15 gripping military movies based on true stories that bring history to life

Military and war movies are some of the most impactful genres of movies. The films not only handle sensitive topics like war and highlight the futility of it, but it is also an important reminder of how war destroys people and families and should, therefore, always be avoided. Most war movies take inspiration from a historical event, and over the years, there has been a tremendous growth in the visual effects, which enhances the visceral nature of war. Here are 15 military movies based on real-life incidents that bring forth the power and might of war and destruction.

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Saving Private Ryan, Dunkirk, and other military movies based on true stories

1. Hacksaw Ridge

Directed by Mel Gibson and starring Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Vince Vaughn, and others, this biographical war movie is based on a documentary. Set during World War II, it revolves around Desmond Doss, played by Garfield, a combat medic and a Seventh-day Adventist. The film looks at his life and how he became the first conscientious objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor. The movie is one of the few war movies that provides a pacifist look at the bloody reality of war and destruction instead of the bloody and gruesome portrayal. The movie was widely appreciated for its subject matter and Garfield’s performance.

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2. American Sniper

Starring Bradley Cooper and directed by Clint Eastwood, this biographical war drama movie is based on a memoir by Chris Kyle, Scott McEwen, and Jim DeFelice. The movie revolves around Chris Kyle, played by Cooper, one of the deadliest snipers in the US military. The movie showcases how he killed more than 200 people during the Iraq War and how he was celebrated for his successes. However, the film also highlights the devastating effects of the war on Kyle and his personal life. The film received positive reviews and received multiple nominations at the Oscars.

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3. Rescue Dawn

Directed by Werner Herzog and starring Christian Bale, this epic war drama is based on the true story of a German-American pilot, Dieter Dengler (Bale). The film is set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War and focuses on how Dengler was shot down and captured by a bunch of villagers who sympathized with the Pathet Lao during the American campaign in Vietnam. The film received mixed reviews, but it was a critical hit. The movie is a gripping and tense tale and highlights the horrors of the war with precision and biting accuracy.

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4. Lone Survivor

Starring Mark Wahlberg and directed by Peter Berg, this action-drama movie is based on the non-fiction book by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson. The movie is set during the war in Afghanistan. It is based on the real-life mission where a group of US Navy Seals conducted a counter-insurgent mission called Operation Red Wings to search and kill a Taliban leader called Ahmad Shah. The movie showcases the harrowing conditions under which the SEALs had to work through the mission and how they became trapped.

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5. Valkyrie

Directed by Bryan Singer and starring Tom Cruise, this historical thriller movie is set during World War II. The movie is based on the real-life assassination attempt that was carried out on 20th July 1944, in Nazi Germany, by a group of German army officers to kill Adolf Hitler, and use the Operation Valkyrie national emergency plan to control the country. Cruise plays the role of Claus von Stauffenberg, who was responsible for plotting the conspiracy. The movie highlights the suspenseful and systematic manner in which the assassination plot was conceived.

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6. Jarhead

Based on the memoir by Anthony Swofford and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, and others, this biographical war drama, directed by Sam Mendes, revolves around the life and service of Swofford (Gyllenhaal). The film chronicles the challenges during his time at the US Marine Corps amidst the Persian Gulf War. Even though the movie received mixed reviews, it highlights the experiences and emotions of war veterans who were in the line of fire and how they realized that war is a destructive tool. The movie highlights the mundane life of thousands of US troops during the war and how war is glamorized.

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7. Saving Private Ryan

Starring Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, and others, this epic war movie, directed by Steven Spielberg, is set during World War II. The film focuses on a group of US soldiers who must locate and bring back Private James Francis Ryan (Damon) after all his brothers are killed in action. The movie is a classic and was a massive success among critics and viewers. The movie is noted for its authentic and extensive portrayal of the war sequences and its emphasis on how war destroys families. The movie’s battle scenes influenced later war and action movies.

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8. 1917

Directed by Sam Mendes and starring George MacKay, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, and others, this British war movie is set against the backdrop of Operation Alberich and revolves around two Lance Corporals who must deliver an urgent message of calling off an unsuccessful offensive attack, while traveling across no man’s land and German-occupied territory. The movie is tense and suspenseful and brings the gripping nature of the real-life event to life on screen. The film has powerful and moving performances and was a critical and commercial hit.

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9. The Thin Red Line

Based on the novel by James Jones, this war movie, directed by Terrence Malick, stars Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, and others. The movie is set during the Guadalcanal Campaign of the Second World War. The film tells an account of the Battle of Mount Austen, which focuses on a group of the US Army Corps who tried to stop Japanese bombardment and gained a territorial advantage. The film offers an accurate description of the real-life battle of Guadalcanal and also depicts the psychological and emotional state of the soldiers. The movie is not grandiose and focuses on the honest and grueling reality of the war and the soldiers.

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10. Glory

Directed by Edward Zwick and starring Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, and others, this historical war drama is based on the novels by Lincoln Kirstein and Peter Burchard. The movie depicts the American Civil War and focuses on the Union Army’s earliest African-American regiment, known as the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. The movie was a critical success and is one of the few movies that portray the sacrifices of the African-American people and their contribution to the freedom and liberation of the country. The film is moving and powerful, and Washington even won a supporting actor award at the Oscars for his stellar portrayal.

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11. Dunkirk

Starring Fionn Whitehead, Jack Lowden, and others, this historical war thriller, directed by Christopher Nolan, revolves around the Dunkirk evacuation operation undertaken during World War II. The evacuation was one of the biggest operations where thousands of British and Allied soldiers were rescued from the beaches of Dunkirk. The film grandly and accurately portrays the evacuation attempt through the perspectives of land, sea, and air and has little dialogue. The movie was a critical and commercial success. It was appreciated for its heavy use of practical effects like thousands of extras and period airplanes, which conveyed the grandiose element of the evacuation on screen.

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12. The Killing Fields

Directed by Roland Joffe and based on the experiences of two journalists, Dith Pran from Cambodia and Sydney Schanberg from America, this biographical war drama stars Sam Waterston, Craig T. Nelson, and others. The movie revolves around Sydney (Waterston), who is stuck in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge’s occupancy while the dictator, Pol Pot, has ordered an ethnic cleansing. The film offers a sharp and biting look at mass genocide, which is unflinching and graphic. While also highlighting the bond created between Dith and Sydney. The movie was a critical hit and received many nominations at the Oscars.

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13. Schindler’s List

Starring Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, and others, this famous epic historical drama movie, directed by Steven Spielberg, is based on a novel by Thomas Keneally. The movie is set during World War II and tells the real-life story of Oskar Schindler, who was a German industrialist who saved thousands of Polish-Jewish refugees from the Holocaust in Nazi Germany. Neeson plays the role of Oskar, and the movie was shot in black and white with a documentary-style approach. The movie was a massive critical and commercial success and received multiple nominations at the Oscars. The movie is known for its moving depiction of humanity.

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14. The Outpost

Based on the non-fiction book by Jake Tapper and directed by Rod Lurie, this war movie stars Orlando Bloom, Milo Gibson, and others. The movie is set during the Battle of Kamdesh in the War in Afghanistan. The film focuses on how a small group of US soldiers is attacked by Taliban fighters while being stationed at an isolated army base in the mountains of Afghanistan. The movie received praise for its gritty and raw battle sequences and the truthful portrayal of the psychological and emotional stress that the soldiers undergo during the war.

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15. Argo

Directed by and starring Ben Affleck and based on a memoir by CIA operative Antonio J. Mendez and an article by Joshuah Bearman, this thriller movie is set during the Iran hostage crisis and focuses on the covert operation called Canadian Caper. During the operation, Mendez rescued six US diplomats from Tehran, Iran, under the guise of making a science-fiction movie. The movie was a commercial and critical hit, and Affleck’s direction and performance were appreciated. The movie offers a unique perspective on the offenses committed during the Cold War, and the movie received multiple nominations at the Oscars.