War has always been a popular topic of debate.
Whether it was about showcasing the drastic events of the two World Wars which would leave a long-lasting effect on the world, or to dive into the world of science fiction and spin-offs, telling their own stories about conflicts, romance and resolution in great times of despair.
You will find some of the best war movies on Netflix whether you are interested in learning more about individual stories and smaller battles that ultimately led to the Allies victory over the Axis, or more modern-day issues such as operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. If you want to know more about Best Rated Movies on Netflix in US then you should visit our blog.
Regardless of what intrigues you about the Vietnam war genre, our selection of movies below consists of the top war movies and navy seal movies, Netflix has to offer for all of your action-packed and high-stakes cravings.
Let’s dive straight into the list of best movies on Netflix!
List of best War Movies on Netflix in US
Here is the complete list of the war movies to watch on Netflix in US:
1. The Outpost (2020)
Director: Rod Lurie
Stars: Caleb Landry Jones, Orlando Bloom, Scott Eastwood
IMDb rating: 6.8/10
Runtime: 2h 3m
Trailer: The Outpost
Based on true-life events, this War film tells the true story of a small unit of American soldiers stationed at PRT Kamdesh (later called Combat Outpost Keating) situated deep in the valleys along the Hindu Kush.
The soldiers had to battle against some 300 Taliban fighters in a coordinated attack in the Battle of Kamdesh, what’s to be known as the bloodiest American engagement of the war in Afghanistan during operations in 2009.
One of the best war movies on Netflix in US in 2023.
2. Ghosts of war (2020)
Director: Eric Bress
Stars: Brenton Thwaites, Kyle Gallner, Alan Ritchson
IMDb rating: 5.6/10
Runtime: 1h 34m
Trailer: Ghosts of War
5 war-hardened American soldiers in Nazi-occupied France in 1944 are tasked to watch over a countryside Chateau, which had served as a command post for the armed forces of Nazi Germany.
However, upon arrival, the group encounters strange noises and apparitions beyond their understanding and faces a paranormal enemy far more hostile than anything they’ve encountered before.
Considered one of the best war movies on Netflix to dig in.
3. Da 5 Bloods (2020)
Director: Spike Lee
Stars: Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters
IMDb rating: 6.5/10
Runtime: 2h 34m
Trailer: Da 5 bloods
A group of African-American US Army veterans who call themselves the ‘Bloods’ secure the CIA plane crash site, recovering a locker of gold bars intended as payment to the indigenous people for helping them in fighting the Viet Cong.
The Bloods decide to keep the gold bars for themselves but in the emerging Vietnamese counter-attack, the squad leader is killed and the area obliterated by a napalm strike, making the site where the gold was buried unrecognizable.
The remaining 4 return to Vietnam upon learning that a landslide has revealed the tail of the crashed plane, in hopes of recovering the buried fortune and the body of their fallen squad leader. The best army movies on Netflix in US.
4. Outlaw King (2018)
Director: David Mackenzie
Stars: Chris PineStephen DillaneRebecca Robin
IMDb rating: 6.9/10
Runtime: 2h 17m
Trailer: Outlaw King
Legendary warrior Robert the Bruce is forced into exile by King Edward I and with cunningness and bravery, leads a gang of outlaws to overthrow the much more powerful and better equipped Irish army’s forgotten battle and regain his throne as King of Scotland.
This movie has a lot of drama and war in it, and if you’re really a fan of the movie with war then this is the must-watch movie for you. This is the new war movie to watch in US.
5. The Photographer of Mauthausen (2018)
Director: Mar Targarona
Stars: Mario Casas, Richard van Weyden, Alain Hernández
IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
Runtime: 1h 15m
Trailer: The Photographer of Mauthausen
Based on real-life events, the movie is about Spanish Civil War veteran Francisco Boix, who was a prisoner at a Nazi concentration camp, and Mauthausen, who tried to preserve and hide photographic evidence of the atrocities committed within the walls of the concentration camp, while risking his and his fellow prisoners live in the process.
One of the best action movies on Netflix in US and we also hope it will make you fall in love with it too as the Netflix war movies do.
6. Sand castle (2017)
Director: Fernando Coimbra
Stars: Nicholas Hoult, Logan Marshall-Green, Henry Cavill
IMDb rating: 6.3/10
Runtime: 1h 53m
Trailer: Sand Castle
The movie features Private Matt Ocre, who had enlisted in the army in 2001 to get money for college, and tries to get sent back home at the start of the Iraq War in 2003.
His attempt fails and gets sent to Baghdad where he learns about the dangers of war when his team gets attacked by insurgents during their mission to repair a rural water pumping station in an Iraqi Village.
7. War Dogs (2016)
Director: Todd Phillips
Stars: Jonah Hill, Bradley Cooper, Miles Teller
IMDb Rating: 7.1/10
Runtime: 1h 54m
Trailer: War Dogs
The movie War Dogs is based on a true event, and the actual David Packouz makes a brief appearance. Phillip and his co-writers Jason Smilovic and Stephen Chin based their script on Guy Lawson’s Rolling Stone article “Arms and the Dudes.”
The movie follows two men who win a $300 million dollar Pentagon contract, tasked with supplying ammunition to America’s Allies in the east as part of the ongoing War on Terror.
8. War Machine (2017)
Director: David Michod
Stars: Brad Pitt, Anthony Hayes, Topher Grace
IMDb Rating: 6.0/10
Runtime: 2h 2m
Trailer: War Machine
A US Army general lands in Afghanistan as part of rebuilding measures for the ongoing War on Terror, where he confronts opposition leaders, enemies of the state and ally forces, before deciding on military action to guarantee in US victory.
It’s based on the true account of a US Chief of Staff. War Machine is a great popular movie by Brad Pitt, who has always perfected in war films, and it is worth seeing since it is a patriotic thriller film on Netflix in US that every citizen will enjoy seeing.
9. The Resistance Banker (2018)
Director: Joram Lursen
Stars: Barry Atsma, Jacob Derwig, Pierre Bokma
IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
Runtime: 2h 3m
Trailer: The Resistance Banker
Based on real-life events, this movie tells the tale of dutch banker Walraven (Wally) van Hall who in the midst of the second World War decides to fight back against the Nazis in occupied Amsterdam and found an underground bank focused on financing the resistance and those affected by the occupation.
This is a must-watch movie with a lot of action and thrills after watching this you will become a fan of the war movies and also it is one of the best World War 2 movies on Netflix in US.
10. Beasts of No Nation (2015)
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Stars: Idris Elba, Abraham Attu, Ama K Abebrese
IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
Runtime: 2h 17m
Trailer: Beasts of No Nation
A Netflix original movie and the movie centers around escaping from a clash between guerrilla and government forces, the movie follows the tale of a young boy from an unspecified African Country who ends up as a child soldier in the midst of an ongoing civil war.
Agu, the protagonist along with his battalion experience many victories, before being on the run from their enemies and their own military faction. This is one of the best military movies on Netflix in US.
11. Company of Heroes (2013)
Director: Don Michael Paul
Stars: Tom Siezemore, Chad Michael Collins, Vinnie Jones
IMDb Rating: 5.1/10
Runtime: 1h 40m
Trailer: Company of Heroes
The film features Vinnies jones and the storyline revolves towards the end of WW2, American Soldiers from a US platoon discover plans of Nazi Germany to turn defeat into victory with the help of a super bomb, capable of wiping out enemy states.
The soldiers hatch a plan to infiltrate the heart of Nazi Germany, locate and disable the bomb and extract the scientist who wishes to defect in charge of its development.
12. Sniper: Ghost Shooter (2016)
Director: Don Michael Paul
Stars: Chad Michael Collins, Billy Zane, Dennis Haysbert
IMDb Rating: 5.4/10
Runtime: 1h 39m
Trailer: Sniper: Ghost Shooter
The storyline of this dark War Comedy follows snipers who are tasked with protecting a gas pipeline expected to be attacked by terrorists, suspect an inside job when a mystery shooter who knows exact movements manages to kill those protecting it.
Sniper: Ghost Shooter is a 2016 straightforward action film that has mixed in with Netflix’s top ten most-watched movies in US. As, it is in the Netflix’s top 10 films then you must watch it at least once.
13. First they killed my father (2017)
Director: Angelina Jolie
Stars: Sareum Srey Moch, Kompheak Phoeung, Socheata Sveng
IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
Runtime: 2h 16m
Trailer: First they killed my father
In the aftermath of the US evacuation from Cambodia, Loung Ung is a 5-year-old child when the terrorist military faction Khmer Rouge assumes power and starts a reign of genocide and terror, spanning over four years.
The movie revolves around the journey of the protagonist as a young soldier and her siblings as members of a labour camp, in one of the darkest times in Cambodia’s history. The film’s focus was mostly on this young soldier.
You can also watch the best kids’ movies and family movies on Netflix in US.
14. Air Strike (2018)
Director: Xiao Feng
Stars: Liu Ye, Bruce Willis, William Chan
IMDb Rating: 3.2/10
Runtime: 1h 36m
Trailer: Air Strike
Chinese pilots trained by US Colonel, Jack Jonson aim to defeat Japanese fighter planes looking to invade and occupy China, in response to military power shown by the Japanese Imperial Forces
When the Chinese pilot pursues the Japanese Zero that had attacked the airstrip, the Soviet-made I-16 holds its own in battle, climbing and accelerating alongside the Zero and handling on an equal level.
Seems interesting? So, watch it tonight to enjoy the thrills in the movie in US.
15. Defiance (2008)
Director: Edward Zwick
Stars: Daniel Craig, Jamie Bell, Alex Davalos
IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
Runtime: 2h 17m
Trailer: Defiance
This is an action-packed drama based on an astonishing true event, and it is a must-see for war movie fans.
Based on the events that unfolded in WW2, the movie focuses on Polish Jewish brothers who seek shelter from mass killings and oppression conducted by Nazi Forces, by hiding out in Belarussian Forests.
The brothers then come across thousands of non-combatant Jews, who they swear to protect and lead against Nazi forces sweeping across the nation.
16. Tears of the Sun (2003)
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Stars: Bruce Willis, Cole Hauser, Tom Skerrit
IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
Runtime: 2h 1m
Trailer: Tears of the Sun
The Lieutenant and his exclusive squadron of tactical experts are forced to choose between duty and empathy, between obeying instructions while ignoring the violence around them and discovering the fortitude to follow their morals and defend a group of defenceless refugees.
Waters, an intensely loyal and seasoned veteran, is assigned on a regular operation to rescue a Doctors Without Borders physician, Dr Lena Kendricks, after Nigeria’s democratic government crumbles and the nation is taken over by a vicious military ruler.
Dr Kendricks, an American citizen by marriage, is treating civil war casualties at a Catholic mission in a rural community.
17. The Guns of Navarone (1961)
Director: J Lee Thompson
Stars: Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn, David Niven
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Runtime: 2h 38m
Trailer: The Guns of Navarone
The historical drama film follows a team of Allied forces tasked with the rescue of 2000 trapped British fellow Soliders on the desert Greek Island of Navarone, manned by Nazi forces and two enormous long-distance field guns.
The team sails across stormy seas in the midst of an impending rescue deemed impossible.
The Greek island of Navarone is not in reality, and the storyline is fictitious, but the novel begins in the true historical background of the Dodecanese Campaign in 1943 when the Allies attempted to conquer the Italian-held Greek islands in the Aegean Sea.
18. Apocalypse Now Redux (2001)
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Stars: Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
Runtime: 2h 27m
Trailer: Apocalypse Now Redux
Apocalypse Now Redux was aired in 2001. This expanded film version included slightly under 50 minutes of additional content. In addition to longer scenes, full sequences that had not previously been seen were included.
Capt. Willard leads a patrol boat upriver to go behind enemy lines and uncover the secret redoubt of the virtually mythological Col. Kurtz – one of the Army’s most honoured troops, now heading his little band of tribes.
19. Darkest Hour (2017)
Director: Joe Wright
Stars: Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Mendelsohn
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Runtime: 2h 5m
Trailer: Darkest Hour
During World War II, while Adolf Hitler’s mighty Wehrmacht rampages through Europeans, Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of the UK, is forced to retire, suggesting Winston Churchill as his substitute.
Sometimes in his early days as Prime Minister, Churchill seems to be under pressure to begin peace talks with Hitler or to combat the supposedly unstoppable Nazi power head-on, but whatever cost.
Churchill had no option but to flourish in the country’s darkest hour, no matter how difficult or hazardous his choices.
20. Le Chant Du Loup (2019)
Director: Antonin Baudry
Stars: Francois Civil, Reda Kateb, Omar Sy
IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
Runtime: 1h 55m
Trailer: De Chant Du Loup
This War story follows a french submarine on a mission to rescue a Special Forces Unit comes across unidentified sonar contact, later revealed to be a rogue submarine, with the help of a man who is able to detect every sound but who makes an unforgivable mistake putting the entire mission in danger.
Are you finding some french ship movies?? We have got you covered with our list of the best war movies on Netflix in US.
21. Outside the Wire (2021)
Director: Mikael Håfström
Stars: Anthony Mackie, Damson Idris, Enzo Cilenti
IMDb Rating: 5.4/10
Runtime: 1h 54m
Trailer: Outside the Wire
One of the best war movies on Netflix, with a lot of thrillers and an outstanding narrative.
When a discredited drone pilot, Lt. Harp, is dispatched into a dangerous military zone for breaking instructions, he discovers himself working under Capt. Leo, an android officer entrusted with finding a doomsday weapon before rebels can.
The story is so suspenseful and amazing that whoever watches its trailer wants to watch the movie in US.
22. The King (2019)
Director: David Michôd
Stars: Tom Glynn-Carney, Edward Ashley, Gábor Czap
IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
Runtime: 2h 20m
Trailer: The King
Hal, a restless prince and dubious heir to the English throne, has abandoned regal life in favour of life among the public. When Hal’s despotic father dies, he is anointed by King Henry V and required to accept the lifestyle he had previously attempted to avoid.
Now the new king must negotiate the palace intrigues, chaos, and conflict left behind by his father, as well as the emotional threads of his former life, especially his connection with his best friend and tutor, the aged drunken knight, John Falstaff.
23. Cold Mountain (2003)
Director: Anthony Minghella
Stars: Jude Law, Renée Zellweger, Nicole Kidman
IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
Runtime: 2h 34m
Trailer: Cold Mountain
The Civil War story deals with romance, camaraderie, and the devastation of war, mostly on the battlefield and at home. The true horror is captured for both those battling and those left behind. This is a heartwarming tale, of second chances, and trust.
In the final days of the American Civil War, a wounded man goes on a treacherous trek home to Cold Mountain, North Carolina, to reconnect with his love. This is one of the best war movies on Netflix in US.
24. The Patriot (2001)
Director: Roland Emmerich
Stars: Heath Ledger, Joely Richardson, Mel Gibson
IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
Runtime: 2h 45m
Trailer: The Patriot
It was the year 1776 in ancient South Carolina. Benjamin Martin, a French-Indian military man tormented by his history, now desires to do nothing more than live happily on his tiny plantation and avoid fighting the largest and most powerful country, Great Britain.
Meantime, his two eldest sons, Thomas and Gabriel, are eager to join the newly established “Continental Army.”
Gabriel instantly signs up to fight when South Carolina chooses to join the revolt against England…without his father’s approval. But catastrophe strikes when Colonel William Tavington, a British dragoon known for his ruthless methods, arrives and burns the Martin Plantation to the ground.
25. Stripes (1981)
Director: Ivan Reitman
Stars: Bill Murray, John Candy, Harold Ramis
IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
Runtime: 1h 46m
Trailer: Stripes
At the conclusion of a particularly horrible day, after he sees his life has gone and is headed nowhere, John Winger is able to persuade his closest buddy, Russell Ziskey, whose life isn’t much better, to enroll in the military, despite the fact that neither of them is obvious military type.
They are merely two of a ragtag group of misfits in their unit during basic training. Yet, John is still frequently at odds with their training master, Sergeant Hulka. Louise, and Stella, two MPs who bail them out of one snafu after another, are two of their saviors. Their entire battalion is in danger of failing to graduate.
The best war movies on Netflix to watch in US.
26. Too Young the Hero (1988)
Director: Buzz Kulik
Stars: Ricky Schroder, Debra Mooney, Tom Wood
IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
Runtime: 1h 40m
Trailer: Too Young the Hero
The incredible entire story of Calvin Graham, who joined the army service during World War II at the age of 12 while appearing much older.
Despite his youth, he was awarded the Purple Heart for his courage during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. His world came crashing down when he returned to his unit after his break. Due to misunderstandings, he is labeled as a deserter, which begins the nightmare.
One of the best civil war movies on Netflix in US of all time.
FAQs
Is there any good war movies on Netflix in US?
What war movie is based on a true story?
Is the Vietnam war on Netflix?
Conclusion
Stretching from World War II to more recent conflicts raging in Afghanistan and Iraq, the list of best war movies on Netflix in US covers it all and is the best of the war genre which Netflix has to offer to its viewers.
Netflix library is different in every country if you want to watch content like Reminiscence on Netflix in US you can watch it with the help of the best Netflix VPNs in US.
Jane Davies
