You had a long weekend because of Veterans Day. But did you honor any veterans? Or did you just catch up on your homework, stare at your phone, or both? Sure, you’re a little late, but how about you do the absolute minimum for veterans and get some perspective by watching a war movie (or two or five) that actually shows how much war sucks?
Below are 5 films and one mini-series that show the brutality of war.
Generation Kill (2008)
British directors Susanna White and Simon Cellan Jones’s Generation Kill (2008) is a miniseries adapted from a 2004 book of the same name by Evan Wright. The series details the US Marine Corps’ 1st Reconnaissance Battalion’s participation in the Iraq War in 2003. It’s a favorite of English and speech teacher Tarin Almstedt, who himself served in the US Marines from 1997 until 2004.
“It is very difficult to tell the real story of a war in a way that everyone wants to watch,” Almstedt said. “Everyone wants action and conflict, so some stories are overlooked.”
Generation Kill’s emphasis on the importance of wartime communications rather than exclusively on frontline combat makes it different from many other depictions of war.
“When I was in Iraq, the US gave the media permission to embed reporters,” Almstedt said. “This reporter would actually follow soldiers around with a camera.”
Likewise, Generation Kill shows how a war is managed from a nearly first-person perspective that rings true with veterans.
“When art does a good job of depicting the military [like this does], it makes me feel seen,”Almstedt said.
Generation Kill is rated TV–MA for graphic violence and foul language. Its seven 60-minute episodes are available on Max and Prime.
1917 (2019)
1917 stands out among the other films on this list in that it is a contemporary account of World War I. It has a distinct style too. Seeming as though the camera never stops rolling during the entirety of the film, cuts are expertly made to bring Sam Mendes’s vision to life.
British Lieutenants Schoefield and Blake journey across France to deliver a message that could potentially save thousands of lives, including the life of Blake’s older brother. The film is shot beautifully, portraying the events in one long shot.
Warning: This movie includes scenes of graphic violence.
1917 is currently free to watch with a Netflix subscription. The movie is rated R.
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
Lewis Milestone’s World War I film, All Quiet on the Western Front, brings the traumas endured by “the other side” of the Great War to the forefront of the public’s consciousness. Released before the Motion Picture industry’s strict censorship rules, this movie came out during a time when people were hungry for realism.
Based on Erich Maria Remarque’s bestselling novel, director Milestone translates the horrors of war relayed in the book onto the big screen. All Quiet on the Western Front captures the humiliation of young boys scolded by their elders, shipped off to the battlefield, and regarded as disposable bodies. Given its strong anti-war message, the movie was banned in Nazi Germany.
Warning: This movie includes scenes of graphic violence.
All Quiet on the Western Front is currently available to watch on Amazon Prime Video for $3.99. This movie is unrated.
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)
With a gruesome opening, which made some veteran viewers claim it reeked of gasoline and sea salt, Saving Private Ryan is one of the most well-known World War II films.
Following their arrival at the beaches of Normandy, a troop of soldiers is sent on a noble mission to retrieve a young man and send him home to his aching mother. Saving Private Ryan depicts both the humanity and the cruelty of the soldiers, as they try to accomplish their mission and survive the events of D-Day.
Warning: This movie has foul language and includes scenes of graphic violence.
Saving Private Ryan is currently available to watch on Apple TV for $3.99. The movie is rated R.
INGLORIOUS BASTERDS (2009)
In Inglorious Basterds, director Quentin Tarantino reimagines World War II. Presenting a hodgepodge group of Jewish-American soldiers and former Nazi officers as they conspire to kill Adolf Hitler.
With a memorable cast that includes Brad Pitt and Christopher Waltz, Inglourious Basterds tells an imaginary tale of vigilante justice.
Warning: This film contains graphic depictions of violence, death, foul language, and brief sexual content.
Inglorious Basterds is currently available to watch on Amazon Prime Video for $3.99. The movie is rated R.
FULL METAL JACKET (1987)
It’s been 63 years since the release of Stanley Kubrick’s impactful Full Metal Jacket. Implying that man is a machine, Kubrick chronicles the manic nature of war.
Casting Matthew Modine, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Adam Baldwin respectively as Private Joker, Leonard Lawrence, and Animal Mother, the film’s premise follows Private Joker (Modine) from his days on Ellis Island to war-torn Tết, Vietnam.
For its combination of crude humor and haunting cinematography, Full Metal Jacket is sure to shock. Watch to the very end to hear The Rolling Stones’ “Paint it Black” play in the background of the credits. Modines’ spectacular performance as Joker lingers even after the film reaches its end.
Warning: This film contains graphic depictions of suicide, death, foul language, and some sexual content
Full Metal Jacket is currently available to watch on Apple TV for $3.99. The movie is rated R.
