5 Best Military Movies to Stream on American Netflix

As you might expect, military movies are about war, which means they’re bloody and brutal. Most of these movies depict war-torn countries, regions, and cultures and speak of how this type of violence breaks societies apart.

It doesn’t matter whether you know the cause the protagonists in a military movie are fighting for, but these movies will shake you to the core. However, war movies still appeal to filmmakers and movie-goers alike.

If you’re an action junkie, then Netflix is one of the best streaming services to get your military movie fix. The streaming service has a lot of military movies, but the content you access depends on your location. For instance, you can watch American Netflix in New Zealand because it has the most content.

To do so, get your favorite VPN, connect to a server in the US, and enjoy these fine military movies in New Zealand.

Dunkirk

Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Fionn Whitehead, Barry Keoghan, Mark Rylance
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
Runtime: 1h 46m

The events in Dunkirk take place in 1940, around May and June. Four hundred thousand French and British soldiers are held up in the French town of Dunkirk. Their only way out is via the sea, but the German air force is one step ahead and bombing the ships at will.

Things are not looking up for the allied forces, but the British are relentless, sending civilian boats to try and evacuate the pressed forces. The movie is a story seen through the eyes of a brave young soldier among the trapped forces, two air force fighter pilots, and civilians.

Dunkirk is everything director Christopher Nolan is known for, cinematic genius. The movie has breathtaking suspense and action sequences – a must-watch military film on Netflix.

First They Killed My Father

Director: Angelina Jolie
Writers: Loung Ung, Angelina Jolie
Cast: Sareum Srey Moch, Phoeung Kompheak, Sveng Socheata
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
Runtime: 2h 16m

First, They Killed My Father is a chilling account of the events during the Vietnam War under the Khmer Rouge regime. The movie is based on Luong Ung’s book by the same name and recounts the incidents that took place in the 1970s. Ung was only seven years old when the war turned her life upside down.

They were taken from their comfortable middle-class lifestyle and banished to labour camps. She was forced to train as a child soldier, and things get dark when her father is killed, forcing the family to split to survive.

First, They Killed My Father is a moving story seen through the eyes of a seven-year-old child. The film doesn’t have much dialogue, but it works perfectly from a child’s perspective.

War Machine

Director: David Michôd
Writers: Michael Hastings, David Michôd
Cast: Brad Pitt, Daniel Betts, John Magaro
IMDB Rating: 6.0/10
Runtime: 2h 2m

War Machine is about Glen McMahon, a general from the United States, who’s sent on a cleaning mission to Afghanistan after eight years of conflict. After spending time in the war-torn region, he finds himself among the worn-out soldiers and disheartened politicians eager to leave Afghanistan.

However, instead of giving up like the rest, he feels he has what it takes to win the war, a fete that is next to impossible. Glen McMahon recruits 40,000 troops but messes up, allowing press coverage and an expose that embarrasses him and risks blowing his mission.

The film is not your everyday military movie and adds humor. It might not seem like the best combination, but it allows the viewer to understand the complexity and brutality of war.

Tears of the Sun

Director: Antoine Fuqua
Writers: Alex Lasker, Patrick Cirillo
Cast: Bruce Willis, Cole Hauser, Monica Bellucci
IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
Runtime: 2h 1m

Tears of the Sun is one of the best military movies on Netflix and features the classic war story. Bruce Willis stars as Lieutenant A.K. Waters, and as you might expect, he presents a sterling performance as the action hero.

Lieutenant A.K. Waters leads a Special-Ops team deep into a Nigerian jungle to rescue Dr Lena Fiore Kendricks. She works in a hospital deep in the wilderness, and Lieutenant Waters and his team are tasked to save her.

However, the mission isn’t easy as the jungle is filled with rebels. The task proves more difficult when Dr Lena Fiore Kendricks refuses to leave unless the operatives also agree to save the 70 refugees. Nevertheless, tears of the Sun is a powerful and authentic military movie and a must-watch on Netflix.

Beasts of No Nation

Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Writers: Cary Joji Fukunaga, Uzodinma Iweala
Cast: Abraham Attah, Emmanuel Affadzi, Ricky Adelayitor
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
Runtime: 2h 17m

This military movie is an adaptation of a novel by Uzodinma Iweala. It is another military movie on Netflix about a child soldier named Agu, who lives in a small part of West Africa in the middle of a deadly civil war.

The war tears his beloved country apart, and Agu has no option but to join a team of rebels and is trained as a child soldier. Unfortunately, Agu and his fellow child soldiers are taken down a bloody and violent path by the rebel leader known as Commandant.

Beasts of No Nation shows what war is like and doesn’t shy away from the explicit details. Instead, it captures the problematic picture of the young child soldiers and what the situation put them through.

Wrap Up

Those are our five best military movies to stream on American Netflix. The streaming platform has more military films, but you’ll need a VPN to watch American Netflix in New Zealand.

The US version has the most content so subscribe to a VPN with fast US servers to access the largest Netflix library in New Zealand. Also, check out the best Military movies that HBO offers on Veterans day.