Originally by Ranker FilmList RulesVote up your favorite movies about war, soldiers, boot camp, combat, and military conflicts.
Good military films give civilians a taste of what our troops go through on the battlefield and throughout their daily lives. While not all of these films feature war, they are all based on military service as a central theme. All branches of the United States military are represented, although admittedly, fewer films have been made about the Coast Guard. Most of these Hollywood films focus on the Army, Navy, and Air Force. All time periods have been included from recent, modern militaries to the armies of the past. A few movies about armed forces from other countries, as well as fictional guerilla forces, are also on this list. If you are interested in the military, then these are the movies for you.
What are the best movies about soldiers, sailors, marines, and military pilots? We're pretty sure that all of the top military movies are on this list but feel free to rerank it so all your favorites are on top.
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2,250584Saving Private Ryan
Tom Hanks, Matt DamonReleased: 1998
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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2,221641Full Metal Jacket
Vincent D'Onofrio, R. Lee ErmeyReleased: 1987
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
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1,008268The Longest Day
Sean Connery, John WayneReleased: 1962
Directed by: Darryl F. Zanuck, Ken Annakin, Bernhard Wicki, Andrew Marton, Gerd Oswald
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1,258362Patton
George C. Scott, Karl MaldenReleased: 1970
Directed by: Franklin J. Schaffner
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1,124360The Great Escape
Steve McQueen, Richard AttenboroughReleased: 1963
Directed by: John Sturges
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1,564613Platoon
Johnny Depp, Charlie SheenReleased: 1986
Directed by: Oliver Stone
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717246Gettysburg
Martin Sheen, Tom BerengerReleased: 1993
Directed by: Ronald F. Maxwell
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872317Glory
Morgan Freeman, Denzel WashingtonReleased: 1989
Directed by: Edward Zwick
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786173American Sniper
Bradley Cooper, Sienna MillerReleased: 2014
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
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1,142372The Patriot
Mel Gibson, Heath LedgerReleased: 2000
Directed by: Roland Emmerich
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775270Das Boot
Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert GrönemeyerReleased: 1981
Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen
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701246Heartbreak Ridge
Clint Eastwood, Mario Van PeeblesReleased: 1986
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
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732254A Bridge Too Far
Sean Connery, Anthony HopkinsReleased: 1977
Directed by: Richard Attenborough
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1,012399The Dirty Dozen
Jim Brown, Donald SutherlandReleased: 1967
Directed by: Robert Aldrich
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1,045406The Hunt for Red October
Alec Baldwin, Sean ConneryReleased: 1990
Directed by: John McTiernan
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821187Lone Survivor
Mark Wahlberg, Eric BanaReleased: 2013
Directed by: Peter Berg
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855355Tora! Tora! Tora!
Jason Robards Jr., Martin BalsamReleased: 1970
Directed by: Richard Fleischer, Toshio Masuda, Kinji Fukasaku
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1,034391Enemy at the Gates
Rachel Weisz, Jude LawReleased: 2001
Directed by: Jean-Jacques Annaud
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876382The Bridge on the River Kwai
Alec Guinness, William HoldenReleased: 1957
Directed by: David Lean
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728265Hamburger Hill
Don Cheadle, Dylan McDermottReleased: 1987
Directed by: John Irvin
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1,131523Apocalypse Now
Marlon Brando, Harrison FordReleased: 1979
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
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679265Midway
Tom Selleck, Charlton HestonReleased: 1976
Directed by: Jack Smight
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57040Band of Brothers
Donnie Wahlberg, Damian LewisReleased: 2001
Directed by: Mikael Salomon, Tony To, Richard Loncraine, David Frankel, David Leland
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566208Kelly's Heroes
Clint Eastwood, Donald SutherlandReleased: 1970
Directed by: Brian G. Hutton
25
532213Sergeant York
Gary Cooper, Walter BrennanReleased: 1941
Directed by: Howard Hawks
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