Here are 10 of my favorite war movies that would be great to watch on Veteran’s Day. Leave a comment and let me know what your favorite war movie is or what veteran you are honoring this year. On Veteran’s Day, I’ll do a drawing for a paperback copy of Soldier’s Heart, a novella about a Civil War soldier suffering from PTSD.
10. Saving Private Ryan
Released 1998
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, and Tom Sizemore
This is a true story about a group of men during WW2 who sacrificed their lives in a rescue mission to save Private Ryan, a man whose brothers had been killed in action. If you want a lot of heroic action and war scenes, this movie will satisfy. There is some bad language and violence.
9. Sergeant York
Released 1941
Directed by Howard Hawks
Starring: Gary Cooper
This is a true story about the reluctant hero of World War 1 and the part his faith played in his heroism.
8. Tora Tora Tora
Released 1970
Directed by Richard Fleischer, Kinji Fukasaku, and Toshio Masuda
Starring: Martin Balsam, Sô Yamamura, Jason Robards, Joseph Cotton, James Whitmore, and others
This is a true story about the bombing of Pearl Harbor that started American involvement in WW2. It has an all star cast.
7. The Patriot
Released 2000
Directed by Roland Emmerich
Starring: Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger
This movie gives us a taste of what Revolutionary War veterans and their families endured to fight for the independence of the United States of America.
6. Glory
Released 1989
Directed by Edward Zwick
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, and Morgan Freeman
This Civil War movie is an account of true story of the first all black volunteer regiment. It is the movie that launched Denzel Washington’s career.
5. The Longest Day
Released 1962
Directed by Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, Bernhard Wicki, Gerd Oswald, and Darryl F. Zanuck
Starring: Eddie Albert, Paul Anka, Richard Burton, Red Buttons, Sean Connery, John Wayne, and others
No war movie would be complete without a John Wayne movie. This is an all-star cast WW2 movie about D-Day told on a grand scale with both American and German perspectives.
4. American Sniper
Released 2014
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Starring: Bradley Cooper
This is the true story of American sniper hero Chris Kyle, a Navy Seal who has the record for the most kills and served during the Iraqi War. This movie has strong language and disturbing violence.
3. Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison
Released 1957
Directed by John Houston
Starring: Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr
This heartwarming WW2 movie is about a marine and a nun stranded on a Pacific Island. This is a must watch movie.
2. Bridge over the River Kwai
Released 1957
Directed by David Leon
Starring: William Holden, Alec Guinness, and Jack Hawkins
Until my #1 choice came out last year, this classic was my all time favorite war movie. POW’s in a Japanese prison of war camp are ordered to build a bridge. This story has so many facets about duty and honor as a prisoner of war and when rigid adherence to the rules need to bend. It is a must see.
1. Unbroken
Released 2014
Directed by Angelina Jolene
Starring: Jack O’Connell, Miyavi, and Domhnall Gleeson
This is the best war movie I’ve ever seen and shows the strength of the human spirit in deplorable conditions and how God intervenes even when we don’t see it. During WW2, Olympian Louis Zamperini survives a plane crash into the Pacific Ocean, sets the record for surviving on a raft in the ocean, and is captured and sent to a brutal prisoner of war camp where he is targeted by a sadistic guard.
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