10 War Movies That Are Highly Rewatchable

1. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
You know that insane Normandy landing? It'll have you pinned to your seat faster than you can say 'D-Day.' Bullets zipping, soldiers screaming, sand soaked in blood.

Tom Hanks leads a band of brothers, so to speak, to rescue one Private James Francis Ryan. The reason is simple enough. All his brothers kicked the bucket, and Mother Ryan shouldn't lose all her boys. It's a brutal hike through enemy territory, where each life costs dearly, and courage is the currency.

2. Apocalypse Now (1979)
Ever sailed down a river that twisted and turned like a snake with a bellyache? That's what Martin Sheen's doing as Captain Willard, a man with a mission: find and "terminate" Colonel Kurtz.

This ain't your usual kill mission, though. Kurtz has gone full-on renegade, holed up in Cambodia, and revered like a God. The entire journey is a descent into the heart of darkness itself. Don't miss that helicopter attack synced to Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries." Classic!

3. Black Hawk Down (2001)
Bam! Right from the get-go, the action sets in. U.S. soldiers land in Mogadishu, Somalia, to capture a warlord, but end up fighting an entire city.

Helicopters—Black Hawks—are downed, and the phrase "leave no man behind" gets put through a real trial by fire. This movie unfolds at the speed of a bullet. Miss one frame and you've missed an entire plot point.

4. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Why, hello there, recruits! Private Joker and his buddies start off being molded—nah, hammered—into soldiers by a drill sergeant you'd never want to meet in a dark alley.

Think you've seen tough? Nah, you haven't met Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. From the rigors of boot camp, the film thrusts you into the horrors of the Vietnam War, as the recruits find themselves navigating the urban maze of Hue.

5. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
What if World War II had a different ending, ever thought about that? Quentin Tarantino did. Welcome to an alternate universe, where Brad Pitt's Lt. Aldo Raine assembles a crew to, and I quote, "kill Nazis." Oh, they do more than that.

There's also Shosanna, a French Jew, with her own vendetta. She owns a cinema, Hitler attends a movie premiere, and—BOOM! Everything goes up in flames, literally.

6. Platoon (1986)
You ever walk into a room and sense the tension crackling like electricity? That's what it's like when you're thrown into the Vietnam conflict with Charlie Sheen's Chris Taylor.

Two sergeants, one good, one bad, fight for the soul of this fresh-faced recruit. You want conflict, misunderstandings, and all-out war? Boy, does this movie deliver.

7. 1917 (2019)
Imagine, if you will, being tasked with a message that could save 1,600 lives. Tense? You bet. Our lads, Lance Corporals Schofield and Blake, they've got their orders. In real-time, people, they maneuver through barbed wire, collapsed bridges, and oh-so-many explosions.

It's as if you, dear viewer, are tagging along in this nerve-wracking journey. Will they get there in time?

8. Dunkirk (2017)
The art of war! Or should I say, the art of escape? Christopher Nolan cranks it up by slicing and dicing the narrative like a Michelin-star chef. Land, sea, and air—each timeline unfolds at its own pace but, oh boy, do they converge!

Tom Hardy's in the sky, civilians are sailing the English Channel, and soldiers are stranded on the beach. In a typical Nolan's fashion, the clock is ticking. Rather loudly.

9. The Thin Red Line (1998)
This ain't your typical war flick. Nature, humanity, the whole cosmic dance—it's all interwoven as U.S. troops battle for Guadalcanal.

Is it life or is it death that enchants these men? Terrence Malick asks you to contemplate, not just spectate. Yeah, yeah, there's blood and gore, but man, is it wrapped up in some beautiful cinematography.

10. Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
How do you fight a war without a weapon? Ask Desmond Doss. Our man's a medic, a pacifist, and you'd better believe he's got courage in spades. Bullets whizzing past, and there he is, dragging wounded soldiers off the battlefield.

No gun, just sheer will. Who'd have thought a man could win the Medal of Honor without firing a single shot?