The Top 10 Best Vietnam War Movies
5 Born on the Fourth of July
For some soldiers, the Vietnam War didn’t end when they left the jungle. Thanks to modern medicine, fewer people died on the battlefield. This proved to be both a blessing and a curse as Born of the Fourth of July shows through protagonist Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise). As a bright-eyed teen, Ron joins the Marines and soon finds himself in Vietnam. During his second tour, he is injured and left paralyzed from the chest down. Shipped back to America, he soon becomes disillusioned with the war as it’s revealed that his more serious injuries are invisible (PTSD). An angry alcoholic, he soon finds purpose again speaking out against the war as a member of Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Oliver Stone won the best director Oscar for this, but this isn’t even the best of the Vietnam War Movies the director made.
4. Full Metal Jacket
In my opinion, people who love Full Metal Jacket are missing the point. Don’t get me wrong; it’s one of the greatest Vietnam War movies ever made, but it also captures every detestable thing about the war as it follows a group of Marines from their training at Parris Island to their deployment in Vietnam. One of the most memorable aspects is R. Lee Ermey as the sadistic Drill Sergeant who has to break the men’s spirits in order to rebuild them as combat-ready Devil Dogs. One Marine, Private “Joker,” manages to keep his spirit right up to the very end. No man is left unchanged by war though and even the Joker is broken by this war. Stanely Kubrick was a cinematic genius, and that’s why there was no way I could put together this list without including Full Metal Jacket.
3. The Deer Hunter
Christopher Walken and Robert De Niro star in one of the most compelling movies about PTSD ever made. The two are taken prisoner by the Viet Cong and forced to play Russian Roulette for the guards’ amusement. Of course, you only win Russian Roulette when the other guy blows his brains out. So you can imagine how terrifying that must have been for them. Fortunately, they escape and get rescued by American forces. Unfortunately, both men are suffering due to their time in Vietnam and have a hard time reintegrating into society. Walken’s character is especially troubled and seeks out underground gambling dens to continue playing the macabre game. It’s a twisted movie that shows that some soldiers are changed forever after looking death in the face.
2. Apocalypse Now
To be perfectly honest, the top two entries on this list of the best Vietnam War movies are damn near interchangeable. Not in subject matter, but in sheer brilliance. I practically had to flip a coin to make this call but in the end, Frances Ford Coppola’s Heart of Darkness inspired war epic, Apocalypse Now came in second. War can make men do crazy things. At least that’s what they say, but given that war is so crazy in and of itself, maybe it makes them do sane things instead. That’s the question that Martin Sheen’s Captain Benjamin J. Willard has to face as he’s sent to hunt down a Special Forces officer, Colonel Walter E. Kurtz (Marlon Brando), that’s gone rogue. Willard sees all sorts of insanity on his journey to find Kurtz, but nothing could have prepared him for what he would have to do once the two men met.
1. Platoon
Another film from Oliver Stone earns a spot among the best Vietnam War movies of all time. This one stars another Sheen (Martin’s son Charlie Sheen) as a young soldier who finds himself caught in a power struggle in the middle of a war. Staff Sergeant Bob Barnes (Tom Beringer) and Sergeant Elias Grodin (Willem Dafoe) have very different philosophies when it comes to the war. So different, that they tend to clash a lot. On the one hand, Barnes wants to kill them all and let God sort it out. On the other, Grodin is a man of conviction and clings to idealism in order to prevent him from becoming a monster. The young private is caught between these warring factions and has to decide what kind of soldier he’s going to be in the war.
Honorable Mention: Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump doesn’t completely take place during the Vietnam War, but the parts that do are simply incredible. Gump proves to be the perfect soldier and a hero because he doesn’t know any better. He puts his life on the line for his best good friend and saves the life of another who ended up absolutely despising him for it. That’s why I’m giving it a shout out.
In my book, those are the best Vietnam War movies ever made. There are a lot more out there though, and I’d love to hear what you think of the ones that earned a spot and if there were any others that should have gotten one. As always, I’ll be updating this list as new and improved Vietnam War movies hit theaters. So, be sure to check back in the future to see how the rankings might change.