War movies have been around for almost as long as Hollywood has been making films. And each generation of filmmakers has been adding their own sensibilities to the genre.
There are now so many war movies that even some of the best in the genre have gotten lost in the shuffle.
That’s why Watch With Us has put together our roundup of the five forgotten war movie masterpieces you should stream this Memorial Day weekend.
Out of our five picks, only two are World War II movies. The rest were born out of other real-life conflicts.
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5. ‘Gettysburg’ (1993)
Gettysburg was almost released as a TNT original miniseries, at least until Ted Turner realized that it had even bigger potential as a film. That’s why this movie has a runtime of over four hours. But Turner ultimately made the right call, and Gettysburg is one of the definitive Civil War movies.
The perspective largely takes place from the Confederate side, as General Robert E. Lee (Martin Sheen), Lieutenant General James Longstreet (Tom Berenger) and Major General George Pickett (Stephen Lang) prepare to face the Union army led by Colonel Joshua Chamberlain (Jeff Daniels) and Brigadier General John Buford (Sam Elliott). Their collision at the Battle of Gettysburg proves to be one of the bloodiest engagements of the entire war.
Gettysburg is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.
4. ‘Casualties of War’ (1989)
Michael J. Fox delivered a powerhouse performance in Casualties of War, which is based on a real incident that took place during the Vietnam War. Following several setbacks in the field of battle, Private First Class Max Eriksson (Fox) is alarmed when his superior officer, Sergeant Tony Meserve (Sean Penn), orders the kidnapping of a local girl, Tran Thi Oanh (Thuy Thu Le), with the intent to sexually assault her.
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Eriksson stands alone in opposition to the plan and his pleas to his fellow soldiers fall on deaf ears. Even Eriksson’s superiors don’t seem to be interested in correcting this injustice. But if they won’t act, then Eriksson will take matters into his own hands.
Casualties of War is streaming on Tubi.
3. ‘Stalag 17’ (1953)
William Holden won a well-deserved Best Actor Oscar for his performance as Sergeant J.J. Sefton in the World War II POW drama Stalag 17. During the war, Sefton is a prisoner among hundreds of other U.S. airmen when an escape attempt is thwarted by their German guards. After the men involved are executed, Sefton finds himself accused of collaborating with the Germans and ratting out his fellow countrymen.
There are good reasons to suspect Sefton, since he’s figured out how to make life easy for himself inside the prison camp by bribing guards and running illicit activities. A newly arrived officer, Lieutenant James Dunbar (Don Taylor), is also extremely hostile towards Sefton, who is running out of friends fast. If Sefton can’t identify the real traitor in their ranks, he just might be murdered by his own side.
Stalag 17 is streaming on Tubi.
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2. ‘Three Kings’ (1999)
Three Kings takes place in the aftermath of the first Gulf War, with George Clooney in the lead as Major Archie Gates. Archie and his pals, Sergeant First Class Troy Barlow (Mark Wahlberg), Staff Sergeant Chief Elgin (Ice Cube) and Private First Class Conrad Vig (Spike Jonze) are bored out of their minds until they discover a map that may lead to millions of gold bars stolen from Kuwait by Iraqi forces.
The men recognize that this is their best chance to get rich from their time in the Gulf, and they go AWOL to retrieve the fortune for themselves. They soon find themselves in the middle of a conflict between Iraqi rebels and the soldiers loyal to the regime. Archie and his guys can either escape with their gold or their souls, but not both. They need to choose what’s really important to them, and how far they’re willing to go for it.
Three Kings is streaming on Philo.
1. ‘The Great Escape’ (1963)
In World War II, there really was a mass escape attempt from a German POW camp that inspired The Great Escape. However, the film used mostly American characters, while the real escapees were almost all British soldiers. Regardless, The Great Escape is one of the most entertaining war flicks ever made.
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The cast list for this film reads like an A-list roundup of actors from the ’60s, including Steve McQueen, James Garner, Charles Bronson, Richard Attenborough, James Donald, Donald Pleasence and James Coburn. With so many great performers to keep an eye on, it’s almost impossible to predict which ones will actually see their escape through to its completion.
The Great Escape is streaming on Tubi.
