The 20 Best Movies to Watch on Memorial Day

Based on a 1976 autobiography by anti-war activist and veteran Ron Kovic, Born on the Fourth of July stars Tom Cruise as a wide-eyed U.S. Marine who grows disillusioned after a paralyzing deployment in Vietnam. Upon his return home, he becomes a staunch anti-war activist. Directed by Oliver Stone, himself a Vietnam War vet, Born on the Fourth of July proves that the real way to honor troops is by listening to them.

Prime Video

In 2006, Clint Eastwood helmed two features that tell two sides to the 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima. On the American front was Flags of Our Fathers, which explores the making of the iconic photograph—Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima—and its unexpected role in reinvigorating a fatigued public. While Eastwood’s companion picture Letters From Iwo Jima earned wider acclaim, Flags of Our Fathers still deserves a salute.

Pluto TV

Divorced of all Baroque valor, Warfare makes its message clear: war is hell. Co-directed by Alex Garland and Iraq War veteran Ray Mendoza, Warfare tells of a Navy SEAL platoon pinned inside a family home as they endure enemy bombardment. This pressure-cooker thriller plays out in real-time, with devotion to authenticity; much of the movie’s characters, situations, and even lines of dialogue were sourced from the soldiers who survived one nightmare afternoon in November 2006. Some movies are based on a true story, but this is as real as it gets.

Prime Video

Directed by David Ayer and starring Brad Pitt, Fury adapts the 1998 memoir Death Traps by Belton Y. Cooper, in which Belton chronicles his experiences rolling in American tank crews who were outgunned by better-armed Germans at the end of World War II. In interviews during the movie’s release, Pitt revealed that the cast underwent a week-long boot camp that made them better understand their characters’ lethal duties.

Prime Video

Though its subject is complicated, to say the least, Clint Eastwood’s biographical drama of real-life U.S. Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle explores the immense cost to be called a war hero. Bradley Cooper earned an Oscar nomination for his performance, and American Sniper placed on multiple critics’ end-of-year top movies lists.

Netflix

We’re going to state it plainly: Aaron Pierre kicks ass in Rebel Ridge. From writer and director Jeremy Saulnier, Pierre stars as a Marine veteran with just enough money to bail out his cousin and buy themselves a boat until he’s accosted by local police officers. What the men in blue don’t know is that Pierre’s Terry is a black belt, unaware he can and will raise hell in rural Louisiana. A modern-day First Blood, Rebel Ridge is so good, you’ll look at other movies and go, “Nah.”

Netflix

Heavily based on Oliver Stone’s experiences as an infantryman during the Vietnam War, Platoon captures the nihilism and aimlessness of a hopeless fight. Charlie Sheen stars as a fresh-faced U.S. Army volunteer, who takes orders from two bickering commanding officers (played by Willem Dafoe and Tom Berenger). There are many Vietnam War movies, but you’ll find few that feel like actually being in the muck and mud of the Vietnamese jungles than in Platoon.

Tubi

It might take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Captain America: The First Avenger still honors soldiers who’ve made real sacrifices. Chris Evans plays puny Steve Rogers who beefs up into the first scientifically-enhanced “Super Soldier.” Thrust into playing propaganda mascot Captain America, Steve Rogers becomes a true hero whose battle with the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) immortalizes him in the American imagination.

Disney+

Because soldiers have a sense of humor, too. Directed by Ivan Reitman, Bill Murray and Harold Ramis star in Stripes as two hapless men whose dead-end lifestyles lead them to join the U.S. Army, where they turn the barracks of basic training into a block party. If other “Memorial Day Movies” are too heavy for the barbecue, put on Stripes and let the good times roll. And that’s the fact, Jack!

Netflix

Denzel Washington and Meg Ryan light up in Edward Zwick’s dramatic thriller Courage Under Fire. Washington stars as a haunted Lieutenant Colonel dealing with his own demons when he’s tasked with determining if deceased Captain Walden (Ryan) should be the first woman to receive the Medal of Honor. But through conflicting testimonies that don’t line up, Washington’s protagonist suspects there’s something more that’s being buried in the sand.

Hulu

We’ve long praised Top Gun: Maverick as one of our favorite action movies, but it bears repeating: It is truly one of the best films of the decade so far. Tom Cruise plays Pete Mitchell, a star aviator in the Navy. After thirty years of service, he becomes a teacher and trains a new class of recruits. The only issue? They’re about to be sent on Mitchell’s toughest mission yet. In order to keep himself and his team safe, he has to dig deep and face his greatest fears.

MGM+

In this you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it film, Zac Efron stars as John “Chickie” Donohue—a plucky New Yorker with a dream of cracking a cold one with his buddies in Vietnam. Cue a comedic journey across the seas, fit with heartwarming reunions and harsh truths. Best of all, The Greatest Beer Run Ever is based on a true story.

Apple TV+

Da 5 Bloods follows four Black veterans who return to their old battleground long after the Vietnam War in search of the remains of their deceased squad leader. Before he died, he buried a gold fortune with their help—now it’s up to them to find it.

Netflix

It’s 1993. The U.S. Special Forces unit has been sent to Somalia to bring humanitarian aid to a starving population. Their mode of travel? Black Hawk helicopters. They expect a manageable mission, but plans change when Somalian forces shoot down two of the U.S. choppers. In order to survive, they have to regain control of their helicopters while evading a wave of gunfire.

Tubi

Lighten the mood with M*A*S*H, a dark comedy about the medical unit of a U.S. encampment in the Korean War. Surgeons Hawkeye Pierce and Trapper John McIntyre make the best of their predicament with martini parties and incessant jokes. The film was such a hit that it spurred a hit TV show that ran for eleven seasons. (You can check out the series on Hulu.)

Apple TV+

Think of The Thin Red Line as the film equivalent of eating your greens—a necessary nutrient for any cinephile. This war epic stars Jim Caviezel as Private Witt, a U.S. Army member living on a tiny island in the South Pacific. Life is peaceful there. It’s much quieter than America, which, at that point, is embedded in World War II. When Witt’s hideout is discovered, he’s forced to leave the island and join the American troops in training for the Battle of Guadalcanal.

Amazon Prime Video

Devotion tells the true story of Jesse Brown, the first Black aviator in the U.S. Navy. He’s the best of the best and has the skills to prove it, but when he’s assigned to assist in the Korean War, Brown’s leadership skills are put to the test. Can he complete the mission, protect his teammates, and make it home safely? You’ll have to watch to find out.

Paramount+

One of Captain John Miller’s paratroopers, Private James Ryan, is missing, and Ryan’s three brothers were killed. To find the soldier, Miller (Tom Hanks) and his team breach enemy territory and forge a manhunt, displaying remarkable courage along the way.

Pluto TV

Glory, which is based on a true story, is an important history lesson. In the film, Col. Robert Gould Shaw (Mathew Broderick) is assigned to command America’s first Black regiment. The crew includes Cabot Forbes (Cary Elwes), a junior officer; Trip (Denzel Washington), a runaway slave; and John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman), a clever gravedigger. Together, they climb the ranks and become key fighters in a legendary battle.

AMC+

Here’s another one for the Tom Hanks hive. In Greyhound, the actor stars as Navy Commander Ernest Krause. During World War II, he’s tasked with leading an Allied convoy across the Atlantic Ocean. Things get dicey when German boats catch on to their plan. To make matters worse, this is Krause’s first wartime mission, which went down as the longest naval conflict in history—you may remember it as the Battle of the Atlantic.

Apple TV+