The Top 10 Best Vietnam War Movies

Vietnam War Movies Switched from the Glory of War to the Horror of It.

Since I started Stars & Popcorn, I’ve done a few top 10 lists about war movies, including World War II and the Iraq War. In the back of my mind though, I knew that one day I would be doing the Top 10 Vietnam War movies. It was the first war that played out inside the homes of the American people as the news reported events that were happening in real-time. Gone was the illusion that war was a noble cause in which soldiers sought out glory for the sake of their nation. The horror of war was now out in the open for all to see. The realization gave way to a new breed of war movies as filmmakers now tried to capture the brutal realities of this absolute catastrophe. To qualify for this list of Vietnam War movies, the films had to center around the war whether during the war or the struggles faced by those returning home. It was a tough list to narrow done, but I believe that these 10 films are the best on the subject. 

10. Jacob’s Ladder

In order for me to plead the case that Jacob’s Ladder is one of the best Vietnam War Movies, I need to give you a spoiler alert. So if you don’t want the film ruined, skip on to number nine.
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Okay, so Jacob’s Ladder simultaneously takes place during the war and outside of it. The entire movie is Jacob Singer’s journey through purgatory at the instant of his death in Vietnam. The cause?  An experimental chemical that hoped to increase aggression in soldiers to make them better killers. It worked a little too well, and Jacob’s platoon slaughtered each other. Having died in the war he now has to come to terms with the cause of his death and face the demons that are trying to drag him to hell for his sins. It’s a brutal movie that is a metaphor for the fact that America is the one that killed all those soldiers by sending them there.

9. Casualties of War 

A lot of Vietnam War movies focus on the notion that the first casualty of war is innocence. Few capture that better than Casualties of War. The film revolves around a platoon that finds a Vietnamese woman and takes her prisoner. Angered by the death of one of their squadmates at the hands of the VC (Viet Cong), Sergeant Tony Meserve (Sean Penn) brutalizes the woman (in some of the worst ways imaginable), convinced that she knows something. Private Max Eriksson (Michael J. Fox) becomes more uncertain of the Sergeant’s agenda and his means, seeing that they have become worse than those they hope to stop. He soon takes it upon himself to try to help the woman escape and put a stop to his platoon. Morals become blurred in war, but Eriksson showed that soldiers can never lose sight of them no matter how bad things get.  

8. Hamburger Hill

There is a monument to the lives lost during the war in Washington. However, it doesn’t show the price of each battle. Of all the Vietnam War movies, Hamburger Hill shows the cost in blood for one little piece of land, Hill 937. Hamburger Hill starts with the near slaughter of a platoon of soldiers. Instead of letting those men take a break and process the horrors they saw, their numbers are simply topped off and they’re sent right back out there. Their ranks now consist of war-weary veterans and “fresh meat” who have no idea what they are in for. I call them “fresh meat,” because, well, it’s called Hamburger Hill for a reason. It seems like an easy mission, take one hill. It turns into one of the bloodiest battles ever captured on film as both sides refuse to yield, and they pay a price far more than what the damn thing is worth.     

7. Good Morning Vietnam

Robin Williams was one of the greatest comedians to ever grace the silver screen. His chaotic energy was infectious as he made us all laugh until our sides hurt. Good Morning Vietnam sees him playing Adrian Cronauer, an Airman who serves as a DJ for the troops in Vietnam. He quickly gains popularity for his sense of humor and refusal to “tow the line” that the brass wants him to. Not seeing much action himself, he soon gets a taste and becomes conflicted over the war and the troops being there in the first place, especially after he starts teaching a number of Vietnamese students English. However, he forces those reservations aside when he realizes that his show is one of the only things helping to keep a lot of the men sane. Most Vietnam War movies are gut-wrenching, but this one is heartbreaking.

6. Rescue Dawn 

There are some things worse than death in war, and Rescue Dawn focuses on that. It’s based on the real-life story of a German-born Naval pilot named Lt. Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale) who is shot down and taken prisoner by a Laotian rebel group loyal to the VC. Sent to a prison camp, he encounters a number of other American POW’s who are weak and starving. Little Dieter refuses to give up hope and quickly starts planning a prison break. He doesn’t just have to figure a way out though, he has to keep the others going until the time arises when they can escape. His optimism in the face of starvation, abuse, and filthy conditions is inspiring throughout the film. It might not have a lot of gunfights in it and technically takes place in Laos, but it’s still one of the best Vietnam War movies of all time.