Veterans Day: 5 Great War Movies – And Where to Stream Them Now
Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now.
By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – Follow me on X.
Since today is Veterans Day, an occasion on which we honor those who have served to protect our freedom, we submit five great ‘war movies’ you can now watch on streaming. And here they are:
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Now available for free on The Roku Channel.
Martin Sheen stars as the military assassin Capt. Willard in this insane but brilliant Vietnam war drama from director Francis Ford Coppola. Willard is assigned to kill a former American officer (Marlon Brando) who, speaking of insane, has lost his mind in the jungle and assembled a ragtag army of worshipping natives and ex-soldiers. And when I say, speaking of insane, I am referring to both Brando’s character and the man himself. The greatest actor our nation has ever produced showed up on the movie’s set in the Philippines without knowing his lines, scores of pounds overweight, and eager to rewrite the movie. (This happened after Coppola had to fire Harvey Keitel who was first cast as Willard, and actually shot some early scenes, then hire Martin Sheen and then have to wait in mid-production for Sheen to recover from a heart attack!) Somehow, Coppola managed to keep his cool in the tropical heat — despite telling anyone who would listen that he was going crazy — and make one of the greatest, most spectacular films ever. The performances (even Brando) are sensational, particularly Robert Duvall (pictured above) as a psychotic Col. Kilgore who orders his men to surf while friendly fire bombs are dropping just a few meters away. Apocalypse Now is a movie that could never be made again, and it’s a miracle it was made at all.
Platoon (1986)
Now available for free on The Roku Channel or Tubi.
Director Oliver Stone’s 1986 Vietnam drama stars Charlie Sheen as a grunt in the brush who’s torn between two sergeants (Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe) who have violently different views of how to conduct the war. This is Stone’s masterpiece, perhaps even surpassing 1991’s JFK, in large part because it feels so authentic thanks to the director’s personal experience in the war. Sheen is particularly good and a rewatching of this film and 1987’s Wall Street will make you wonder why he didn’t become a top-tier actor instead of a late-night punchline.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Now available on Paramount Plus
Directed by Steven Spielberg, Saving Private Ryan stars Tom Hanks as the captain of a World War II unit which must find a single soldier (Matt Damon) while navigating the horrors of war. There’s never been a better film on the sacrifice and unselfishness of America’s military and Hanks is especially good in lead. And the first 15 minutes, which depicts the D-Day invasion, immerses the viewer in battle unlike any scene before or since.
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Now available on Peacock.
Director Kathryn Bigelow’s intense 2012 drama starring Jessica Chastain as a relentless CIA agent who hunts for the masterminds behind the 9/11 attack on America. The film was seen by some as glorifying the extralegal tactics required to obtain leads in the hunt for Osama Bin Laden. But it fairly characterizes the pain and zeal felt by the intelligence/military personnel at the time. And Chastain is riveting as a CIA case officer who can’t sit still (literally) until she finds her man.
The Hurt Locker (2008)
Now available on Netflix.
The brilliant 2008 Iraqi war drama stars Jeremy Renner as a munitions specialist who’s ready to blow. There have been many films that strive to show the horrors of war after the soldier comes home but few have done it better than The Hurt Locker. Renner’s character becomes addicted to war’s adrenaline rush and is never able to live normally again. It’s a great performance.
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