12 powerful war movies to watch on Memorial Day

75756A5E-120A-4932-810C-2FD980DB785E
By

Americans typically celebrate Memorial Day with a long weekend that consists of barbecues and picnics, but the holiday is so much more than that.

Exclusive Station
Red, White & You
Listen Now
Now Playing
Now Playing

It's a day to remember and honor the fallen heroes who sacrificed their lives for their country.

Discover more Memorial Day content on Audacy

One of the best ways to pay tribute to these brave men and women is by watching war-themed films.

War films have carved out their own genre in American cinema offering an insight into the atrocities of war while also underlining the heroism.

Check out our list of war films to stream during Memorial Day weekend — some films take on a lighter note, some are more action-packed, and others keep you on the edge of your seat.

Black Hawk Down

"Black Hawk Down" follows the mission of a group of elite U.S. soldiers to Somalia in 1993. When their Back Hawk helicopter is shot down by Somalian forces, they struggle to regain control amid blazing gunfire. The film won two Oscars and received nominations for Best Director and Cinematography.

Watch on Amazon

Glory

This powerful film boasts an impressive cast with Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, and Morgan Freeman. Based on the true story of Massachusetts 54th Regiment, it tells the story of the first all-African-American unit with soldiers who courageously fought in the Civil War.

Watch on Amazon

Lone Survivor

Mark Wahlberg stars in film, based on a true story, of four Navy SEALS on a mission to neutralize a high-ranking al-Queda operative in Afghanistan who are ambushed by the Taliban.

American Sniper

Bradley Cooper stars in this tense Clint Eastwood-directed film about the life and experiences of U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle.

Watch on Amazon

Saving Private Ryan

This quintessential World War II epic stars Tom Hanks as the caption of a squad searching for one of their paratroopers, Private First Class James Francis Ryan.

Watch on Amazon

Apocalypse Now

An epic psychological war film helmed by legendary director, Francis Ford Coppola, it boasts an impressive cast including Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen, Laurence Fishburne, Harrison Ford, and Dennis Hopper. Plagued by a long and troubled shoot, it has eventually become, arguably, the definitive film on the Vietnam War.

Watch on Amazon

Flag of Our Fathers

Clint Eastwood's portrait of World War II peers into the lives of the six iconic soldiers who raised the flag at The Battle of Iwo Jima.

Watch on Amazon

Dunkirk

Directed by Christopher Nolan, this suspenseful depiction of the Dunkirk evacuation of World War II stars Fionn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, and Harry Styles.

Watch on Amazon

Platoon

Based on his own experiences in the Vietnam War, "Platoon" is Oliver Stone's war epic about the tensions between U.S. soldiers in a platoon in Vietnam. The star-studded cast includes Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen, Keith David, Kevin Dillon, John C. McGinley, Forest Whitaker, and Johnny Depp.

Watch on Amazon

Pearl Harbor

Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett and, Kate Beckinsale star in this romantic war drama about two friends and their love lives during World War II.

Watch on Amazon

The Hurt Locker

Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie star in this film about a sergeant who finds himself at odds with the army bomb squad that he has been assigned to in the Iraq War.

Watch on Amazon

The Longest Day

This classic 1962 war film stars John Wayne, Kenneth More, Richard Todd, and Sean Connery in an extrapolation of the events of D-Day, told on a grand scale from both the Allied and German points of view.

Watch on Amazon

Audacy may earn commission for products purchased via affiliate links.

Lights, camera, action! Get the latest updates on movies and television from The Reel Buzz on Audacy.

LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram