Film Fresh

Films can inflame citizens to become soldiers, and films can portray the sacrifices of those gone forever. We watch a war film for Memorial Day as a way of saying thanks to those who have given their lives in battle. We, too, have lost a loved one to war; we keep these soldiers alive in our hearts, and these films keep their sacrifices real to new generations. There are many war films, but here are the ones that stand out in revealing the triumph and tragedy of America’s wars:

CIVIL WAR: GLORY (1989, dir. Edward Zwick)
If you’ve never watched this multiple Oscar-winning film about the first black regiment of the Civil War, do yourself a favor and watch it now. A celebration of the heroism of slaves fighting for America, a film about changing history. Stars Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman. Rotten Tomatoes score 93%.

WORLD WAR I: GRAND ILLUSION (1937, dir. Jean Renoir)
Considered one of the great films of all time, this anti-war film takes place in a WWI POW camp as French soldiers plot their escape from their German captors in one of the very first prison escape films. Rotten Tomatoes score 98%

WORLD WAR II: THE DIRTY DOZEN (1967)
Heroism, men fighting for each other, top-notch actors, and a truly exciting story about an elite band of soldiers sneaking up on Nazis in a French chateau. Rotten Tomatoes score 95%

Films about WWII vary depending on when they’re made. Those made in the 1940s offer more of a pro-defense stance (understandably); films made in the 1960s during the build-up of the Vietnam War use WWII to foreground the heroism of men on impossible missions; later come the anti-war visions of WWII by the Vietnam generation, and more recently are remarkable films showing WWII from the vantage of Japanese (director Clint Eastwood’s heart-breaking LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA) or Chinese territory (director Steven Spielberg’s moving EMPIRE OF THE SUN). 

KOREAN WAR: GRAN TORINO (2008, directed by Clint Eastwood)
Not about war, but a Korean war veteran facing the influx of Asian immigrants in his native Detroit. Clint stars and directs a deeply thought-provoking film. Rotten Tomatoes 80%

VIETNAM WAR: APOCALYPSE NOW (1979, dir. Francis Ford Coppola)
This is one of the most profound, artistic, and provocative interpretations of the Vietnam War, a true milestone in American filmmaking nominated for eight Academy Awards. Rotten Tomatoes score: 99%

More classic films about Vietnam:
FULL METAL JACKET (1987, dir. Stanley Kubrick) – powerful story from one of the 20th century’s finest directors about new recruits eager to fight and their maturation on the battleground. Rotten Tomato Score 97%

FOG OF WAR (2003, dir. Errol Morris) -- reflections by former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara on all that went wrong in the way he handled the Vietnam War. Rotten Tomato score: 98%

SOMALIA: BLACK HAWK DOWN (2001, dir. Ridley Scott)
Set in 1993, this is a terrifying look at fighting in desperate situations. Director Ridley Scott knows how to scare and how to reflect on what America’s contradictions. Ewan McGregor and Josh Hartnett -- plus the helicopter skirmishes in this film -- will sear unique images of war into your memory. Rotten Tomatoes score: 76%

GULF WAR: THREE KINGS (1999, dir. David O. Russell)
A thriller starring George Clooney, Ice Cube, Spike Jonze, and Mark Wahlberg, who conspire to hide a cache of gold from the American military. The film reflects the nation’s divisions over this war, and its unique portrayal of war’s violence had a strong aesthetic influence. Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%

AFGHANISTAN: RESTREPO (2010, dir. Hetherington/Junger)
Documentary by embedded journalists in Afghanistan’s dangerous Korengal Valley where troops honor their fallen comrade PFC Juan Restrepo by fiercely fighting the enemy. Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%

Also: HELL AND BACK AGAIN (2011, nominated for Oscar, winner of Sundance World Doc Award) – another documentary about a soldier who survived Taliban machine-gun fire. Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%