10 Films To Watch If You Liked Full Metal Jacket

Stanley Kubrick’s war drama Full Metal Jacket has stood the test of time as one of the most influential cinematic critiques of war. Highlighting the hypermasculinity of military training along with the psychological trauma inflicted on both sides, the film perfectly captures Kubrick’s dark and cynical exploration of human emotions.

It is definitely no easy watch, but still makes for essential viewing to understand how people viewed the turbulent times of the American war in Vietnam, and its consequent failure and aftermath. Several such films have been made thereon that explore the violent nature of conflict along, with the traumatic aftermath.

10 Da 5 Bloods (2020)

Spike Lee’s Netflix venture shifts between alternate timelines, detailing the past of a few African-American Vietnam vets and their present-day journey to explore a hidden treasure in the jungles of Vietnam. True to most of Lee’s filmography, Da 5 Bloods too ventures into relevant socio-political narratives while dealing with usual war film tropes like the morality of violence and PTSD.

Delroy Lindo is a standout from the talented ensemble, along with a memorable guest appearance by the late Chadwick Boseman.

9 Brothers (2009)

Brothers is about two siblings whose lives change forever after the war in Afghanistan. Tobey Maguirre plays a soldier serving in Afghanistan, who’s presumed to be dead. This is when his screw-up of a brother (Jake Gyllenhaal) decides to be mature and support his dead sibling’s family. Coping with the loss of her husband, the soldier’s wife (Natalie Portman) ends up finding solace with his brother.

However, when the war veteran mysteriously arrives back home, the family dynamic gets more complicated. Tobey Maguire perfectly sums up the hopelessness of the protagonist as he deals with his wife and brother’s newfound love and his own anger issues that result from the war.

8 Greetings (1968)

The Vietnam War was a heavily polarizing conflict and was the inspiration for a number of films. Some young men saw it as a chance to prove their patriotism, while some others tried their best to reject drafting and fighting for a war that wasn’t theirs to fight. The latter sentiment is presented in a satirical manner in Greetings, a cult ’60s film starring Robert De Niro. The film featured one of De Niro’s earliest performances and was directed by Brian De Palma in his sophomore effort.

The film narrates the tale of three down-on-their-luck youngsters who try their best to avoid the draft while engaging in free love, amateur filmmaking, and conspiracy theories around JFK’s assassination. Today, Greetings would be considered a fine satire, but it proved to be pretty controversial for its subject matter upon release.

7 Apocalypse Now (1979)

Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola and his crew underwent production hell to get this war epic made, but in the end, the effort clearly paid off. The film stars Martin Sheen as Captain Willard, a military operative sent to Cambodia to hunt down the rogue American Colonel Kurtz. But his mission gets more and more tumultuous as the high-stakes journey to his destination makes him acquainted with certain soldiers and civilians, all of whom have been affected by the Vietnam War in unprecedented ways.

Apocalypse Now has the elements of a thriller but is one man’s philosophical journey as he makes sense of his very purpose as the world burns around him. Marlon Brando has a few scenes as the enigmatic Kurtz, but his presence is haunting enough to stay etched in the audience’s mind.

6 Platoon (1986)

This film’s titular platoon is divided into two factions in the midst of the war, as one of their commanding officers  (Tom Berenger) unleashes a bloodthirsty rampage to kill all Vietnamese in sight, armed or unarmed. The other ideological side is offered by Sergeant Elias (Willem Dafoe) who takes a more empathetic stand against collateral damage and wanton violence.

Apart from war action and philosophical debates, Platoon also subtly points fingers at how political leaders could take major decisions around this war while it was the young and innocent who had to shed their blood. Oliver Stone (who had himself served in the war) strove to be as unapologetically realistic as he could while writing and directing the film, and it shows.

5 The Deer Hunter

Unlike the other war films on this list, The Deer Hunter doesn’t focus on much violence during the war. Divided into two segments, the first half shows a merry group of friends from a small town, as they hunt, drink, and dance at a wedding. The cheeriness is contrasted starkly with the aftermath of the war as it’s shown that all the friends have been drafted. Some don’t survive while the ones who do, are scarred for the rest of their life.

While Robert De Niro shines as the protagonist as he usually does, it’s Christopher Walken’s harrowing supporting role as a disgruntled, emotionless veteran that steals the show.

4 Jarhead (2005)

Before 1917, Sam Mendes helmed a moving war drama set in the days of operation Desert Storm. The film revolves around the real-life incidents of a US sniper called Anthony Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal). Swofford makes new friends and learns new skills in his time in Kuwait and Iraq. But as tensions rise, he and his unit start losing their composure with every passing day.

While it’s clearly not an anti-war film, Jarhead still attempts to present a raw and realistic first-person account of the war rather than any hyper-nationalist jingoism. The movie is further bolstered by the aesthetic cinematography of Roger Deakins, frequent collaborator of the Coen brothers.

3 Flags Of Our Fathers

Three American soldiers raised the flag at Iwo Jima, a moment reproduced in an iconic photograph that instilled patriotism in many an American during the Second World War. Flags Of Our Fathers recreates the lives of these soldiers as they turn into celebrities poster boys of the American war effort.

However, this stardom is limited as they succumb to trauma, alcoholism, and one of them continues facing racism as he’s of indigenous heritage. The tragic story highlights how despite being war heroes, these decorated individuals bear the pressures of their inner demons.

2 First Blood (1982)

The Rambo franchise ended up transforming into a shallow action series with each new sequel, but the film that started it all was actually a dark, moving character drama. Sylvester Stallone stars as John Rambo, a Vietnam veteran who faced a lot of torture and saw all his friends die in the war.

Attempting to rebuild his life as a lonely drifter, a sleepy town’s sheriff harasses him for no particular reason, provoking Rambo to wage a one-man war against the town’s entire law enforcement. Its plot (especially the third act) stresses the emotional turmoil that violence and bloodshed can lead to, rather than glorifying said violence like the sequels did.

1 War Machine (2017)

While War Machine might have polarized audiences, it’s still a film that deserves to be watched for its biting satire and hilarious lead performance by Brad Pitt. Pitt plays a highly-influential four-star general who commands NATO forces in Afghanistan. Closely following his work is a journalist determined to expose military cover-ups and failures.

The movie shows in a cheeky manner how countries can often boast about their war efforts on international soil even if these efforts might not have the best results, be it for their forces or the enemy’s.

About The Author

Shaurya Thapa
(727 Articles Published)

Shaurya Thapa is an Indian freelance journalist who mostly dabbles in writings on cinema, music, and human interest features. When it comes to Screen Rant, he writes lists on a wide array of subjects ranging from international films to mainstream Netflix series and comic book trivia. He also hosts a podcast called ‘BhindiWire’, an Indian parody of IndieWire.

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