10 Vietnam War Movies You Must See Before You Die
The following 10 Vietnam War Movies are the ones you absolutely must see. There are more. Many I have seen, some I have not. You may be astonished that one of the most famous ones, Apocalypse Now, is not among them… I wanted to stick to 10 and these are my 10 choices. I always found Apocalypse Now slightly dubious. Whatever. The list is in chronological order. I did not want to weigh them against each other as they show quite different aspects of the same war.
The Deer Hunter (1978): Young second generation Russian-Americans volunteer to prove themselves and serve their country. In Vietnam they are captured and suffer as POWs and are forced to play Russian roulette. They come home disillusioned and physically and psychologically broken.
Platoon (1986): Infantry combat. A young man volunteers to go to Vietnam and soon sees his dreams shattered. He gets caught between two antagonistic officers, the ultimately good Sgt. Elias and the mean Sgt. Barnes.
Hamburger Hill (1987): No-nonsense infantry combat at its toughest. A group of soldiers of mixed social backgrounds and ethnic origins must fight a senseless battle for a hill.
Full Metal Jacket (1987): Artsy movie. First part is an unforgettable look at boot camp horrors. The second centers on street fighting in Vietnam. Unusual setting. Vivid, haunting pictures.
Jacknife (1989): A brilliant De Niro in the role of a memorable Vietnam vet. (More details on this movie in my post).
Born on the 4th of July (1989): Maybe the ultimate anti-war statement and a in-depth exploration of masculinity. A movie that makes you cringe.
84 Charlie MoPic (1989): Documentary style but much better than the Iraq movie Redacted. Embedded journalists follow an infantry combat unit in the bush.
Heaven and Earth (1993): A look at the other side. What was the meaning of this war for Vietnamese civilians?
Tigerland (2000): Boot camp. We see the soldiers train long before they are shipped out. Tensions rise until a drama unfolds.
We Were Soldiers (2002): The only Vietnam War Movie that truly attempts to show more than one side. Close look at the Vietnamese command. Heavy combat. Story switches between battle field and home front where the wives wait for the letters who will inform them they have become widows. Very emotional but not unproblematic movie. Too much trying to make us believe it was a “good war”.
Maybe you disagree with this list. Let me know which ones you would choose. Which one do you really prefer?
warmoviebuff said,
September 23, 2010 at 6:11 am
I do not have any problems with the ones I have seen (all but Jackknife and Heaven), but would add “A Rumor of War” which was the first good Vietnam War movie and a good retelling of the important book. I would put “Apocalypse” because it is so distinctive. I’m glad to see “84 Charlie Mopic” – the greatest POV war movie ever made (actually, the only one I am aware of) and a personal favorite of mine. Recommendation: if you watch “We Were Soldiers”, turn it off before the ridiculous Hollywood ending which mars an otherwise very accurate movie.
allaboutwarmovies said,
September 23, 2010 at 6:55 am
I have the same problem with Apocalypse Now as you have with The Thin Red Line, I guess. I must admit I have not seen A Rumor of War. I tried to get it but it wasn’t possible.
sgtb said,
August 19, 2011 at 7:25 am
I’d have to agree that We Were Soldiers should be here… The movie follows the book written by Hal Moore himself about that battle and an a nearly equally impressive one a short time later. I can’t recall exactly how the ending of the movie differed from the book, but other than that possibility, it is an excellent story of a REAL event… to me that puts it ahead of some other favorites like Platoon, and Full Metal Jacket…
I don’t think that I would include Born on the 4th of July… in a top 10 but maybe I just haven’t watched it in a long time and was too young then to really get the point… But I don’t really care much for “anti-war” movies unless they respect that many soldiers are also anti-war at heart, but compelled by duty to remain soldiers, rather than run for the hills at the first sign of trouble. I mean that yes some and many individual battles turn into senseless killing fields and seem pointless after the fact, but that doesn’t mean that those guys were not fighting for their lives when put in harms way by either commander or politician… (But anyway that is enough of the soap box for now…)
Thanks for the list though, I have a few others to check out now.
allaboutwarmovies said,
August 19, 2011 at 7:42 am
Thanks for your comment. We Were Soldiers is included because it is one of the very few showing the Vienamese side as well. But I have my problems with it. I prefer anti-war movies which, in my book, are not anti-soldier but anti sensless decisions made by politicians and the High Command far away from the battlefields. I think we are on the same page. I thought Born on the 4th of July was outstanding. I’m not much of a Tom Cruise fan but he is excellent in it.
I’m glad you found some movies you didn’t know.
I did include vet movies and combat.
I’ve meanwhile re-visited Apocalypse Now and must say it is far better than I remembered. I wouldn’t kick ut any on the list though, I’d rather make it a Top 12.
Remembering The Deer Hunter (1978) « All About War Movies said,
October 4, 2010 at 7:35 pm
[...] is not my favourite Vietnam movie but it ranks high up among the 10 best as I stated before (see my list 10 Vietnam War Movies You Must See Before You Die [...]
Gav said,
December 20, 2010 at 7:27 am
Gail is a spammer – http://www.google.com.au/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=This+a+fabulous+post+and+may+be+one+that+should+be+followed+up+to+see+how+things+go#sclient=psy&hl=en&safe=off&q=%22This+a+fabulous+post+and+may+be+one+that+should+be+followed+up+to+see+how+things+go%22&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&pbx=1&fp=342c1aa58e3bb34f
Loads of similar comments.
Anyway, I’m just doing some research ahead of my trip to Vietnam with my girlfriend – she’s not seen any Vietnam war films, so just deciding which ones to make her sit through… None are too much about Vietnam really – oooh, Good Morning Vietnam, that’s a good one.
allaboutwarmovies said,
December 20, 2010 at 9:48 am
Thanks Gav, I thought so but wasn’t sure and didn’ want to offend someone who means well.
Does it have to be a war movie in the strict sense? How about The Quiet American and the movie Saigon with Willem Dafoe.
Soldier's Mail said,
January 16, 2011 at 7:07 am
One film I would add is BAT 21 starring Gene Hackman & Danny Glover, based on the true story of an Air Force planning officer shot down behind enemy lines. It’s a great experience revealing how a staff officer accustomed to being removed from combat suddenly finds himself having to evade and survive, and the rescue pilot who acts as his lifeguard in helping get him to safety. I found it to be inspirational and all the more satisfying because it is a true story that is very much part of the war but also not overpowered by it.
allaboutwarmovies said,
January 16, 2011 at 7:50 am
Thanks for the recommendation. I will have to watch it.
Gene Vigliante said,
February 5, 2011 at 9:38 pm
Go Tell it to the Spartans is an excellent Viet nam movie. I have not seen it in quite some time, and it may be hard to find. Not a very well known VN flick. Stars Burt Lancaster.
allaboutwarmovies said,
February 6, 2011 at 6:25 am
Thanks, I’m glad for recommendations. I’ll have to track it down.
Debjyoti (DJ) said,
July 20, 2011 at 5:12 pm
Well, Like your list, I have seen almost all except ‘Tigerland’ & ‘Jacknife’
allaboutwarmovies said,
July 20, 2011 at 6:08 pm
Thanks. I like both Tigerland and Jacknife. They show totally different aspects of the Vietnam war. Jacknife is a great movie for De Niro fans.
Matt said,
August 8, 2011 at 8:30 pm
i actually liked Hart’s War alot too
allaboutwarmovies said,
August 9, 2011 at 7:36 am
I didn’t like it all that much but in any case it is a WWII movie.
Matt said,
August 8, 2011 at 8:32 pm
oh and ” Iwo Jima” and “flags of our fathers” was also good movies from good ol clint eastwood!
allaboutwarmovies said,
August 9, 2011 at 7:34 am
Yes, I agree, only they are not Vietnam movies. They will be mentioned in another post some day.
Crooked Mick said,
October 2, 2011 at 11:30 pm
Your list and the comments following only show an American perspective of the war.
The Australian film, “The Odd Angry Shot”, depicts the involvement of Australian troops. Though not as professionally done (budget limitations, etc.) as US films, it is quite a good film.
allaboutwarmovies said,
October 3, 2011 at 7:37 am
That’s probabaly true and thanks for the recommendation, I already tried to find it after I did the Top 10 Australian movies.
Bat*21 (1988) « All About War Movies said,
October 15, 2011 at 6:33 pm
[...] If you are looking for really great Vietnam movies see my post 10 Vietnam War Movies You Must See. [...]
Drew said,
November 10, 2011 at 4:16 am
What about apocalypse now¿
allaboutwarmovies said,
November 10, 2011 at 6:11 am
It’s an excellent movie, I just thought those 10 were better or , I did like them better. But, yes, it’s fantastic.
Ian said,
December 5, 2011 at 2:20 pm
Im perplexed as to how any one can comment that “we were soldiers once” depicts the viet side/ OK it shows a few shots to fill the film with intermitnent non killing scenes, but it certainly does not depict the other sides point at all. NOT to include apolalypse now is a real mystery. It was long and drawn out but a brilliant movie nevertheless – the Deer Hunter? Very good scenes but I am not sure about it’s inclusion as a real vietnam war movie? Any way there is a lot to choose from. As for the anti war to the pro war – why would any one be pro war? Beats me – must be phsycopathic to be like that!
allaboutwarmovies said,
December 5, 2011 at 5:38 pm
It’s one of the only infantry combat movies to show Vietnamese not as absolutely dumb or beastly. It doesn’t show the war from a Vietnamese perspective. There are others who attempted this.
I think there are quite a lot of pro-war war movies fans out there and far too many movies who are glorifying war to a certain extent. I think that depending on who watches them that could be problematic.
I have re-watched Apocalypse Now since I made the list and it’s possible I would include it now.
Ray said,
January 7, 2012 at 11:58 pm
Which Vietnam movie was made to mimic a home movie camera ?
Sam Stephens said,
March 20, 2012 at 3:14 am
84 Charlie mopic
allaboutwarmovies said,
March 20, 2012 at 8:30 am
It’s a good one, yes.
Ray said,
January 8, 2012 at 12:01 am
Let me reword that last post : There was a Nam war movie that was ” shot ” as though it were actually filmed with a home movie camera . Anyone know the name of that movie ?
allaboutwarmovies said,
January 8, 2012 at 7:36 am
Charlie MoPic?
Bill Jackson said,
May 25, 2012 at 10:51 pm
From a Combat Veteran of the VietNam War, C Co 3rd 187th INF, 101st ABN Div, one must remember that movies are for entertainment, documentaries are for facts, for the most part, if you want to watch a movie for realistic combat, I would say Hamburger Hill, and not because I was in the 101st and it was my unit, Forrest Gump, I have a hard time because that was the realist ambush scene ever,and of course Charlie MoPic. For enertainment with no political crap, everyone has to be pro or con, irrelevant for entertainment, Full Metal, We Were Soldiers, Platoon, I really don’t care for movies with an agenda, because most do not understand.