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WeirdThe 17 Best War Movies On Netflix
By Jade Budowski
@jadebudowski
Published
June 25, 2018, 9:00 p.m. ET
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Ranked by their Rotten Tomatoes Critic Scores!
Photos: Everett Collection, NETFLIX ; Illustration: Dillen Phelps
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Lessons of Darkness
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
Werner Herzog's hellish depiction of the Kuwaitian oil fields engulfed in flames is absolutely harrowing, especially thanks to the fact that he provides little explanation via narration or interviews - it's all about the imagery. There's a beauty and terror to this documentary, a depiction of the aftermath of the Gulf War that has to be seen to be believed.
[Stream Lessons of Darkness]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
Werner Herzog's hellish depiction of the Kuwaitian oil fields engulfed in flames is absolutely harrowing, especially thanks to the fact that he provides little explanation via narration or interviews - it's all about the imagery. There's a beauty and terror to this documentary, a depiction of the aftermath of the Gulf War that has to be seen to be believed.
[Stream Lessons of Darkness]
Photo: Netflix
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Schindler's List
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Steven Spielberg's stunning telling of Oskar Schindler's efforts to save refugees from the Nazis during the Holocaust is one of the most riveting films ever made. Starring Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Raph Fiennes, and a stellar ensemble cast, this gut-wrenching black and white film is necessary viewing. (Can you believe he made it at the same time he was helming Jurassic Park?!)
[Stream Schindler's List on Netflix]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
Steven Spielberg's stunning telling of Oskar Schindler's efforts to save refugees from the Nazis during the Holocaust is one of the most riveting films ever made. Starring Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Raph Fiennes, and a stellar ensemble cast, this gut-wrenching black and white film is necessary viewing. (Can you believe he made it at the same time he was helming Jurassic Park?!)
[Stream Schindler's List on Netflix]
Photo: Everett Collection
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Last Days in Vietnam
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
The last weeks of the Vietnam War were ravaged with chaos and panic, and this documentary does not shy away from the scary truths that came to light during those final days. As frantic South Vietnamese citizens try to escape, American soldiers are faced with the ultimate dilemma: follow White House orders and only evacuate U.S. citizens, or help save as many South Vietnamese lives as possible - and risk treason.
[Stream Last Days in Vietnam]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
The last weeks of the Vietnam War were ravaged with chaos and panic, and this documentary does not shy away from the scary truths that came to light during those final days. As frantic South Vietnamese citizens try to escape, American soldiers are faced with the ultimate dilemma: follow White House orders and only evacuate U.S. citizens, or help save as many South Vietnamese lives as possible - and risk treason.
[Stream Last Days in Vietnam]
Photo: Netflix
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Full Metal Jacket
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%
Directed by Stanley Kubrick, this iconic war film examines the effects of the military mentality and war as a whole on Vietnam-era Marines. The film's ever-quotable lines and unforgettable performances have inspired countless other works and parodies. Featuring Matthew Modine, Vincent D'Onofrio, and a stellar ensemble cast, this tight, disciplined, honest look at the way war seeps into the collective conscience of its participants is a classic.
[Stream Full Metal Jacket on Netflix ]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%
Directed by Stanley Kubrick, this iconic war film examines the effects of the military mentality and war as a whole on Vietnam-era Marines. The film's ever-quotable lines and unforgettable performances have inspired countless other works and parodies. Featuring Matthew Modine, Vincent D'Onofrio, and a stellar ensemble cast, this tight, disciplined, honest look at the way war seeps into the collective conscience of its participants is a classic.
[Stream Full Metal Jacket on Netflix ]
Photo: Everett Collection
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A War (2015)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
This Danish film follows a Commander Claus M. Pedersen and a group of soldiers stationed in an Afghan province who are caught in a heavy crossfire. Forced to make a call in a tough situation, Claus acts in a way that evidently goes on to haunt him and his family back home.
[Stream A War]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
This Danish film follows a Commander Claus M. Pedersen and a group of soldiers stationed in an Afghan province who are caught in a heavy crossfire. Forced to make a call in a tough situation, Claus acts in a way that evidently goes on to haunt him and his family back home.
[Stream A War]
Photo: Netflix
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Beasts of No Nation
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
Cary Fukunaga's riveting drama follows Agu, a child soldier fighting in a civil war in a fictional West African country. He fears the men around him and tries to make sense of his war-ravaged world as he's forced into a life of death and violence. Equally devastating and fascinating, the film also stars Idris Elba as the menacing commander.
[Stream Beasts of No Nation]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
Cary Fukunaga's riveting drama follows Agu, a child soldier fighting in a civil war in a fictional West African country. He fears the men around him and tries to make sense of his war-ravaged world as he's forced into a life of death and violence. Equally devastating and fascinating, the film also stars Idris Elba as the menacing commander.
[Stream Beasts of No Nation]
Photo: Everett Collection
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Lincoln
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
Daniel Day-Lewis won an Academy Award for playing the 16th President of the United States in Steven Spielberg's epic drama, and it's not hard to see why. The film sees Lincoln in a race against the clock to banish slavery from the United States and end the American Civil War in a way that winds up uniting a broken country. Gorgeously shot and perfectly performed, Lincoln is a must-see.
[Stream Lincoln]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
Daniel Day-Lewis won an Academy Award for playing the 16th President of the United States in Steven Spielberg's epic drama, and it's not hard to see why. The film sees Lincoln in a race against the clock to banish slavery from the United States and end the American Civil War in a way that winds up uniting a broken country. Gorgeously shot and perfectly performed, Lincoln is a must-see.
[Stream Lincoln]
Photo: Everett Collection
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First They Killed My Father
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
Directed by Angelina Jolie, this Netflix original drama tells the true story of Loung Ung's time as a child in the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. The moving film is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and just how hard we're willing to fight to protect the people we love.
[Stream First They Killed My Father]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
Directed by Angelina Jolie, this Netflix original drama tells the true story of Loung Ung's time as a child in the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. The moving film is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and just how hard we're willing to fight to protect the people we love.
[Stream First They Killed My Father]
Photo: Netflix
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Tell Spring Not to Come This Year
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
This moving documentary puts viewers in the shoes of one unit in the Afghan National Army as they endure their first year of deployment without any NATO support. It's an intimate, unique glimpse into a side of the story rarely told, and it's fascinating to hear things from the side of the Afghans fighting the Afghanistan war.
[Stream Tell Spring Not to Come This Year]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
This moving documentary puts viewers in the shoes of one unit in the Afghan National Army as they endure their first year of deployment without any NATO support. It's an intimate, unique glimpse into a side of the story rarely told, and it's fascinating to hear things from the side of the Afghans fighting the Afghanistan war.
[Stream Tell Spring Not to Come This Year]
Photo: Netflix
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Atonement
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%
Keira Knightley and James McAvoy are star-crossed lovers Cecilia and Robbie in this breathtaking war film from Joe Wright. When young Briony (Saoirse Ronan) makes an unfounded accusation, the implications of her claims affect Robbie's life and his romance with Cecilia forever.
[Stream Atonement]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%
Keira Knightley and James McAvoy are star-crossed lovers Cecilia and Robbie in this breathtaking war film from Joe Wright. When young Briony (Saoirse Ronan) makes an unfounded accusation, the implications of her claims affect Robbie's life and his romance with Cecilia forever.
[Stream Atonement]
Photo: Everett Collection
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Tropic Thunder
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%
"What do YOU mean, 'you people'?" This uproarious action comedy starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., and a shocking turn from Tom Cruise is ever-quotable and completely bonkers (even if it is slightly #problematic). This subversive satire chronicles the endeavor of Tugg Speedman (Stiller) to produce the most expensive war movie ever made alongside Hollywood's other biggest stars (Downey Jr. and Black). When the fights in the jungle they're filming in become real, however, the actors must become soldiers - or face a gruesome fate.
[Stream Tropic Thunder]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%
"What do YOU mean, 'you people'?" This uproarious action comedy starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., and a shocking turn from Tom Cruise is ever-quotable and completely bonkers (even if it is slightly #problematic). This subversive satire chronicles the endeavor of Tugg Speedman (Stiller) to produce the most expensive war movie ever made alongside Hollywood's other biggest stars (Downey Jr. and Black). When the fights in the jungle they're filming in become real, however, the actors must become soldiers - or face a gruesome fate.
[Stream Tropic Thunder]
Photo: Everett Collection
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Good Kill
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%
A war movie for a more modern audience, Good Kill centers on a drone pilot who begins to question the ethics behind what his job really is after he realizes he may be doing more harm than good. Starring Ethan Hawke, January Jones, and Zoe Kravitz, this harrowing film is both thought-provoking and eerily relevant.
[Stream Good Kill]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%
A war movie for a more modern audience, Good Kill centers on a drone pilot who begins to question the ethics behind what his job really is after he realizes he may be doing more harm than good. Starring Ethan Hawke, January Jones, and Zoe Kravitz, this harrowing film is both thought-provoking and eerily relevant.
[Stream Good Kill]
Photo: Everett Collection
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The Way Back
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%
Starring Ed Harris, Jim Sturgess, Colin Farrell, Saoirse Ronan, and more, this epic adventure film follows a band of soldiers who escape from a World War II labor camp and embark on a 4,000 mile journey to the freedom that awaits them in India. Despite all obstacles, they learn to band together through every dilemma under the sun and fight for the lives they so desperately want.
[Stream The Way Back]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%
Starring Ed Harris, Jim Sturgess, Colin Farrell, Saoirse Ronan, and more, this epic adventure film follows a band of soldiers who escape from a World War II labor camp and embark on a 4,000 mile journey to the freedom that awaits them in India. Despite all obstacles, they learn to band together through every dilemma under the sun and fight for the lives they so desperately want.
[Stream The Way Back]
Photo: Netflix
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Suite Française
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%
Set during the early years of World War II and the Nazi occupation of France, this romantic war drama follows star-crossed lovers Lucile (Michelle Williams), a French villager, and German soldier Bruno von Falk (Matthias Schoenarts). While Lucile initially tries to resist her interest in Bruno because her husband is a prisoner of war, the close quarters soon lead them into a powerful romance as they cope with the ongoing devastation of the war.
[Stream Suite Française]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%
Set during the early years of World War II and the Nazi occupation of France, this romantic war drama follows star-crossed lovers Lucile (Michelle Williams), a French villager, and German soldier Bruno von Falk (Matthias Schoenarts). While Lucile initially tries to resist her interest in Bruno because her husband is a prisoner of war, the close quarters soon lead them into a powerful romance as they cope with the ongoing devastation of the war.
[Stream Suite Française]
Photo: Everett Collection
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A Perfect Day
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 73%
Starring Benicio del Toro and Tim Robbins as aid workers in the Balkans during the last days of the Bosnian conflict. When a rotting corpse begins to contaminate a well with the only potable water source in the region, the team of workers attempt to obtain a rope to retrieve the body from the well. There's humor in this team's difficulties to achieve what seems to be a relatively small task, and the ensemble cast shines in this first English-language effort from Spanish director Fernando Leon de Aranoa.
[Stream A Perfect Day]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 73%
Starring Benicio del Toro and Tim Robbins as aid workers in the Balkans during the last days of the Bosnian conflict. When a rotting corpse begins to contaminate a well with the only potable water source in the region, the team of workers attempt to obtain a rope to retrieve the body from the well. There's humor in this team's difficulties to achieve what seems to be a relatively small task, and the ensemble cast shines in this first English-language effort from Spanish director Fernando Leon de Aranoa.
[Stream A Perfect Day]
Photo: Everett Collection
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Cold Mountain
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 71%
Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renee Zellweger, Natalie Portman, and more A-listers star in this romantic war drama that raked in the awards in 2003. The film follows a wounded Confederate soldier as he embarks on a difficult journey back home to reunite with the love of his life.
[Stream Cold Mountain]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 71%
Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renee Zellweger, Natalie Portman, and more A-listers star in this romantic war drama that raked in the awards in 2003. The film follows a wounded Confederate soldier as he embarks on a difficult journey back home to reunite with the love of his life.
[Stream Cold Mountain]
Photo: Everett Collection
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Spectral
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%
This Netflix Original follows an engineer as he teams up with an elite Special Ops force to stop a supernatural forces tearing through a war-ravaged European city. This high-stakes, action-driven flick evokes the feeling of genre classics and provides a series of new thrills for the streaming audience era.
[Stream Spectral]
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%
This Netflix Original follows an engineer as he teams up with an elite Special Ops force to stop a supernatural forces tearing through a war-ravaged European city. This high-stakes, action-driven flick evokes the feeling of genre classics and provides a series of new thrills for the streaming audience era.
[Stream Spectral]
Photo: Everett Collection
