My Five Must-Watch War Movies for Memorial Day

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It's Memorial Day and with my annual trip to local cemeteries to pay respects to family members who served (including my dad and grandfather) already behind me, it likely will be a day when I end up watching some of the many war movies that are bound to be on TV.

While I'm not a huge war movie fan, there are some that are must-watches whenever I come across them on one of my movie channels. Some of these are obvious choices, others might be a surprise, especially when compared to better-known films but they just speak to me.

Below are my five favorites but, before watching, please be sure to take a moment to remember and thank those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Glory (1989)


This movie, in my opinion is THE movie to watch if you want a Civil War film. It's one of Matthew Broderick's best roles and he had a strong supporting cast that includes Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington. There are some great, realistic battle scenes and a solid story (though maybe not completely accurate) about the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, one of the first all-Black regiments.

The Memphis Belle (1990)


This is an inspirational, exciting and entertaining movie about a real-life B-17 Flying Fortress set to undertake its 25th and final mission with a crew that is set to be the first to survive a full tour of duty in World War II. There are some great action sequences and quite a bit of suspense as the plane encounters fierce resistance, bad weather and battle damage, all threatening its return home.

Pork Chop Hill (1959)


I only recently discovered this war movie, but it immediately shot up my list of favorites. Based on a real battle during the Korean War, the film has a cast of actors who were either famous or would be, including Gregory Peck, Rip Torn and George Peppard. Plus, the incredible odds faced by the group of soldiers, outnumbered and running low on ammo, kept the movie suspenseful throughout, as did the sometimes-hostile personal interactions.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)


I was still working as a newspaper reporter when this movie came out and had the honor of taking two World War II veterans, one American and one who served with the German army, to see it as part of a feature I wrote. The movie was impressive on the big screen and wasn't anywhere near as predictable as I thought it would be.

Even though the story itself, about a group of soldiers sent behind enemy lines to find a missing private whose brothers were all killed, was fiction, the two veterans I watched this with praised the overall accuracy of other parts of the film, including the D-Day landing. In fact, if you watch it for no other reason, that opening scene is worth it.

The Patriot (2000)


Let me start out by saying I know there is a lot of reasons to criticize this Mel Gibson-led movie, especially as far as historic accuracy is concerned. However, if historic accuracy was a requirement for a movie to be entertaining, there would be an awful lot of films disqualified.

For me, I just think it is movie that is full of action, has solid cast and, while taking liberties with the American Revolution, always manages to give me a sense of patriotism whenever I watch it. USA, USA!

Honorable Mention: Patton (1970)


I had to debate this one a bit because it is easily one of my favorite films in general. However, while it could be classified as a war movie, I think I'd consider it more of a biopic that happens to have some battle scenes in the background. It's still worth watching either way.

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