With Veterans Day on the horizon here in the States, our writers got together to write about some great movies and shows that honor U.S. veterans! Let us know your favorites @SiftPop!
The Patriot is inarguably the biggest blockbuster ever made about the Revolutionary War. Directed by Roland Emmerich of Independence Day and disaster movie fame, this historical action epic follows a ragtag group of South Carolina Militiamen who travel through swamp and wood, in what we would now refer to as guerrilla warfare, to disrupt British troop movements and supply chains. Led by stellar performances from the likes of Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, and Jason Isaacs, this brutal flick is often relentless in its violence. Bayonets are thrusted through jugulars, limbs are dismembered, and cannonballs take off people’s heads. This is not for the faint of heart. But beyond the visceral portrayal of violence, the film also does a tremendous job of portraying humanity as we see not just soldiers at war, but soldiers at home too. Their families, the embodiment of their hopes and dreams, the very liberty they’re fighting for, make this an emotionally moving war epic to boot. Though it may be a tad bit long in the runtime, and the violence certainly won’t be for everyone, the film made $215.3 million at the box office for a reason. If you ever wanted to check out a movie about the Revolutionary War, particularly from the perspective of the soldiers, look no further than The Patriot. (Heath Lynch)
I first saw Glory for a history class in high school. It’s always stuck with me as a way to showcase that the sacrifices some soldiers make are on a whole different level. Telling the story of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, an all Black group of soldiers fighting for the Union, Glory depicts what’s truly at stake for this group during the U.S. Civil War. When the Confederacy states that any Black person captured will be brought back to the South and enslaved or anyone in uniform would be killed, the men still volunteer knowing the risk they are undertaking. Dealing with unfair wages, insufficient supplies, and harsh training, the infantry group still manages to make their mark that changes the viewpoints of the Union army. To these men, volunteering and potentially sacrificing themselves for the Union means being one step closer to a better life for the other men, women, and children still enslaved by the Confederacy. Not all soldiers are created equal, and Glory helps depict that. (Mike Hilty)
World War I was fought for the selfishness of kings, and regular people paid the price. Stanley Kubrick certainly understood this absurdity and a complete waste of life. He channeled this message into a classic war film, Paths of Glory, which finds Kirk Douglas as Colonel Dax, who confronts the ridiculous and harmful perspectives of “gentlemen” above him and must confront the fates of young men who are sentenced to death for no good reason. Kubrick finds a dark (and I mean DARK) sense of humor and a bit of satire in this lean war drama. The crisp black-and-white filmmaking with dynamic camerawork shows just how talented a filmmaker he was, and the fiery and passionate performance from Douglas anchors this whole wild story down. There is plenty to ponder, and Kubrick navigates deeply impactful and compelling themes centered around conflict. Paths of Glory is a story for the soldiers and in honor of those who suffer for the whims of reckless leaders. (Shane Conto)
If you want to talk about influence and capturing something as horrific as war as closely as we can ever get it, Saving Private Ryan is up there. Famously, many veterans had to be excused during the opening D Day sequence because it was shot so well that it brought back many painful memories which would have been almost 60 years old at that moment. But Steven Spielberg knows not to aim for a shock factor, and gives us a fairly simple yet effective story about a sacrifice and how much one human life is worth. When you have a filmography that is as long and fruitful as Spielberg’s, it’s hard to argue that just one movie is his best one. But Saving Private Ryan must be at least in the top three of his filmography, as everything is firing (no pun intended) on all cylinders. From the all-star cast to the camera work, editing, sound design… This movie reminds you of the horrors of war and stays with you for years. (Luke Burian)
There are not a lot of shows that depict the struggle of the Korean War, but M*A*S*H is the definitive entry in this chapter of American entertainment history. Standing for Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals, M*A*S*H puts a different spin on what a show about war can be about. Distinctly antiwar in a lot it’s commentary, the depiction of the soldiers and what they had to endure shows just how much pain and anguish they faced on a day-to-day basis. Friends died or were wounded, but the effect that it has on this particular hospital unit doesn’t go unnoticed. The episode called “Sometimes You Hear the Bullet” is a great example of how a soldier’s death affects someone like Hawkeye (Alan Alda). Even though it’s a show about war, the comedy keeps it engaging while the dramatic moments keep you on your toes. “Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen” is the perfect finale, and one of the best episodes of television ever. The way that it balances the horrors of war with the camaraderie you share with your fellow soldiers is something that we haven’t seen on television in a very long time. (Mike Hilty)
One of the top achievements shared by the greatest war movies is making you viscerally feel the horrors of conflict and the angst of grappling with moral dilemmas. That goes doubly for a great Vietnam War movie like Platoon as the conflict and film are both riddled with moral gray area. Long before he jumped off the deep end in many ways, Charlie Sheen delivered a nuanced performance in this Oliver Stone classic and Best Picture winner. He served as the audience’s point of view as a new arrival in Vietnam, torn between the agendas of his platoon sergeant and his squad leader. With Stone drawing on his experience in the war, there is a harrowing realism to the horrors faced. Impossible decisions are made, and unthinkable acts are committed. While some war epics leave you idolizing the fighters and almost wanting to be part of the glory, Platoon leaves you thankful to never have been near the events. Sheen is joined by an immensely deep roster of costars led by Willem Dafoe, Tom Berenger, John C. McGinley, Keith David, Forest Whitaker, and even a young Johnny Depp. If you’re looking to celebrate the glory of America’s armed forces this Veterans Day, with a gritty and brilliant dose of reality with outstanding performances, turn to Platoon. (Jason Mack)
We’ve all read the stories and seen the movies. We have an idea of what war and its glory are like. There is an expectation of action and an easy to see enemy. But what happens when a soldier has been led to believe one thing all his life and then comes to face very different battlefield? That’s what director Sam Mendes asks in Jarhead through the story of Anthony Swofford, played excellently by Jake Gyllenhaal. Tension is around the corner at every moment, and the enemy is hard to see for our marine protagonist. Maybe he doesn’t know what he’s really up against? Maybe it’s not about what’s right in front of him at all, rather what he is looking for. (Samuel Nichols)
There have been a lot of truly incredible war films over the years, many of which are discussed elsewhere on this list, but few have ever felt as real and harrowing as The Hurt Locker. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, with a screenplay penned by Mark Boal, a journalist who spent time embedded with soldiers in Iraq, the film follows a team of explosive ordnance disposal experts as they near the end of the tour. After team leader staff sergeant Matthew Thompson (Guy Pearce) is killed in action during a defusal gone wrong, leadership of the team is assumed by Sergeant First Class William James (Jeremy Renner), a reckless soldier who finds himself at odds with the rest of his team, namely Sergeant JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie). As the weeks tick down until the company is able to finish their deployment and return home, they continue to be sent out on dangerous missions, the razor-thin line between life and death constantly present throughout. Even during the quieter, non-combat moments of the film there remains the palpable tension that things could go haywire at any moment and that no one can ever truly feel safe. Regardless of whether or not you believe in the motivations or strategies of the War on Terror, you cannot deny that the soldiers on the ground fighting it were incredibly brave individuals living through Hell on Earth, a fact brought to the forefront by this stressful pressure cooker of a film. (Jake Hjort)