14 Best War Movies (1990-2020)

By Vlad Zakh · January 5, 2026

United States Drama intense thought provoking

Saving Private Ryan’s opening twenty minutes changed how war was depicted on screen entirely, and 1917 two decades later pushed the format even further with its single-take structure. In Full Metal Jacket (1987): A brutal look at how basic training breaks people down first. Just as strong is Hacksaw Ridge (2016): A conscientious objector’s story that earns its brutal, redemptive final act.

Lone Survivor (2013)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A brutal, physical account of a mission that goes catastrophically wrong.

Directed by Peter Berg · 2h 01m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Starz Apple TV channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A procedural manhunt told with real, patient tension.

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow · 2h 37m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Apple TV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Netflix Standard with Ads · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Fury (2014)

TMDB ★ 7.6

A tank crew's last days of the war, claustrophobic and unglamorous.

Directed by David Ayer · 2h 15m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Apple TV, Apple TV Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Jarhead (2005)

TMDB ★ 7.0

A war film about the strange, anticlimactic boredom of waiting for one.

Directed by Sam Mendes · 2h 03m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Starz Apple TV channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 84% Metacritic 71

A conscientious objector's story that earns its brutal, redemptive final act.

Directed by Mel Gibson · 2h 19m · Rated R

Won 2 Oscars57 wins & 115 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Angel Studios, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

We Were Soldiers (2002)

TMDB ★ 7.1

A Vietnam battle told with real weight on both sides of the fight.

Directed by Randall Wallace · 2h 18m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Philo, Paramount+ Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

TMDB ★ 7.9

Told from the other side, with real empathy rather than caricature.

Directed by Clint Eastwood · 2h 21m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 89% Metacritic 78

A brutal look at how basic training breaks people down first.

Directed by Stanley Kubrick · 1h 57m · Rated R

Nominated for 1 Oscar8 wins & 15 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, MGM Plus, Cinemax Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Cinemax Apple TV channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

American Sniper (2014)

TMDB ★ 7.3

A morally complicated portrait of a soldier who can't stop being one.

Directed by Clint Eastwood · 2h 13m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Hurt Locker (2008)

TMDB ★ 7.6

Tense and internal, built around the psychology of defusing bombs.

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow · 2h 11m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Dunkirk (2017)

IMDb ★ 7.8 RT 92% Metacritic 94

A war film told across three timelines, tense from the very first frame.

Directed by Christopher Nolan · 1h 47m · Rated PG-13

Won 3 Oscars68 wins & 236 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Black Hawk Down (2001)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A relentless, ground-level account of a mission that went badly wrong.

Directed by Ridley Scott · 2h 25m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Apple TV, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, Apple TV Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

1917 (2019)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 88% Metacritic 78

A single-take structure that makes the whole film feel like one held breath.

Directed by Sam Mendes · 1h 59m · Rated R

Won 3 Oscars137 wins & 202 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

IMDb ★ 8.6 RT 94% Metacritic 91

The opening twenty minutes alone changed how war films were shot afterward.

Directed by Steven Spielberg · 2h 49m · Rated R

Won 5 Oscars79 wins & 75 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Peacock Premium, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel, Peacock Premium Plus · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix, built to fix a specific annoyance: most recommendation sites are just algorithm-driven noise. Our lists are researched and organized by who's in a film, where it's from, and the mood you're actually in tonight.

14 Best War Movies (1990-2020)

Lone Survivor (2013)

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Fury (2014)

Jarhead (2005)

Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

We Were Soldiers (2002)

Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

American Sniper (2014)

The Hurt Locker (2008)

Dunkirk (2017)

Black Hawk Down (2001)

1917 (2019)

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

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