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War is hell. It’s a quote that is often repeated yet rarely fully understood save for real-life videos and images from combat zones around the world. In the history of filmmaking, people have constantly tried to capture the emotions and stories war creates and put them into a medium that people can watch at home. Whether it’s a movie that evokes a feeling of patriotism or sadness and despair at the loss of humanity or even attempts to spin it on its head and make light of a dark situation, war is an ever-expanding genre of film.
Being one of the largest streaming services out there, Netflix has quite a catalog of war movies. In fact, they might just have the best selection when compared to other streaming services. If you’re looking to watch a movie with action, emotion, and maybe even learn a little history, then here are 15 of the best war movies on Netflix you have to add to your watch list; just remember to make sure to watch them before they leave Netflix.
All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
Director: Edward Berger
Cast: Felix Krammerer, Albert Schuch, Daniel Brühl
Runtime: 2 hours 27 minutes
If you haven’t seen it yet, All Quiet on the Western Front is a modern masterpiece about World War I. This war movie is based on a novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque and his experience in the war after being conscripted by the German Army in 1917. This film is a great example of an anti-war film and holds nothing back at showing just how horrible the front was during that time. The fact that it was all shot on a budget of $20 million makes it even more impressive.
It begins with the main character enlisting with his friends, who unknowingly receive the uniforms of soldiers that had just died in battle not long ago, highlighting the sheer number of casualties this war has taken and just how little the upper command cares about the lives of their soldiers compared to the “honor” they give up by losing. All Quiet on the Western Front might just be the best World War I movie that gives us a glimpse of what it was like in the second bloodiest war in Europe.
12 Strong (2018)
Director: Nicolai Fuglsig
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Peña
Runtime: 2 hours 9 minutes
12 Strong is an action-war movie that depicts a more recent conflict and tells the story of the first US Army Special Forces group in Afghanistan immediately after the attack on the Twin Towers. The movie follows Green Beret Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth) as he is inserted into Afghanistan with his men to help aid a local militia group fighting against the Taliban.
As Nelson and his team help the leader of the militia fight against the Taliban imposing Sharia Law on a nearby town, they come to head over how to do it and the fact that the US military is aiding another militia group that they consider enemies. 12 Strong is a great action flick with Chris Hemsworth at the helm, supported by Michael Peña and others, but it does lack the greater overall commentary on the War in Afghanistan that other films have. 12 Strong has thrilling action and desert combat, but don’t go looking for a greater message.
Black Hawk Down (2002)
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore
Runtime: 2 hours 22 minutes
First off, can we talk about the cast in Black Hawk Down: Josh Hartnett from Pearl Harbor, Ewan McGregor, the Star Wars legend, Tom Sizemore from Saving Private Ryan, Eric Bana, William Fichtner, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, better known for playing Jamie Lannister. What an absolute monster of a cast for an epic war movie based on the novel of the same name, which is based on the real-life events of a 1993 US military raid in Mogadishu, Somalia.
The film follows a US Army Ranger Task Force as they attempt to capture Mohamed Farrah Aidid, a man who proclaimed himself President of Somalia after toppling the previous regime in the Somali Civil War. While the Rangers succeed in capturing two of his advisors, things go south quickly when the local militia begins ambushing the convoy and manages to down two Black Hawk helicopters. Black Hawk Down is an excellent retelling of the real-life events of that fateful operation and should definitely be on your list of war movies to watch on Netflix.
The Woman King (2022)
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Cast: Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch
Runtime: 2 hours 15 minutes
A refreshing war movie that focuses on something other than an American or European conflict, The Woman King is a historical war movie that takes us back to the West African kingdom of Dahomey in the 1820s. During this time, the kingdom of Dahomey was defended by an all-female warrior unit, the Agojie, currently led by General Nanisca (Viola Davis).
After rescuing a group of Dahomean women who were doomed to be slaves from the neighboring Oyo Empire, Nanisca begins training a new group of female warriors to prepare themselves for war. Besides the non-Western-centric view, this film also has themes of family, revenge, and tells a story of being resilient through hard times.
Tears of the Sun (2003)
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Cast: Bruce Willis, Monica Bellucci, Cole Hauser
Runtime: 2 hours 1 minute
We will almost certainly not see Bruce Willis on the big screen again due to his unfortunate diagnosis of aphasia, so it’s important to cherish the amazing work he has done over the years, and Tears of the Sun is definitely one of them. The film itself is about a fictional rescue operation during a civil war in Nigeria. Lieutenant A.K. Waters (Bruce Willis) is the commander of a team of Navy SEALs.
Waters is tasked with rescuing Dr. Lena Fiore, a US citizen on a mission in the jungles of Nigeria, treating locals. Waters and Fiore argue about the safety of the refugees in the hospital until Fiore ultimately convinces Waters to save them too from the approaching rebels. This war movie is light on any major themes and is instead just an excuse to watch Bruce Willis in his prime command a team of SEALs against a sadistic rebel group.
The Yellow Birds (2017)
Director: Alexandre Moors
Cast: Tye Sheridan, Alden Ehrenreich, Toni Collette
Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes
Another war movie on Netflix based on a novel of the same name, the Yellow Birds, follows US soldiers in Iraq dealing with its horrors and a soldier’s promise. The book itself was written by a veteran of the Iraq War, Kevin Powers. Powers pulled from his own experiences during the year he served in Mosul and Tal Afar as a machine gunner.
The film alternates between two stories: one of soldier John Bartle (Alden Ehrenreich) in Iraq with his copatriot Daniel Murphy (Tye Sheridan) and another of Bartle back home dealing with what he endured and the fate of Murphy left unknown. Bartle had promised Murphy’s mom before deploying that he would tell her personally if anything would happen to Murphy, but in the present, it seems Bartle can’t bring himself to discuss it. The Yellow Birds is an emotional war movie that should be on anyone’s Netflix list of war movies to watch.
Hitler: A Career (1977)
Directors: Christian Herrendoerfer, Joachim Fest
Runtime: 2 hours 30 minutes
If you’re looking for a Netflix war documentary, the 1977 West German film Hitler: A Career should be at the top of your list. This documentary utilizes archival footage that most haven’t seen to analyze Hitler and his rise to power. The war documentary covers everything from his time in the First World War to his Beer Hall Putsch and eventual suicide.
The fact that the film was produced in West Germany and written by an actual German historian that would have lived through the same time period adds to its originality and insightful discussion about the man that was responsible for so much death and destruction. While there are a number of documentaries out there about Adolf Hitler, this one is constantly referenced as one that holds nothing back.
Beasts of No Nation (2015)
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Cast: Idris Elba, Kurt Egyiawan, Abraham Attah
Runtime: 2 hours 18 minutes
The horrific life of being a child soldier is something that few can ever truly imagine, yet is the reality for millions. Beasts of No Nation is based on the novel of the same name by Nigerian-American author Uzodinma Iweala. While he did not personally experience the events in the book or film, it draws heavily from his thesis while at Harvard. As you can imagine, this film is not for the faint of heart.
Beasts of No Nation follows a young boy named Agu (Abraham Attah), whose village becomes the center of a bloody battle between rebel forces and the government. After escaping into the forest, he is found by a rebel faction and turned into a cold-blooded child soldier. Abu commits unspeakable acts of violence and becomes a “beast” of no nation. This war film is an excellent depiction of child soldiers and the reality they face on a daily basis. If you enjoyed Blood Diamond, you’ll definitely like this one.
First They Killed My Father (2017)
Director: Angelina Jolie
Cast: Sreymoch Sareum, Kompheak Phoeung, Sochaeta Sveng
Runtime: 2 hours 16 minutes
The Khmer Rogue regime and the genocide they perpetrated is a less talked about and even less depicted atrocity from history. First They Killed My Father is based on a memoir from Loung Ung and her life during the 1970s when the Khmer Rogue was massacring ordinary people and cracking down on any sort of resistance. This war movie on Netflix is as heartwrenching as it sounds and makes you grateful for the life you have and your loved ones.
Loung Ung (Sreymoch Sareum) is quickly tossed into the effects of the Cambodian Civil War after the US pulls out and the Khmer Rouge captures the Khmer capital, Phnom Penh. The Khmer Rogue makes everyone leave, and Ung and her family are eventually captured and placed in a labor camp. Life in the camp is immensely hard, with little food and backbreaking labor. Eventually, she winds up becoming a child soldier and is forced to defend Cambodia from Vietnamese troops attempting to intervene and stop the atrocities.
The Zookeeper’s Wife (2017)
Director: Niki Caro
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Johan Heldenbergh, Daniel Brühl
Runtime: 2 hours 6 minutes
Less actiony, more heroic, The Zookeeper’s Wife is the true story of how Jan and Antonina Żabiński rescued hundreds of Polish Jews during World War II. Knowing that the film is based on a true story makes it all the harder to watch as Jan and Antonina live their lives in Warsaw during the height of the war and the cleansing of the Warsaw Ghetto. There were countless heroic acts done throughout World War II, and the Żabińskis are definitely close to the top.
The film is made even more tense due to the attraction a Nazi zoologist has for Antonina and Jan’s eventual participation in the Polish resistance. This film speaks more to the heart than most entries on this list and is more about the humanity and heroic actions of the Żabińskis than anything else. If you’re ever in Poland, you can still visit the Warsaw Zoo and learn more about their heroism.
Mosul (2019)
Director: Matthew Micahel Carnahan
Cast: Suhail Dabbach, Adam Bessa, Is’Haq Elias
Runtime: 1 hour 41 minutes
There are a lot of movies about the War in Iraq from the perspective of American soldiers, but not many from the perspective of Iraqi soldiers, much less Iraqi policemen. Mosul is a 2019 war movie on Netflix about the 2016 Battle of Mosul. Mosul is the capital of the Nineveh Governorate of Iraq and was taken by the Islamic State in 2014. The city would eventually be liberated in 2016, but not until thousands of innocent lives had been lost to ISIS.
The premise of the film is that a young Mosul policeman named Kawa (Adam Bessa) is caught in a firefight with ISIS soldiers after arresting three of their drug smugglers. When all hope is lost, they are rescued by the Nineveh SWAT team, but not before Kawa loses his Uncle. The SWAT team is made up of people that have lost family and friends to ISIS and offer Kawa a position among them. Kawa accepts and begins helping them fight back against ISIS but is never told what their greater mission is. If you want to know, you’ll have to watch this war movie on Netflix to find out.
The Forgotten Battle (2020)
Director: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.
Cast: Gijs Blom, Jamie Flatters, Susan Radder
Runtime: 2 hours 3 minutes
The Forgotten Battle is another World War II film, but from the perspective of the Dutch during the Battle of the Scheldt towards the end of the war. The film itself follows the lives of three different people, all wrapped up in the events of the battle: a Dutch Axis soldier, a British glider pilot, and a member of the resistance. If you’re not usually a fan of foreign films, you might want to give this one a shot since it is one of Netflix’s all-time best non-English movies.
The best part about The Forgotten Battle is that it covers a lesser-known part of World War II. We’ve all seen the iconic US assault on the beaches of Normandy, but how many films have shown a lesser-known battle like that of the Scheldt from the perspective of three different people, all with different goals. Give this film a shot if you’re looking to watch one of the best war movies on Netflix.
The King (2019)
Director: David Michôd
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Joel Edgerton, Robert Pattinson
Runtime: 2 hours 20 minutes
Moving away from modern conflicts and events, The King is a 2019 war film on Netflix that was produced by Brad Pitt and directed by David Michôd, focusing on the rise of Henry V as he navigates politics, war, and the England his father left behind after his death. Timothée Chalamet plays Henry V and does an excellent job of turning this period war drama into a movie worth seeing.
While it might not be a war movie filled with assault rifles, explosions, and modern-day soldiers, it still is a great portrayal of medieval politics, knights, and a war between then England and France. Those looking for a period piece set towards the end of the Medieval Ages would do well to watch The King.
Narvik (2022)
Director: Erik Skjoldbjaerg
Cast: Kristine Hartgen, Carl Martin Eggsbø, Cristoph Gelfert Mathiesen
Runtime: 1 hour 49 minutes
Like The Forgotten Battle, Narvik is a foreign historical war movie about a lesser-known battle in World War II. A Netflix Original, Narvik is a Norwegian film that depicts the Battles of Narvik, a series of naval-land battles in the Norwegian town of the same name. The small town was providing iron ore that fueled the Nazi war machine.
As British and Norwegian troops attempt to stop the flow of ore out of the port city, the lives of Corporal Gunnar Tofte (Carl Martin Eggsbø) and his wife, Ingrid Tofte (Kristine Hartgen), are turned upside down. Gunnar becomes a POW after the Nazis invade the town, and Ingrid is forced to become a collaborator. The film is a great portrayal of a lesser-known point of interest during World War II and should be on your list of war movies on Netflix to watch.
War Machine (2017)
Director: David Michôd
Cast: Brad Pitt, Anthony Michael Hall, Topher Grace
Runtime: 2 hours 2 minutes
Ending our list of the best war movies on Netflix is a more lighthearted film, War Machine. This movie is a satirical war comedy that stars Brad Pitt as General Glen McMahon, who has been tasked with ending the war in Iraq. McMahon can essentially do whatever he wants, given the fact that he was so effective in Iraq, except for requesting more troops—which he immediately does.
As McMahon butts heads with President Barrack Obama and other leaders, he soon finds himself in a bit of trouble and declared insubordinate. War Machine is a great satirical take on the War in Afghanistan and is humorous enough about it to be an enjoyable war movie for anyone.
