Will Gore

The best war films to watch on Netflix

  • From Spectator Life
Jake Gyllenhaal stars in Jarhead, Netflix

1917, the World War One epic that has picked up 10 Oscar nominations (including for Best Picture and Best Director for Sam Mendes), is currently going great guns in cinema. If it has put you in the mood for more war on screen, then fire up Netflix, where there are plenty of military flicks to pick from.

Jarhead

1917 is not Sam Mendes’s first foray onto the battlefield. Jarhead, released in 2005, was an adaptation of a memoir written by US marine Anthony Swofford about his experience of serving in the first Iraq war – the resulting film is a different kind of war movie in which the longueurs of conflict are brought to the fore. Mendes directs with his customary assurance and the performances are first rate, particularly from Jake Gyllenhaal as Swofford and Jamie Foxx as one of the sergeants who trains him. Thanks to the great cinematographer Roger Deakins, who is up for one of 1917’s Oscar nominations, Jarhead also looks magnificent.

The Great Escape

Needing little in the way of introduction, The Great Escape is the very definition of ‘classic war film’. You probably know how this one turns out, but it’s always worth revisiting Steve McQueen’s and co.’s attempts to break free of Stalag Luft III.

Platoon and The Vietnam War

A double-bill recommendation for those keen to delve into the Vietnam War. First up, watch another classic, Platoon, which draws on writer-director Oliver Stone’s experience as a soldier in that brutal conflict. The film, starring Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe, is still extremely powerful, and, if you’re keen to find about more about ‘Nam, Netflix has plenty more to offer in the shape of Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s documentary series, entitled simply The Vietnam War.

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