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From the frontlines to the home front, war is always there.
These films may be released in the 90s, but their message hits a bit too close to home now in 2023.
10. "Heaven & Earth" (1993) Rotten Tomatoes score: 43% Oliver Stone's "Heaven & Earth" is a moving story focusing on the life of Le Ly Hayslip, a Vietnamese woman whose life is turned upside down by the Vietnam War. Played by Hiep Thi Le, Le Ly experiences the horrors of war firsthand, from the brutal Viet Cong to the destructive American soldiers.
She survives torture, and amidst these tragedies, finds love with an American soldier, Steve Butler (Tommy Lee Jones). Their marriage takes her to the United States, but her struggle continues.
9. "Savior" (1998) Rotten Tomatoes score: 56% "Savior," starring Dennis Quaid, is a gripping war drama set against the backdrop of the Bosnian War. Quaid plays Joshua Rose, an American mercenary fighting with the Serbs after his wife and child are killed by a Muslim terrorist bomb in Paris.
Consumed by hatred and vengeance, Joshua becomes embroiled in the brutalities of the war. However, his perspective begins to change after he saves the life of a Serbian woman who is pregnant with the child of a man who assaulted her.
8. "Buffalo Soldiers" (1997) Rotten Tomatoes score: 58% "Buffalo Soldiers" takes us back to the American Indian Wars. It follows the story of the all-Black U.S. Cavalry Regiment, known as the Buffalo Soldiers. The movie, starring Danny Glover, sheds light on the racial tensions and hardships these soldiers faced. They're tasked with a dangerous mission to escort a Native American chief through hostile territory.
The journey is fraught with challenges, both from external threats and the internal struggles within the troop.
7. "The War at Home" (1996) Rotten Tomatoes score: 60% "The War at Home" is a portrayal of a Vietnam War veteran's struggle to readjust to civilian life. Jeremy Collier (Emilio Estevez) returns home to Texas after the war, but finds that the war has followed him back.
Suffering from PTSD and feeling alienated from his family and society, Jeremy's relationship with his parents (played by Kathy Bates and Martin Sheen) and his younger sister (Kimberly Williams) becomes increasingly strained.
6. "When Trumpets Fade" (1998) Rotten Tomatoes score: 75% Set during World War II's Battle of Hürtgen Forest, "When Trumpets Fade" brings to life the story of Private David Manning, a soldier who, despite his desire to stay alive at all costs, finds himself in a leadership position.
Manning, played by Ron Eldard, is a reluctant hero, who after losing all his comrades, is promoted to lead a new group of young recruits. They are assigned a near-suicide mission: to take out a German stronghold.
5. "Land and Freedom" (1995) Rotten Tomatoes score: 79% Directed by Ken Loach, this film takes us to the Spanish Civil War, following the story of David Carr, a young, unemployed Liverpudlian who joins the fight against Fascism. Once in Spain, he becomes involved with a group of militia members fighting for the POUM (Workers' Party of Marxist Unification).
The film beautifully captures the ideological struggles and internal conflicts among the anti-Fascist factions.
4. "The Thin Red Line" (1998) Rotten Tomatoes score: 80% Terrence Malick's "The Thin Red Line" is set during Guadalcanal Campaign during World War II. The film follows a wide ensemble of soldiers, focusing primarily on Private Witt (played by Jim Caviezel), First Sergeant Welsh (Sean Penn), and Lieutenant Colonel Tall (Nick Nolte).
Witt, who has gone AWOL, is found and imprisoned on a troopship. He re-joins his company as they prepare to land on Guadalcanal to take control of the island from the Japanese.
3. "Courage Under Fire" (1996) Rotten Tomatoes score: 86% In this drama, Denzel Washington plays Lt. Colonel Nathaniel Serling, a tank commander in the Gulf War who, after a friendly fire incident, is assigned to investigate the candidacy of Captain Karen Walden (played by Meg Ryan) for the Medal of Honor.
Walden, a helicopter pilot, would be the first woman to receive this honor posthumously. As Serling delves deeper into the investigation, he encounters conflicting accounts of Walden's actions.
2. "A Midnight Clear" (1992) Rotten Tomatoes score: 88% Set in the Ardennes during the end of World War II, "A Midnight Clear" tells a story of a young intelligence squad, who, in the face of war's brutality, find a fleeting moment of peace. Led by Will Knott (Ethan Hawke), the squad discovers a group of German soldiers holed up in a cabin, seemingly ready to surrender.
However, instead of a straightforward surrender, both groups enter into an unusual truce, celebrating Christmas together and sharing moments of humanity amidst the chaos of war.
1. "The Ogre" (1996) Rotten Tomatoes score: 89% Abel Tiffauges, played by John Malkovich, is a peculiar Frenchman fascinated by animals and children. He's wrongly accused of a crime and imprisoned. During World War II, he's drafted into the French army, then captured by the Germans.Abel ends up at a Nazi boarding school in East Prussia, overseeing young boys.
Unaware of the full implications, he believes he's protecting these children, not realizing he's actually helping the Nazis groom them for war.
