Memorial Day often means barbecues and beach trips to kick off the start of summer, but the holiday was always meant to honor the service men and women of the United States Armed Forces.
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA – MAY 23: Members of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, also known as the “Old Guard,” place flags at the headstones of U.S. military personnel buried at Arlington National Cemetery ahead of Memorial Day, on May 23, 2024 in Arlington, Virginia. Nearly 1,500 joint service members will spend around four hours placing small American flags in front of more than 260,000 headstones. The cemetery, consisting of 639 acres, is the final resting place of approximately 400,000 veterans and their dependents. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Hollywood has covered its share of military stories, from the heroic and triumphant, to the tragic and haunting, acknowledging the toll war and violence takes on soldiers, their families, and the entire world.
LOS ANGELES – JULY 24: The movie “Saving Private Ryan”, directed by Steven Spielberg. Seen here in foreground, Tom Hanks (as Captain John H. Miller). Theatrical release July 24, 1998. Screen capture. A Paramount Picture. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)
In honor of Memorial Day, we’re sharing some of our favorite films that honor members of the military, packed with powerful performances and storytelling.
LOS ANGELES – JULY 24: The movie “Saving Private Ryan”, directed by Steven Spielberg. Seen here, Tom Hanks (as Captain John Miller), takes a moment to reflect, upon surviving D-Day. Theatrical release July 24, 1998. Screen capture. A Paramount Picture. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)
Possibly the best war movie of all time, “Saving Private Ryan” follows a platoon, led by Tom Hanks’ Captain Miller, as they search for the titular missing soldier, whose family already lost three sons in the war. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film has been praised for its unforgettable depiction of the invasion on D-Day and is considered one of the greatest war films ever made.
Peggy Stephenson (Teresa Wright) comforts Fred Derry (Dana Andrews) in a scene from the 1946 film The Best Years of Our Lives. (Photo by �� John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
Made right after the conclusion of WWII, “The Best Years of Our Lives” follows three servicemen returning from the front with physical and emotional scars. It was one of the first films to realistically depict the return to civilian life and took home seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Harold Russell, a real-life veteran who had lost both his hands in the war. He was also awarded an additional honorary Oscar for ”bringing aid and comfort to disabled veterans through the medium of motion pictures.”
Denzel Washington in “Glory.” (Courtesy: Tri-Star Pictures)
Memorial Day originally began as Decoration Day when it was first celebrated in 1868 to honor those lost in the Civil War. That includes thousands of former enslaved Black soldiers whose stories are often forgotten. “Glory” highlights one such group, the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, one of the earliest Union Army all-Black regiments, in a fictionalized version of their efforts, starring Matthew Broderick and Denzel Washington, who earned his first Oscar win in the Best Supporting Actor category thanks to his powerful performance.
Jamie Bell, Ryan Phillippe, Joseph Cross, Benjamin Walker, and Scott Eastwood in “Flags of Our Fathers.” (Courtesy: Paramount Pictures)
Clint Eastwood directed these companion films about the famous battle of Iwo Jima back to back, offering unique perspectives from both sides of the war. “Flags of Our Fathers” focuses on the American soldiers who were photographed raising the flag on the island and the aftermath of appearing in one of the most famous images ever taken during a battle. “Letters from Iwo Jima” tells the story of the same battle from the point of view of the Japanese soldiers, almost entirely in Japanese.
384593 17: Actors Nicolas Cage (Right) And Adam Beach Act In A Scene From Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures’ Drama “Windtalkers.”,, (Photo By Getty Images)
John Woo’s “Windtalkers,” starring Nicolas Cage and Adam Beach, tells a fictionalized story of the real-life Native American Navajo speakers who helped send coded messages during WWII that were untranslatable by the Japanese military. The movie isn’t perfect, but it highlights an important and under-discussed element of the war and the contributions of Native American soldiers.
Josh Hartnett dressed in a combat uniform in a scene from the film ‘Black Hawk Down’, 2001. (Photo by Revolution Studios/Getty Images)
“Black Hawk Down” is based on the 1993 incident in Somalia when two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down, resulting in the longest close combat battle in U.S. history since the Vietnam War. Shot in an almost documentary/found footage style directed by Ridley Scott, it features an all-star cast of male actors of the time that were either already established or on the rise, including Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Erica Bana, Orlando Bloom, Jeremy Piven, and Tom Hardy in his first film role.
An image from “The Hurt Locker.” (Courtesy: Summit Entertainment)
“The Hurt Locker” looks at the psychological toll the Iraq War took on an Explosive Ordinance crew in Baghdad, featuring Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie before they became Marvel stars. The tense scenes of bomb diffusing and the mental toll showcased by the actors helped the film earn six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Kathryn Bigelow (making her the first woman to ever take home the award).
Tom Cruise speaking out for the military veterans in a scene from the film ‘Born On The Fourth Of July’, 1989. (Photo by Universal Pictures/Getty Images)
“Born on the Fourth of July” stars Tom Cruise as Ron Kovic, who goes from eager Marine to disillusioned anti-war protester after he becomes paralyzed in Vietnam. Based on Kovic’s autobiography, the film was directed by Oliver Stone, himself a Vietnam veteran, who also covered the toll the war took on young soldiers in films like “Platoon” and “Heaven & Earth.”
DA 5 BLOODS (L to R) ISIAH WHITLOCK JR. as MELVIN, NORM LEWIS as EDDIE, CLARKE PETERS as OTIS, DELROY LINDO as PAUL, JONATHAN MAJORS as DAVID in DA 5 BLOODS. Cr. DAVID LEE/NETFLIX � 2020
Directed by Spike Lee, “Da 5 Bloods” follows four Black veterans who return to Vietnam to search for the remains of their lost squad leader, as well as a hidden gold fortune. As they journey through the jungle, the men come to terms with themselves and the impact the war had on their lives.
391254 11: The cast acts in a scene from HBO”s war mini-series “Band Of Brothers.” (Top row from L to R) Phillip Barantini (as Sisk) and Ross McCall (as Leibgott). (Bottom row from L to R) Scott Grimes (as Malarkey), Donnie Wahlberg (as Carwood Lipton), Kirk Acevedo (as Joe Toye), Neal McDonough (as Lynn “Buck” Compton), Adam James (as Cleveland Petty) and Frank John Hughes (as Sgt. Bill Guamere). (Photo by HBO via Getty Images)
We are cheating slightly with this one since it is a miniseries, but it’s so epic in its depiction of WWII, we’d be remiss not to include it. Coming off the heels of “Saving Private Ryan,” Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg partnered again to dramatize the lives of “Easy” Company, from their landing on D-Day to the occupation of Berchtesgaden. The series won the Emmy for Outstanding Miniseries, and it is widely regarded as one of the best television series of all time.
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