Top 5 Movies About the Experiences of War Veterans

by Lewis Robinson

There are many reasons why people go to see a movie, and one of the biggest is that movies give us the ability to experience a life that's completely different from our own. While some fail to portray the experience accurately, there are a handful of movies that nail what it's like to fight in a war, whether it's in the thick of the action or in the difficulties after coming home.

1. Coming Home

This 70's movie, as the title might indicate, is all about the experience of a Vietnam war veteran returning home. The lead character of Luke, played by Jon Voigt, is now a paraplegic and has to battle with the difficulties of learning to have a romantic life in a body that no longer functions like it used to. Luke's affair with a hospital Volunteer named Sally (played by Jane Fonda) teaches him how to love again, in spite of her existing marriage.

Sally's marriage poses its own problems, as her husband is also a veteran contending with his own PTSD and war wounds. The film is notorious for being compassionate towards veterans and showing the very real difficulties that faced these men after returning home from Vietnam. Veterans today still struggle to gain recognition for the after-effects they have to deal with and access to benefits like VA home loans.

2. First Blood

Any Stallone fan should put a pause on Rocky for a moment and give this 80's war classic a watch. As John Rambo, Stallone lives out the fantasy of many veterans by joining a Viet Cong guerilla army and getting his revenge for all the disrespect and poor treatment he received as a Vietnam vet back in his hometown. While it's hardly an accurate depiction of the average veteran experience, it's often considered a cathartic fantasy about what could happen if a veteran is pushed a little too far.

3. Legends of the Fall

In this 90's Brad Pitt flick, a portrait is painted of three different veterans who handle their post-war traumas in very different ways. Set during World War 1, the movie depicts three brothers enlisting in the army. One is killed, one returns home to an eventual happy marriage and a successful career, and one travels the world trying to outrun his grief and PTSD. The message this movie seems to convey is that each man's reaction to the war was dictated by their innate characters and each was destined for the fate that awaited them.

4. Slaughterhouse-Five

Based on the Kurt Vonnegut novel by the same name, this 70's film depicts a World War II vet dealing with the time-warping effects of PTSD. Billy Pilgrim is constantly shifting between the present day, where he lives a peaceful suburban life as an optometrist and his horrific experience as a POW. But you also get glimpses of what is meant to be Billy's future, where he is a human Zoo occupant and exhibits on an alien planet. This film isn't for everyone, but it's a surreal take on what it's like to live in the constant dread and disassociation of PTSD.

5. The Men

If you're a fan of old classics, this 50's film starring Marlon Brando as a war vet might be your new favorite movie. Brando plays Ken, a man who has lost the use of his legs in the war and also seems to have lost his will to live through the experience. It's an uplifting film - you watch as his doctor and fiancee give him the encouragement and positivity he needs to fight for his life and successfully rehabilitate.

Whether you're a war vet looking for an accurate portrayal of your own experience or someone who just wants to better empathize with veterans, these films are a great place to start. Understanding what others have gone through makes a casual movie-goer into a better human being unawares.