Mark Twain once famously said: ”Write what you know!” Interestingly, this advice has been ignored more times than was heeded. Martin Scorsese was never in the mafia and Philip K. Dick never had an encounter with aliens. Despite lacking real-world experience in their respective fields, they delivered fun tales regularly. Still, stories always feel more authentic when told by people who experienced them.
Most contributors to the war genre are also buffs rather than active participants, but once in a while, real veterans get to make a film that reflects their own battlefield experiences. Their works tend to be more accurate regarding military lingo, combat strategies, and the emotional weight that comes with dueling against foreign foes. Those who have fought in wars or have had family members who did are thus more likely to appreciate the picture being painted in these films.
10 Breaker Morant (1980)
Bruce Beresford’s Breaker Morant is about one of the first-ever court-martial sessions in British military history. The story concerns the arrest and prosecution of Australian lieutenants Peter Handcock, Harry Morant, and George Witton, who were accused of murdering 12 Boer POWS during the Second Anglo-Boer War. The film focuses on the court sessions, while the controversial events are narrated through flashbacks.
Leaning on One Side
Beresford once confessed to never having been good at his job, which explains why he would make a movie about someone who allegedly wasn’t good at theirs either. Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, he labeled himself “the worst gunner in the tank corps.” Thankfully, he ended up getting a job he was actually good at.
In the film, Beresford depicts the main characters in a sympathetic light, yet The National Museum of Australia confirms that the men were totally guilty. This isn’t surprising. As a veteran, Beresford presumably can relate to the circumstances that caused them to act the way they did. Consequently, the film has come to be seen as a symbol of British oppression against Australians.
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9 MacArthur (1977)
Widely regarded as one of the best military biographical movies, MacArthur tells the story of Douglas MacArthur — the most influential Chief of Staff in the United States Army’s history. MacAurhtur served with distinction in both World War II and the Korean War. Unknown to many, he was also the effective ruler of Japan from 1945 to 1951, when America occupied the territory after bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Serving under MacArthur
Director Joseph Sargent — better known for making the original version of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three — served under Douglas MacArthur. He fought for the U.S. Army in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II, hence he had plenty of information about the man who was giving all the orders.
Interestingly, Sargent plays fast and loose with facts, despite his military experience. For example, during a meeting between President Roosevelt and General MacArthur at Pearl Harbor, a painting of the heavy cruiser USS Los Angeles can be seen on the wall. However, the ship was commissioned after World War II and was first used during the Korean War.
Additionally, when MacArthur and his team are shown planning the Inchon landing in 1950. They examine a map of the Korean peninsula, revealing the current armistice boundary between the two Koreas. The boundary was established in 1953.
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8 The Battle of San Pietro (1945)
John Huston is better known for his crime and film noir masterpieces, but toward the end of World War II, he decided to make The Battle of San Pietro. The film accurately captures the battle of the same name, which occurred in 1943. During the confrontation, Allied forces infiltrated the Italian town of San Pietro Infine from the south and faced off against the dreaded German “Winter Line.” The Allied victory proved crucial in the mission to free Rome.
Right in the Heart of the Action
The most impressive thing about The Battle of San Pietro Infine is that Houston filmed it while he was still serving in the U.S. Army’s 143rd Regiment of the 36th Division during World War II. He was, therefore, able to use plenty of real footage, giving the film a level of realism that had never been seen before. One iconic scene even shows closeups of the faces of dead army men as their bodies are being put into body bags. Sadly, the war movie was censored by the government because it highlighted the incompetence of intelligence agencies during the war.
Stream it on Flix Fling
7 Fury (2014)
Fury
- Release Date
- October 15, 2014
- Runtime
- 134
David Ayer’s Fury tells the story of tank commander Don “Wardaddy” Collier (Brad Pitt), who tries his best to motivate his crew as everyone slowly loses morale during the final stages of the Allied invasion of Germany during WWII. From facing off against child soldiers from the infamous Hitler Youth to being targeted by the anti-tank Panzerfaust weapons, Wardaddy and his team face all kinds of tribulations, driving them to the brink of insanity.
Highlighting Nazi Tricks
Ayer might have never spent time in a tank, but he knows all about the tension of being inside a military vehicle. The director served as a submarine sonar technician on the United States Navy’s USS Haddo. Additionally, Ayer disclosed on X that his grandfather served in the Navy during WWII. Given this revelation, it’s clear where he got his cool old war tales from.
Even though Fury doesn’t benefit from any ideas Ayer might have gotten from his military experience, it’s still one of his better works, thanks to a better cast and neat cinematography. The film is also ideal for a historian as it digs into German military strategies during the war, notably how the Waffen-SS (the combat branch of the paramilitary Schutzstaffel (SS) organization) targeted Allied forces.
Stream it on Starz
6 The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)
The Diary of Anne Frank is a biopic based on the similarly titled Pulitzer Prize-winning play, which was in turn adapted from the posthumously published diary of the Jewish girl, Anne Frank. In the film, a kind Dutch shopkeeper decides to hide two Jewish families — the Franks and the Van Daans — in his attic during Germany’s invasion of Holland. Soon, a romance develops between Anne and a member of the Van Daans, causing a feud between Anne and her sister.
Claustrophobia in Times of War
Director John Stevens’ history of documenting Nazi atrocities stretches back to 1943 when he joined the U.S. Army Signal Corps as the head of its film unit. During his time in the military, he filmed the Normandy Invasion and the freeing of prisoners from the Dachau concentration camp. His 1945 film, Nazi Concentration Camps, would emerge as his most celebrated work. It was later selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Still, it’s the multiple Oscar-nominated The Diary of Anne Frank that is seen as his definitive work. Stevens doesn’t give war movie buffs as much action as they would like, but he does a great job of accentuating the claustrophobia that comes with hiding from the enemy.
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5 The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
William Wyler’s The Best Years of Our Lives follows three World War II veterans who are having a hard time adjusting to civilian life at the end of the conflict. Despite being a war hero, Fred (Dana Andrews) finds himself unable to compete with highly skilled workers in most jobs that he desires, so he returns to his low-paying soda-jerk job. Al (Fredric March) becomes a bank executive but lands in for favoring veterans while offering loans. Homer (Harold Russell), on the other hand, resorts to home life with his fiancé after losing both hands.
Inner Fears
In modern war movies, the struggle to reintegrate into society is mostly captured from a PTSD perspective, yet veterans face multiple other challenges. William Wyler thus ought to be commended for showing the varying headaches that emerge after the guns stop firing.
The Best Years of Our Lives is a personal film for Wyler as he was worried about finding work again after his stint as a major in the United States Army Air Forces during WWII. He had served as a director before that, but he wasn’t sure whether Hollywood would embrace him again. Thankfully, The Best Years of Our Lives was well-received, earning the filmmaker an Oscar for Best Director.
Stream it on Prime Video
4 They Were Expendable (1945)
Directed by John Ford, They Were Expendable digs into the politics surrounding military technology. After new PT boats are commissioned for the navy, top officials express skepticism regarding their use, leaving the war-hungry Lt. “Rusty” Ryan (John Wayne) disgruntled. However, after the Pearl Harbor attack, the top brass is left with no option, but to give the green light. It’s now up to Rusty and his crew to prove that their bosses didn’t make the wrong choice.
Another Fun Wayne-Ford Collaboration
During WWII, Ford was a Commander in the US Navy Reserve. According to The New York Times, Ford filmed The Battle of Midway from a Sand Island power plant and got shot in the arm while doing so. He was also part of the team at Omaha Beach on D-Day., having arrived via the English Channel on the USS Plunkett (DD-431).
Ford, therefore, had the prerequisite naval experience to make a movie like They Were Expendable. It’s a standard war film hoisted by great directing and a great performance from the lead actor, all made possible by the great working relationship between Ford and John Wayne.
Rent it on Apple TV+
3 Escape to Victory (1981)
In Escape to Victory, Karl von Steiner (Max von Sydow), the warden of a Nazi POW camp, organizes a soccer match between German soldiers and Allied prisoners as a form of propaganda meant to show the world how human the Third Reich is. While the match is being planned, prisoner Robert Hatch (Sylvester Stallone) plots an escape.
The film was widely popular upon its release as it starred several professional soccer stars, namely Pele, Bobby Moore, Kazimierz Deyna, Osvaldo Ardiles, Paul Van Himst, and Hallvar Thoresen.
A Palatable Sports-War Hybrid
Escape to Victory was also made by John Huston, and, on this occasion, he avoided the gloomy tone of his previous war movies. Here, the focus is on fun and adventure. The presence of numerous stars helps create a general feel-good movie.
There is good news for fans as a remake of the film is reported to be in development. Whether it will match the original is something that remains to be seen. Hopefully, it does, so that cinephiles can be treated to another great war-sports hybrid.
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2 Letters from Iwo Jima (1986)
Letters from Iwo Jima
- Release Date
- December 19, 2006
- Cast
- Ken Watanabe , Kazunari Ninomiya , Tsuyoshi Ihara , Ryo Kase , Shido Nakamura , Hiroshi Watanabe
- Runtime
- 141
Letters from Iwo Jima is one of the few World War II movies from a Japanese perspective. It’s directed by Clint Eastwood, who made two movies about the same battle. This particular film chronicles the tussle between Japanese and American forces for the control of the Iwo Jima island because of its proximity to Tokyo. Eastwood’s other film, Flags of Our Fathers tells the same story from an American perspective.
A Fair Take on War Dynamics
Information about Clint Eastwood’s military career isn’t known to many. In 1951, the actor and filmmaker was drafted by the U.S. Army and was stationed at Fort Ord in California, where he worked as a swimming instructor and training film projectionist. He never saw any real action, but his experience serving his country sure did make him have an empathetic view of war.
By making Letters from Iwo Jima, Eastwood reminded everyone that no side is ever really right in times of war. Every party has justifications for their actions.
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1 Platoon (1986)
Platoon
- Release Date
- December 19, 1986
- Runtime
- 120
Oliver Stone’s Platoon is one of the most celebrated anti-war movies, showcasing the ideological divide that often pops up during global conflicts. In it, university student Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) drops school to fight for his country in Vietnam in 1967.
However, once he is on the battlefield, his perspective changes. This happens after being forced to choose a side in the feud between Staff Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger), who intends to punish villagers alleged to be harboring Viet Cong soldiers, and Sergeant Elias (Willem Dafoe), who feels the locals should be left alone.
War Isn’t Fun
Oliver Stone enlisted in the 25th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army at the height of the Vietnam War but only served for a year. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, he was wounded in action, which explains why he isn’t too fond of the idea of young men risking their lives on the battlefield.
Stone’s real-world enthusiasm is reflected in the film’s protagonist, Chris Taylor, as the director is said to have also requested combat duty upon enlistment, only to learn that the experience wasn’t as fun as he thought.
Stream it on Fubo TV or rent it on Apple TV+
