Memorial Day is more than just the unofficial start to summer. It serves as a day of remembrance for those brave soldiers who died serving in the United States military. These courageous individuals loved their country so much that they were willing to sacrifice their lives for it.
War movies can never truly capture what it’s like to serve in the U.S. military. However, there are several must-see movies on Netflix that do an admirable job depicting the casualties of war along with the trauma that many soldiers live with after leaving the battlefield. In honor of Memorial Day, my top war movie streaming on Netflix in the U.S. depicts the story of a fearless soldier who refused to pick up a gun. My other choices include a treasure hunt involving Vietnam War veterans and an unbelievable true story of an Olympic athlete turned hero.
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Camp X-Ray
Some of Kristen Stewart’s finest work
My first introduction to Kristen Stewart came in David Fincher’s Panic Room, where she played Jodie Foster’s diabetic daughter. Stewart clearly had talent from a young age, though the Twilight movies didn’t always showcase her full range. I believe one of Stewart’s best performances came right after the last Twilight movie in the little-seen Camp X-Ray.
Eight years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, Army Private First Class Amy Cole (Stewart) becomes a guard at Guantánamo Bay. As a woman, Cole faces significant hardships from her superior officers, as they make unwanted advances to her. The only solace she finds is through an unlikely friendship with one of the detainees, Ali Amir (Payman Maadi). I’ve seen so many combat movies that they have become quite repetitive. A character examination of a conflicted soldier’s bond with a detainee is something I responded to emotionally.
Camp X-Ray
- Release Date
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October 17, 2014
- Runtime
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117 minutes
- Director
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Peter Sattler
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Glory
Denzel Washington’s first Oscar moment
Considering he’s been a leading man throughout my entire life, it’s a little strange seeing Denzel Washington in a supporting role. Unsurprisingly, Washington, one of the top actors of his generation, steals the show in Glory, a performance that earned him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Edward Zwick’s Glory is based on the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, one of the Union Army’s first Black regiments during the Civil War.
- Connective Technology
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Bluetooth, HDMI, Optical, Wi-Fi
- Storage
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4GB
Captain Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick), a white man, becomes the commander of the 54th, which includes Sergeant Major John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman) and Private Trip (Washington). Visually, Glory is marvelous to watch thanks to its Oscar-winning cinematography. It’s also one of the best Civil War movies. But I’ll be honest — Washington’s exceptional performance is the film’s defining legacy.
Glory leaves Netflix on June 1.
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Unbroken
Don’t give up
Look up the definition of a hero in the dictionary, and you’d probably find a picture of Louie Zamperini. After training as a distance runner during his youth, Zamperini (Jack O’Connell) competed for Team USA at the 1936 Olympics. During World War II, Louie was serving as a bombardier in the U.S. Army Air Forces when his plane crashed into the ocean, forcing him and two other survivors to drift at sea in a life raft. Somehow, Louie survived 47 days at sea before being captured and taken prisoner by Japanese forces.
That’s only half of the story in Unbroken, as Louie faces significant hardships from a Japanese corporal (Miyavi) intent on breaking his will. My brief synopsis doesn’t do Louie’s extraordinary life justice. If you like the movie, go read Laura Hillenbrand’s book — Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption — for the complete story. Prepare to be inspired.
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Da 5 Bloods
Spike Lee tackles the Vietnam War
“Ambitious” is the word I always use when describing Spike Lee’s movies. The Oscar-winning filmmaker always brings a signature style and ambition that make his stories so unique. In 2020, Lee examined the Vietnam War through the eyes of Black soldiers in Da 5 Bloods. In the present day, Paul (Delroy Lindo), Otis (Clarke Peters), Eddie (Norm Lewis), and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock Jr.) plan a return to Vietnam to find the body of their former squad leader (Chadwick Boseman) and the gold bars they buried.
The ensuing treasure hunt becomes an emotional journey about PTSD, trauma, and the hardships faced by many Black soldiers. How Delroy Lindo didn’t receive an Oscar nomination for Da 5 Bloods is a travesty. Thankfully, the Academy corrected their mistake by nominating Lindo for Sinners.
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Hacksaw Ridge
True bravery from Desmond Doss
“Conscientious objector” is a term I first learned about while watching Hacksaw Ridge. The true story stars Andrew Garfield as Private Desmond Doss, a young man who enlists in the U.S. Army following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Yet Desmond’s journey to the battlefield is one he took without a gun. Desmond abides by two rules: He refuses to carry a rifle, and he won’t train on Sundays.
This doesn’t sit well with Desmond’s comrades or superiors, who try to get him discharged from the Army. Yet Desmond’s resilience eventually wins the respect of his fellow soldiers, and he becomes a medic. It’s in the Pacific theater where Desmond becomes a hero, saving 75 men during the Battle of Okinawa. Desmond’s story still blows my mind. Here’s a man who willingly ran into battle without a gun to protect himself. That’s true bravery.
More Netflix movies and TV shows to stream
If you’re still looking for more content over the holiday weekend, Netflix has plenty of movies and TV shows to watch. Ladies First is a new comedy starring Sacha Baron Cohen and Rosamund Pike that should provide some serious laughs. For television, try His & Hers or Missing You for a miniseries you can finish in one sitting.
- Subscription with ads
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Yes, $8/month
- Simultaneous streams
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Two or four