credit: American Sniper
Some people know war, and some know what they’ve seen in the movies and on TV, but the truth is that Hollywood nails it with some movies and drops the ball with others. Throughout the history of cinema, it’s been seen more than once how Tinseltown can screw up royally when making a war movie by adding too much of one thing or not enough of another. A good war movie will leave people with the thought that they’ve seen something that is as close as it can be to the real thing and will often leave a lot of people who have seen active duty emotional in a very real way. The fact is that war is a very serious matter and those who have been through one or have seen combat while in the military are worthy of the respect that comes from making an accurate movie. In the last decade, however, there are a few movies that have managed to create the genuine feelings that war movies should be felt when this subject is brought up.
Here are five of the best war movies from the past decade.
5. Fury
credit: Fury
The types of war movies that get down and dirty are usually those that manage to create some of the strongest emotions since they allow people to remember that war is not a game, and it’s not silly in the least to those who are on the ground fighting it. Fury is one of those that takes things to a limit and then skips over it since the idea of spending this much time with several other men in the confines of a tank sounds like something that would be abhorrent to a lot of people. The sounds, the smells, the sights, and the overall feeling that at any moment one’s life could end would drive a lot of people up the wall. And yet, men have had to do this in the past for the sake of their country and their companions.
4. Hacksaw Ridge
credit: Hacksaw Ridge
Two of the biggest elements that were taken from this movie are that it was based on a true story and that the main character, who was also true to life, did not pick up a weapon to take another life during his time in the military. Desmond Doss is the only medal of honor winner that never once raised a weapon but somehow managed to save an impressive number of people with his faith and his dedication to his fellow soldiers. This is the type of story that one would hope would be held up over the years, but somehow it’s remained as one of the tales of bravery that people have to research and seek out on their own.
3. Beasts of No Nation
credit: Beasts of No Nation
This kind of story is bound to make some folks cry since, like it or not, children are drawn into war one way or another, and it’s sad no matter which way it happens. This movie features the story of Agu, who is drawn into an army against his own free will. But as he grows within the army, he begins to take part in some of the most heinous acts possible, even going so far as to stomp innocent civilians to death along with his fellow soldiers. As things begin to fall apart, however, Agu and his battalion find that their command and their very livelihood changes as they abandon their leader and seek to rejoin the world that was lost to them.
2. Dunkirk
credit: Dunkirk
There were a lot of people that decided to chime in when it came to this movie being released since historical accuracy is still something that many people want to see in a movie. But while there were a few moments when the movie apparently veered off course and deviated from reality, it’s fair to say that there were a lot of people who enjoyed this movie and felt that it played up to its potential. The idea of being stuck on a beach and that so many soldiers were stuck there at the same time leaves one wondering what many of those soldiers must have been thinking during that time and how many believed that they would ever get to go home.
1. American Sniper
credit: American Sniper
Chris Kyle has become a huge name in the USA over the years, especially when this movie came out, since a lot of people wanted to believe that this story was completely true. There were fabrications that became the product of cinematic entertainment, but the fact is Kyle was considered to be one of the deadliest snipers in the world. Unfortunately, some of what was shown in this movie were strictly for effect since even the greatest snipers have admitted that some of the shots taken in this movie weren’t entirely possible.
War isn’t something to glamorize, but Hollywood does it anyway.
stuck on a beach
