as these were the contemporary anxieties that many people were grappling with during this period. Red Dawn follows the story of an alternate history where the U.S. was invaded by the Soviet Union and other world powers. In response, the characters in the film must form a guerrilla militia group that is formed by civilians and what remains of the U.S. military.
Throughout the film, recurring imagery of the American flag and patriotic symbolism make it impossible to ignore the film’s moral and political principles.Red Dawn features a prolific cast of actors, including Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, and Jennifer Grey, who all commit to the drama and intrigue of the story. One of the biggest issues with Red Dawn is that it lacks nuance in its depiction of opposing sides of a conflict. Additionally, it could be argued that the film is less about the United States prevailing against enemies than it is about individualism and nationalism on a state level.
5 Captain Marvel (2019)
Directed by Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck
Captain Marvel PG-13ActionFantasyAdventure Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Set in 1995, Captain Marvel follows Carol Danvers, a former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, as she turns into one of the galaxy’s mightiest heroes and joins Starforce, an elite Kree military team, before returning home with new questions about her past and identity when the Earth is caught in the center of an intergalactic conflict between two alien worlds.
Director Ryan Fleck , Anna Boden Release Date March 8, 2019 Studio(s) Marvel Studios Cast Lee Pace , Brie Larson , Rune Temte , Clark Gregg , Ben Mendelsohn , Algenis Perez Soto , Samuel L. Jackson , Jude Law , Djimon Hounsou , Gemma Chan , Lashana Lynch , Mckenna Grace Runtime 124 minutes Franchise(s) Marvel Cinematic Universe Expand
It’s common knowledge that Marvel has an ongoing partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, as the military branch of the American government has helped fun many of the biggest MCU films. This includes the most important Marvel project, the 2008 Iron Man, but the recent Captain Marvel movies are even more enthusiastic in their support for the military. Brie Larson portrays the titular superhero, and though she’s half-human, half-Kree, she remains thoroughly dedicated to the U.S. Air Force throughout the movie. The alien world’s communication with Earth often goes through the U.S. in Marvel projects.
The discussions of military propaganda in Marvel movies have garnered criticism, but it ultimately has not diminished audience engagement with the production company’s projects (via Gamerant). Larson underwent extensive training to make her character’s accomplishments in the Air Force believable, and this training and fight choreography links the Air Force with the aspirational aspects and moral goodness that audiences associate with superheroes. As one of Marvel’s few female-led films, it’s interesting that Captain Marvel is one of the most connected to the military.
4 GoldenEye (1995)
Directed by Martin Campbell
GoldenEye PG-13ActionAdventureCrimeThriller Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
The seventeenth installment in Eon Productions’ James Bond movie franchise, Goldeneye marks Pierce Brosnan’s first time playing MI6 agent James Bond. Goldeneye follows 007 as he works to prevent a former fellow agent from using a satellite weapon to attack London in order to cause a global financial crisis. Also stars Sean Bean, Famke Janssen, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Cumming, and Judi Dench.
Director Martin Campbell Release Date November 16, 1995 Cast Pierce Brosnan , Sean Bean , Izabella Scorupco , Famke Janssen , Joe Don Baker , judi dench Runtime 130 minutes
Many of Pierce Brosnan’s
Bond
films received funding, including
GoldenEye
and
Tomorrow Never Dies
.
The Department of Defense has had a hand in backing and funding movies outside of the U.S. Even the James Bond franchise has received contributions from the military branch of the government in exchange for a few scenes that highlight the power and reach of the American armed forces. Many of Pierce Brosnan’s Bond films received funding, including GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies. Since James Bond is a British creation, in recent years, it’s moved away from its connection to the U.S. and CIA, but the American influence in GoldenEye is obvious.
This comes through in changes made to character choices. For example, an admiral was tricked by an enemy spy and was written to be American but was changed to Canadian thanks to the Pentagon. Additionally, in the final moments of GoldenEye, though Bond saves the day, he and his companion are saved by the U.S. Marines, who arrive to bring them to safety. In the Daniel Craig era films, this involvement is less obvious, but it’s still a large part of the history of James Bond.
3 Transformers (2007)
Directed by Michael Bay
Transformers (2007) PG-13AdventureScience FictionAction
Transformers, directed by Michael Bay, introduces audiences to a world where two factions of alien robots, the Autobots and Decepticons, bring their battle to Earth. Shia LaBeouf stars as Sam Witwicky, a teenager who becomes an unwitting participant in their conflict. The film showcases the heroic Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, as they strive to protect humanity from the malevolent Megatron and his Decepticon forces.
Director Michael Bay Release Date June 3, 2007 Cast Shia LaBeouf , Megan Fox , Mark Ryan , Peter Cullen , Hugo Weaving Runtime 144 Minutes Studio(s) DreamWorks Pictures , Di Bonaventura Pictures , DeSanto/Murphy Productions , Paramount
The first Transformers movie from 2007 set the tone and precedent for the franchise, which uplifts military involvement in international and intergalactic conflict to the point of celebration. On the surface, it’s easy to write off the Transformers movies as action films like any other and not look for deeper meanings inside the story. However, movies like Transformers inform audiences’ interpretations and views on war from a young age. Lessons on morality and good versus evil are some of the biggest themes in the film.
The connection between the Transformers toys and G.I. Joe can’t be ignored when analyzing how closely Transformers is tied to the military. Though the enemies that the characters and Autobots face are alien invaders, they serve as a stand-in for foreign threats to the United States. These Decepticons directly attack U.S. military bases and intelligence networks, meaning the protagonists must align themselves with the strength and might of the military. Although Sam, the main character, isn’t part of the military, soldiers come to the rescue at every turn, and their advanced weapons are treated as a dazzling spectacle.
2 Argo (2012)
Directed by Ben Affleck
Argo RBiographyDocumentaryDramaHistoryThriller Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Argo is a historical thriller adapted from the memoir of CIA operative Tony Mendez. The film follows Mendez as he infiltrates Tehran, Iran, by pretending to be filming a sci-fi movie during the Iran hostage crisis at the beginning of the 1980s. Ben Affleck stars as Mendez as he infiltrates to save the six escaped embassy staff members.
Director Ben Affleck Release Date March 22, 2012 Cast Ben Affleck , Bryan Cranston , Alan Arkin , John Goodman , Victor Garber , Tate Donovan Runtime 120minutes Studio(s) Warner Bros. Pictures
Argo
still went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture as well as Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film Editing.
Ben Affleck starred in and directed Argo, a movie based on a real mission to recover a group of American citizens in Iran in 1979. It’s an exciting and romanticized story, as the operatives who are sent into the country are posing as a movie crew in a narrative that’s closer to a spy caper than a military mission. There’s little question that Argo took great creative liberties with the story and that the reality of the events diverges from the Hollywood movie magic that’s seen on screen.
However, Argo still went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture as well as Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film Editing. This was somewhat surprising, as Argo was up against the similarly pro-military film Zero Dark Thirty, but Argo had an uplifting and celebratory tone that could appeal to voters. When a story about true events takes on the thematic elements of an espionage thriller and uplifts the importance of U.S. involvement in the event, the ideology behind some of the creative choices becomes clear.
Related 15 War Movies Military Experts Praised For Accuracy & Realism
While most war movies are criticized for their inaccuracy, there are many that got various details right, earning the praise of military experts.
1 Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Directed Kathryn Bigelow
Zero Dark Thirty RHistoryThrillerDrama Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
From Academy Award-Winning director Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty is a fictionalized dramatization of the manhunt for Osama bin Laden after the September 11th attacks. Jessica Chastain stars as Maya Harris, a CIA analyst tasked with locating bin Laden in order for the US Government to assassinate him. Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton, and Mark Strong also star.
Director Kathryn Bigelow Release Date December 19, 2012 Cast Joel Edgerton , Jessica Chastain , Jason Clarke , Kyle Chandler , Chris Pratt2 , Jennifer Ehle Runtime 157minutes Studio(s) Sony
The public opinion surrounding Zero Dark Thirty has changed since its initial release in 2012. It garnered many Academy Award nominations for its depiction of the U.S. conflict with and search for al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. While this was one of the biggest political and militaristic topics of the 2000s, there is room to question the depiction of torture and other violent interrogation methods that the film portrays. It could be argued that Zero Dark Thirty condones the use of torture based on how it’s characterized in the movie.
While there was no avoiding the topic of interrogation, as it was a well-known part of the story, Zero Dark Thirty failed to take a political stance, opting for a neutral tone that can be interpreted as approval. One of the strongest parts of Zero Dark Thirty is Jessica Chastain’s performance as Maya, a CIA analyst who was loosely based on the real individuals who were tasked with tracking down Osama bin Laden. However, it’s important to remember that Chastain and the other actors represent a fictionalized account of a much more complex issue.