16 military movies that used real-life veterans in active roles

Deeya
Still from Flags of our Fathers (Image via Warner Bros. Entertainment)
Still from Flags of our Fathers (Image via Warner Bros. Entertainment)
Still from Fury (Image via Sony Pictures Entertainment)
Still from Fury (Image via Sony Pictures Entertainment)

War epics are engrossing to watch. Sometimes the films provide an excruciating account of the historic battles, sometimes they focus on the humanitarian aspect and the futility of war, other times they center around the mental struggles of the soldiers. Whatever may be the focus, when military movies consult real-life veterans, cast them, or are directed by them, the film comes across as more authentic. Here are 16 such movies that have real-life army veterans in some capacity.

1. Platoon (1986)

Still from the movie (Image via Amazon MGM Studios)
Still from the movie (Image via Amazon MGM Studios)

Starring Charlie Sheen, this war movie is directed by Oliver Stone, who is a Vietnam War veteran himself. Stone’s personal experiences lend a gritty realism to the movie. The film is set amidst the Vietnam War and is about Chris (Sheen), who enlists in the army and thus gets exposed to the brutal world of war. The film’s portrayal of the mental struggles of soldiers made it a critically acclaimed film and Stone won the Best Director award at the Oscars.

2. Fury (2014)

Still from the movie (Image via Sony Pictures Entertainment)
Still from the movie (Image via Sony Pictures Entertainment)

Set amidst World War II, this war movie is directed by David Ayer, who is a US Navy veteran. The film features Brad Pitt, who plays Sergeant Don Collier, a battle-hardened American leader, who takes his crew fighting in Nazi Germany, through the final days of the war. The film focuses on the grueling life of American tank crews and is an unflinching portrayal of the realities of war and the close-knit bonds made during perilous times.

3. Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Still from the movie (Image via Warner Bros. Pictures)
Still from the movie (Image via Warner Bros. Pictures)

Directed by Stanley Kubrick, this war movie is based on an autobiographical novel by Gustav Hasford and features Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey, and others. The film follows Davis and Lawrence, who first train at a boot camp under the strict Gunnery Sergeant Hartman (Ermey) and then enlist in the Vietnam War. Ermey is a former Marine Corps drill instructor, whose real-life experience brought authenticity to the role. He even improvised his lines.

4. The Dirty Dozen (1967)

Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)
Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)

Starring Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, and others, this war movie directed by Robert Aldrich is set during World War II and follows a military unit made up of twelve convicts who are trained as commandos by the Allies for a dangerous mission. Marvin, who portrayed Major John Reisman, was an actual World War II veteran, who served in the Marine Corps. His dialogue delivery and mannerisms therefore were extremely authentic.

5.⁠ ⁠Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)
Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)

Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks, this influential war movie is about a group of soldiers who must bring Private Ryan back home after all his brothers get killed in World War II. Set in 1944 in Normandy, the film has one of the most realistic depictions of battle scenes and one of the actors, James McEachin, was also a Korean War veteran, who added credibility to the intense movie.

6. Black Hawk Down (2001)

Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)
Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)

Based on a non-fiction book by Mark Bowden, this war movie features Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, and others. Directed by Ridley Scott, the film is about a group of American soldiers who must hunt down a Somalian warlord’s right-hand men. But their mission is ambushed by the opposing side resulting in a bloody battle. Eric Bana, who played a sergeant in the movie is a former Delta Force operative, which made the film more realistic.

7. The Covenant (2023)

Still from the movie (Image via Amazon MGM Studios)
Still from the movie (Image via Amazon MGM Studios)

Directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, this action drama follows a US Army Master Sergeant, John Kinley (Jake), who takes the help of Ahmed (Dar Salim), an Afghan interpreter, to fight against the Taliban. The film’s production brought Kawa Mawlayee, who is the first Afghan-American in U.S. Special Forces, to help train the actors. This increased the film’s authenticity and made it critically acclaimed.

8.⁠ ⁠Battleground (1949)

Still from the movie (Image via HD Retro Trailers)
Still from the movie (Image via HD Retro Trailers)

Starring Van Johnson, John Hodiak, and others, William A. Wellman directs this war movie, which portrays a fictional Glider Infantry Regiment of the Airborne Division, which fought in the siege of Bastogne during World War II. In the movie, James Whitmore plays the role of Sergeant Kinnie, who is a real-life former Marine Corps drill instructor.

9.⁠ ⁠Flags of Our Fathers (2006)

Still from the movie (Image via Warner Bros. Pictures)
Still from the movie (Image via Warner Bros. Pictures)

Directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Ryan Phillippe, Adam Beach, and others, this war drama is based on a book by James Bradley and Ron Powers and revolves around the Marines and Navy corpsman who raised the American flag during the battle of Iwo Jima. The movie had support from veterans like Sergeant Quay Terry, who was the Assistant Military Advisor and provided insights into military procedures.

10.⁠ ⁠A Few Good Men (1992)

Still from the movie (Image via Sony Pictures Entertainment)
Still from the movie (Image via Sony Pictures Entertainment)

Starring Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise, and others, this military legal drama is based on a play by Aaron Sorkin and revolves around the court-martial of two US Marines, who are charged with killing a fellow Marine and the corruption and conspiracies that the case unravels. Nicholson’s thundering performance is still remembered and its credit goes to military consultants like Dale Dye, who is a retired US Marine Corps captain and has worked as an advisor on other military-themed films.

11.⁠ ⁠The Longest Day (1962)

Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)
Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)

Based on the non-fiction book by Cornelius Ryan, this historical war drama has an ensemble cast of John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Sean Connery, and others. Set around the D-Day landing in Normandy during World War II. The film had several D-Day participants as consultants and one of the cast members, Richard Todd, was a real-life paratrooper who portrayed Major John Howard in the movie.

12.⁠ ⁠Heartbreak Ridge (1986)

Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)
Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)

Directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, this war movie focuses on a US Marine who is nearing retirement but gets one last job of readying a platoon of unruly Marines, for the upcoming war on Grenada, which took place in 1983. Eastwood plays Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Highway and for his role, he took the help of then Gunnery Sergeant James Dever, who was the military consultant for the film.

13.⁠ ⁠Patton (1970)

Still from the movie (Image via 20th-century studios)
Still from the movie (Image via 20th-century studios)

Starring George C. Scott, Karl Malden, James Edwards, and others, this biographical war movie is directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and is based on the life of real-life US General George S. Patton, who served during World War II. The movie is an acclaimed war movie and even won the Best Picture award at the Oscars. Malden played General Omar Bradley, who was a consultant during the film’s production.

14. Lone Survivor (2013)

Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)
Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)

Directed by Peter Berg and based on a non-fiction book by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson, this action drama stars Mark Wahlberg, Eric Bana, and others. The film revolves around the war in Afghanistan where a US Navy SEALs mission to track down the Taliban leader Ahmad Shah became unsuccessful. The film is based on Luttrell’s real-life story, who is a Navy SEAL and also had a cameo in the film.

15. Act of Valor (2012)

Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)
Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)

This action movie is directed by Mouse McCoy and Scott Waugh and features active-duty Navy SEALs and US Navy Special Warfare Combatant-craft crewmen. Their names were not publicly disclosed for security and operational reasons. The film is about a group of Navy SEALs who must rescue a kidnapped CIA operative. But the kidnapping reveals a global conspiracy. Even though the movie received mixed reviews it is one of the few movies with real-life military people.

16. Jarhead (2005)

Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)
Still from the movie (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)

Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx, and others, this biographical war drama is based on the memoir by Anthony Swofford, who outlined his services in the US Marine Corps during the Persian Gulf War. This drama directed by Sam Mendes stars Gyllenhall as Swofford. While the movie received mixed reviews, the makers did consult Swofford, which helped in accurate portrayal.

Edited by Nimisha
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