The 5 best Netflix war movies to watch this 4th of July weekend

Many people celebrate their independence with family and friends on the Fourth of July. But they should also take the time to remember those who lost their lives fighting for their freedom from tyranny and oppression. Netflix can help.

The streaming giant now offers many films about many different wars. But they can all give viewers an idea of ​​the hardships that real soldiers faced and perhaps make them appreciate the peace in their lives even more. And with the Fourth of July weekend here, these are the five best war movies to watch on Netflix this Independence Day.

Need more recommendations? Check out our guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best comedies on Netflix and the best action movies on Netflix.

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

Based on the novel of the same name, the Netflix original nothing new in the West follows a German soldier (Felix Kammerer) whose hopeful innocence is shattered when he is confronted with the true horrors of World War I. True to its premise, this Oscar-winning film takes a critical look at the dehumanizing effect of war on soldiers as they realize what they lost by fighting each other senselessly before succumbing to anger and despair.

While the film is a beautifully crafted piece of cinema, it also contains some of the most haunting moments ever seen in a war film. And despite its departures from the source material, this modern adaptation successfully conveys a powerful anti-war message that needs to be heard by people of all nations.

1917 (2019)

This World War I film follows two soldiers (George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman) trying to deliver a message to call off an attack that would put the lives of their comrades in danger. Director Sam Mendes succeeds in immersing his audience in this film thanks to his camera work, which makes it seem as if the film was shot in two extremely long takes.

But the film is more than just a technical achievement. It captures the chaos and tension felt by those on the battlefield and highlights the sacrifices made by soldiers during this once-overlooked chapter of the First World War.

Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

Controversial director Mel Gibson made an unexpected comeback with this biopic about World War II. Hacksaw Ridge follows the life of an American soldier (Amazing Spider-Man Actor Andrew Garfield), who refuses to use a weapon and clashes with his superiors because of his religious pacifism before serving as a medic in the Battle of Okinawa.

Some can only imagine how someone can survive on the battlefield without having to kill, but this film, with incredible performances and action sequences, shows how one man did just that and saved 75 soldiers. Such a story shows that even in war, people should strive to save lives rather than take them.

Born on July 4th (1989)

Director: Oliver Stone, Born on July 4th tells the life of Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise), a Vietnam War veteran who protests against the conflict after experiencing the fighting firsthand, losing the use of his legs and being denied proper care when he returns home wounded and traumatized. Many films have addressed the horrors of war and the struggles soldiers must face after the war.

However, few films have come anywhere close to portraying the profound suffering and abuse these veterans face because the country they fought for ignores them and their fate. This two-time Oscar winner is a must-see, conveying the hypocrisy of a misguided society towards war and showing how an entire generation of young people lost their innocence to this corrupt system.

Unbroken (2014)

Unbroken follows the true story of Louis Zamperini (Jack O’Connell), an American Olympic track star who is stranded at sea during World War II and eventually captured and tortured in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. It may not show all the struggles Zamperini had to endure after the war, but Unbroken captures the sacrifices he made in the fight for what he believed in.

It’s a harrowing yet uplifting story of human strength that inevitably inspires audiences as this real-life figure survives the worst conditions imaginable without compromising his morals. That one scene of Zamperini holding up a board at gunpoint is enough to etch this film in audiences’ minds forever.