Top 10 War Movies


This is one list that I'm proud to put together.

I'm a veteran, not a war harden one, but a veteran none the less. So war movies are on the top of my list because it's relatable to me and what I've experienced. So with veterans day right around the corner I figure that now is about as good as time than ever to put together three things that I love the most in this world: my blog, my love for movies and my love for the military. So in honor of veterans day I decided to put together a top 10 list of war movies that I love. Now keep in mind, this is a list of movies that I love and not one based off anyone else opinions or polls. I actually went through my extensive movie collection and hand picked each one of these with careful consideration and reorganized this list a dozen times over.

Once again this is a list of war movies that I love and if you have any disputes about that then you know I'm all for hearing them in the comments section. I know for a fact that I left some movies off in particular that will rub people the wrong way and added a couple that will have some scratching their heads, but this is my blog and I do what I want lol. So without further ado, here is my list, hope you enjoy.


So we're going to start this one with a movie that probably wouldn't make most lists. This is one of the lighter heart of the movies where it relies on more story telling than action. The cast of George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube just worked and each held their own on the screen. I liked how this movie was more so about the human aspect of the military where the sense of honor for other countries and protecting those from even a foreign country. If you're looking for something to watch that isn't a hardcore, kill them all war movie, then this is a good place to start.


Next up is a movie that caused quiet some commotion when it came out. When I initially heard about this movie and saw the many many different reactions, calling it propaganda and how people were boycotting the film, I was immediately turned off. No way could all of those people be wrong because it seemed like it was universally panned by the audience, boy was I wrong. This movie was probably one of the more accurate accounts of how soldiers act when they are in the line of fire. I don't know much about snipers, so I'm not going to speak on them at all. I just know that when he comes home to deal with all of the trauma, that part is real. This movie may have depicted portions of where Iraqis were shown to be evil and terrorist like, many of that stuff was the truth, and I'm going to leave it at that. This movie had me from start to end and I saw no problems with it at all, for those who criticize it, maybe they should be in the shoes of the soldiers that had to live that life.


This movie is what it is, a Quentin Tarantino movie through and through.

That means there is a lot of blood, there is a lot of gore and there is a lot of great actors present in this movie. I loved this movie because it was nothing but over the top action and just pure all out American kick ass action in there. We all know how horrible the war was and how many great men died trying to free the many people imprisoned by Hitler. To see a group of men and women trying to put together a plan to kill Hitler was pretty awesome to see if we're being honest here. If you're not the type for over the action, semi satire-ish movies, then go check out Valkyrie. That movie was also about one of the many attempts on Hitler's life, and a darn good one at that. But for now, Inglourious Basterds will sit right here on my list of favorite war movies.


This movie showcases guys that don't get enough credit in my eyes; the good old fellas from the EOD squad, (Explosive Ordinance Disposal). I know like two EOD guys through a couple of mutual friends from basic training and lets say that these guys are what they are, a couple of bat shit crazy, down to save the world type of guys. I've had one discussion with some that I didn't know personally while I was deployed and I give those guys all the respect in the world. There are few guys that value life more than the ones that actually go out there and have to work with such precision as the EOD squad does. This movie depicts basically what they have to go through every time they step out there to difuse a bomb and the pressure that comes with it. Now as far as the personalities exhibited here, I cannot comment on that as well. I just know that this movie was one the best movies of 2009 and went on to win many awards. I didn't find out about this movie until 2011 when I was scrolling through Netflix and caught wind of it. 

Thanks Netflix, I owe you one.


This is a movie that made me feel some kind of way.

Basically at various points in this movie I realized how much pride I have in the fact I served in the army when I wanted to jump through the screen and help them during their gun fight. To me this movie had so many messed up parts in it that made me want to just rip the faces off all those guys attacking on that hillside. That plot turn in the movie really through me through a loop and it only added to the feeling of wanting to lace my boots up and do something about it. This movie is so high up on this list because it illicit's so much emotion and pride. If you're into war movies and movies about patriotism, then this movie needs to be on your top list of war movies to see.


This wouldn't be a list if I didn't have this movie on here.

This was the first movie that I watched that had the constant and non stop action in the beginning that seems to run through a lot of movies these days. This movie was loaded with star power and one of, if not the best, directed movies of Michael Bay's career. This was one of the first movies that I saw that used a wide range of special effects effectively with one of the lines of story telling. This movie has basically everything that you want in a movie, from action, to storytelling, to romance, to drama, to suspense and so forth and so forth. That's why this movie is one of the greatest movies of all time, because it delivers. Although I will never condone the actions of the US dropping two bombs on Japan, this movie showed how we managed to bounce back to end WWII.


When you ask millennials what war movie do they remember watching that had them in suspense and awe, they will automatically say Black Hawk Down. Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Eric Bana, Tom Sizemore, William Fichtner, Tom Hardy, Orlando Bloom and Jeremy Piven are just some of the start studded actors that show up in this movie, with many more showing up. Oh did I mention that Ridley Scott directed this and Jerry Bruckheimer helped produce this movie. So let's see, you have the cast, the A list director and all of it is based on a true story, well this movie speaks for itself. I think this movie would rank this high on many people's list given the stature of the film and the great storytelling by everyone involved. To this very day I am still in awe of the fact that The Mogadishu Mile actually happened. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then clearly you need to watch this movie.


Regarded as one of the best movies of all time, Schindler's List tops this movie because the storytelling is bar none the best on this list. Like Three Kings, Schindler's List is more storytelling than gore. I can't really explain this movie because it's just something to be seen and felt. The message from this movie was quite clear, this man saved thousands of lives and did it just in time before the end of the war came and his imminent capture. Told in black and white this movie just provokes the mind and makes you realize how low the Nazi regime went in terms of human torture. This is one of those movies that you have to see to believe, and I'm sure that you won't be disappointed.


The war movie that sets the standards for all war movies.

Saving Private Ryan was the first movie of it's kind. It was set on a grand scale style of shooting with real life visuals. The realism in this movie has been emulated in so many movies these days that it's crazy. The movie starts off with the armed forces taking the beach and from that moment on I just knew what it was going to be. Directed by the only man that could make a movie this large and could make all of the actors mesh seamlessly, a one Mr. Steven Spielberg. You think Black Hawk Down had a large number of up and coming stars in this movie, you look around and you will see dozens of veteran actors taking up the mantle of the brave soldiers of WWII. There isn't much to be said about this movie because either you've seen it and loved it or you haven't seen it yet and in that case you need to watch it. The story about the squad who has to get the last brother home to his family is one that you won't want to miss out on.

But for all of it's accolades and superb film making all around, it's not my favorite war movie.


That distinction belongs to Fury.

A lot of you are wondering how could I put this movie ahead of the likes of Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, Pearl Harbor or even Black Hawk Down. And I say to you this: it's pretty damn easy when the movie is this good. Basically this movie embodies what I love about movies period: fast paced action, superb storytelling and the cast to back it up. Everyone does a great job in this movie, literally everyone does. This movie also brings to life the stresses that tankers faced during WWII. Everyone thinks that tankers just ride in and save the day, this movie displayed how that's not the case and the harsh realities that came with being a tanker. Brad Pitt, Logan Lerman, Michael Peña and Shia freakin LaBeouf all do a great job in their roles and the acting is unreal.

The special effects, the story line, the acting chops, the casting, the emotions that it drew from me, the ending where you just felt all kinds of pride and sadness, it just did everything right. I didn't have time to think about the previous scene and that's a good thing when the whole movie is flowing. I don't want time to think, I just want to watch and enjoy. This movie capitalized on perfect timing and change of pace acting. David Ayer did a great job on this one and he definitely lived up to his end of the deal with this one. I know Fury is one of those movies that everyone hasn't seen yet because it just came out in 2014, so I definitely put my name behind this one and check it out. If you want a little glimpse then check out this short clip of Shia LaBeouf acting out one of his best scenes he's ever acted in his life here.

That's my top list, I'm sure I'll get a ear full for not having Full Metal Jacket, Platoon and Glory on this list, but like I said this is my list of war movies that I like. I hope I gave you some suggestions on what to watch when you're in the mood for war movies. Like I said I hope you guys leave it in the comments with your favorites that you like and I hoped you enjoyed the list!

Until next time guys!

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