War isn't about heroes saving the world, or even their country. While the men and women that come back from war are often seen as heroes, the brutality of war leaves many of them broken.
Many movies are working now to show the truth of war, and give as much historically accurate information as possible. If you want to know the truth about war while watching a movie, look at some of the films below.
16 Restrepo
Restrepo is based on the Afghanistan war and offers a raw look at what you might expect to experience on the front line.
The soldiers the movie follows, 15 in total, are dropped at the Outpost Restrepo, which was named after a medic that was killed early during the deployment.
The outpost is located in Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, which is considered to be one of the most dangerous military postings.
Restrepo holds no punches when it comes to the horrors of war and what every member of the US military faces when they are deployed.
15 Hacksaw Ridge
Hacksaw Ridge is based on a true story, detailing the life of Desmond Doss during his enlistment. He was a pacifist during the war and refused to go with a weapon.
Despite his ideals, he did go to war and managed to save many lives during the Battle of Okinawa. He suffered severe injuries to save others, many of which were permanent.
While there are some historical inaccuracies, mostly focused on what is going on outside the war, it offers a great depiction of what his life was like, as well as the lives of other soldiers that fought to be pacifists, even as they went to the front lines.
While Doss got through the war as a hero and was alive, though severely injured at the end, many others weren't so lucky, and this movie helps shed a light on some of the horrors.
14 Letters From Iwo Jima
Directed by Clint Eastwood, Letters from Iwo Jima is a movie about World War II. However, it offers a different take from most American World War II movies.
Instead of focusing on U.S. soldiers and what they faced, this movie is centered around the Japanese soldiers. It not only focuses on these soldiers and the lack of fear they displayed while fighting, but the man that led the army, General Tadamichi Kuribayashi.
The movie is so accurate they even included some of his actual quotes in the movie where they could.
This movie shows the lives of soldiers before they become killers, such as bakers, fathers, and one equestrian champion. It shines a light on the fact that both sides faced losses and were a lot more similar than we sometimes realize.
13
Hamburger Hill
Hamburger Hill is sometimes overlooked. It came out around the same time as Platoon and Full Metal Jacket, during the time that movies about wars were big.
Despite often being forgotten about, many people who went through the war, and are historical buffs say that Hamburger Hill is considered to be one of the most accurate films based on the Vietnam War.
Included is the grunt slang that was common at the time, as well as what the grunts had to go through while at war.
It isn't perfect by any means, but it shows many of the tragedies of war, including friendly fire, and the high casualty rate. The actors may be cleaner and more styled than any real soldier would be, and rockets were more commonly used than machine guns, but you get the idea of the chaos that happens on the battlefield.
12 Platoon
Anyone that knows the background of Platoon shouldn't be surprised by its accuracy. It was actually both written and directed by a veteran by the name of Oliver Stone.
When Stone returned from his service in Vietnam, he started to create his screenplay. Unlike many other movies on this list, his story isn't actually based on a specific fight or true events.
However, he does capture the heart of war, including the mindsets of the soldiers going in to fight, how little control soldiers have over their fates, and the conflicts that occur.
This movie pulls the audience into the fear and emotions that any soldier feels during their first tour, and shows how new soldiers may go in feeling proud and confident but quickly realize the truth and horrors that come with war.
11 1917
1917 isn't based on any specific soldier or any war story. However, has all the makings of an accurate war movie, including the constant fight against time, and the hectic feel of war.
They even included accurate details, such as the trenches. The minor actors in the movie were given the same tasks that soldiers would have, like health inspections, checking and filling sandbags, and whatever else they did with their little free time.
10 Stalingrad
There are actually two movies called Stalingrad. One was released in 2013 in Russia, and the other in 1993 in Germany. It is the German one that is called an accurate war movie while the Russian one is often instead just called over-the-top and a spectacle.
The German movie focuses on the perspectives of the soldiers and the details of war. No holds are barred as you start the movie right away with horrific pictures of death, panic, and brutality.
Not only does it show what happens during the war, but what happens after, such as survivor's guilt, and how little heroism you can expect to see when on the front lines, as many people never wanted to be soldiers. It doesn't show the heroes, but those losing their battle, which is a story most often not told.
9 Glory
Not all wars are between countries. Some can be between people in the same country. Glory focuses on the United States Civil war and an all-black regiment.
Specifically, it tells the tale of Robert Gould Shaw, who was originally very privileged.
The story is as accurate as any movie could be, pieced together based on the stories of Shaw himself and the letters he wrote while leading his regiment.
8 Dunkirk
Dunkirk isn't your normal war movie. There really isn't a main character and the narrative is all but nonexistent. It focuses on the big picture of war.
Specifically, it focuses on how 340 thousand troops survived at the French port in WWII when trapped by Germans.
Though the movie isn't normal by any means, the director and costume designer worked hard to make sure everything was as historically accurate as it could be, even in terms of material.
If you know only a little about the war, this movie will keep you guessing with little to no narration or explanation. There aren't even generals summarizing the situation, or those that explicitly know that it is Germans attacking the armies. But you will be thrown into the story and experience war and survival with the thousands of men in this movie.
7 Generation Kill
Generation Kill is more about modern soldiers. It focuses on the assault of Baghdad in 2003 and the experiences of one of the marines in the line of duty.
Generation Kill is full of accuracies including how the mindsets of men warp after being in the line of duty, and the dark personalities they have to take on just to survive. You also see the rations that people get when fighting.
6 Lone Survivor
Lone Survivor is a movie focused on a covert mission in the heart of Afghanistan, and the things that go wrong. The people in this movie are Navy SEALs and have to deal with a brutal squad of Taliban soldiers when they are found.
The horrors of the movie are so intense that many people initially assume that it is just Hollywood adding drama and flare, but it isn't. The grizzly portrayals are accurate and based on the real team.
Scenes such as jumping off of cliffs in a last-ditch effort to survive, sacrificing oneself to try and get one more chance for help, rescue teams being killed before they can arrive, and small local heroes are all accurate depictions of what these SEALs went through before they could get back home.
5 Black Hawk Down
Black Hawk Down is a movie based on The Battle of Mogadishu. Three teams of special forces are all given the task of capturing a man named Mohamed Farrah Aidid.
However, things don't work out as they should, and many people end up dying, including 19 soldiers and 1,000 Somali.
Many criticize this movie for only focusing on one side of the war, but can't deny that the movie is extremely accurate when it comes to the combat itself. The fights were pretty well documented, and the filmmakers used the information provided such as reports and firsthand experiences to direct their movie.
However, the story outside the combat isn't accurate at all, portraying the soldiers in a much better light than what actually happened.
4 Full Metal Jacket
Usually, when movies are made about war, they are meant to either support or show negative opinions about the fighting and the way wars are run.
However, Full Metal Jacket wasn't like this. The director, Stanley Kubrick, wanted a film that was accurate, and not trying to promote his own opinion.
He focused on the way recruits were treated and the way they didn't only have to face horrors on the battlefield, but even during training. Full Metal Jacket even almost perfectly portrayed the tactics and politics behind the Vietnam War.
Some of the actors brought in had experience in the military and used their experience to make the movie more accurate, such as the way a drill sergeant would act.
While now, boot camp policies have changed to be a little less horrifying, it is still an accurate depiction of what treatment was like for some soldiers.
3 Jarhead
Jarhead is based on the autobiography of a former U.S. Marine by the name of Anthony Swofford. Like Full Metal Jacket it is focused on the real sides of war.
One distinct difference between this movie compared to other movies on this list is how entirely boring it can be at times. Most war movies talk about the chaotic moments when people are fighting and failing to survive.
But Jarhead talks about the moments in between. It shows the bonds that men form, the lack of sensical orders sometimes, and how soldiers cope with the anxiety, horrors, and loneliness that comes with being on duty.
This isn't an action-packed war movie like you might expect. It is a movie that shows the average day of a soldier, and the lack of glory that often comes with it.
2 Saving Private Ryan
Saving Private Ryan has quickly become a modern classic due to its accurate portrayal of war.
While the movie is mostly fiction and takes a lot of liberties, there are some scenes that are accurate because they are based on true moment, like the death of five brothers at once, and how Fritz Niland was sent home when his brothers died while fighting.
The main reason it stands out, however, is the opening scene of Operation Overlord and the landing on Omaha Beach during D-Day. The confusion, gore, violence, and uselessness of maps and other equipment in the heat of the moment are considered to be the most accurate portrayal of the landing to date.
Another interesting accuracy note is that all the weapons used have real sound effects, and a lot of actual equipment from that time period is used in that movie. Jargon is also included, and treated as normal, though many people may not understand it.
1 We Were Soldiers
We Were Soldiers is another movie about the Vietnam War. The movie is based on the three-day battle known as the Battle of Ia Drang, which was the largest fight at the time in Vietnam.
The movie shows you not only the soldiers fighting for their lives, but the daily activity of people left at home with no word of the safety of their loved ones as well.
The most accurate part of the film is the tactics that the soldiers use, including firing into bush that may contain enemies to carrying only handguns into battle.
It is based heavily on the memoir by Hal More, We Were Soldiers Once... And Young, and the filmmakers also carried out research to maintain accuracy. While some things were changed to make it more dramatic or to shorten the timeline, they tried to be as accurate as possible.