10 Greatest Vietnam War Movie Masterpieces, Ranked
From 1955 to 1975, the Vietnam War raged across Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. All war is a tragic waste of life, but this conflict in particular is among the most widely unpopular of the entire 20th century. As such, a variety of exceptional films critical of the war came out both during the conflict and years after its conclusion. More raw, gritty, and strongly anti-war than the genre had ever been before, these films have gone down in history as some of the best war movies of all time.
Several masterpieces were made about the people, both on the inside of the Vietnam War and the civilians who were affected by it. Coming from not only Hollywood but the rest of the world as well (including Vietnam itself), these masterpieces are proof of just how historically important and groundbreaking Vietnam War cinema still is.
10
‘Casualties of War’ (1989)
Despite the praise that so many Vietnam War films get, there are still some that are pretty underappreciated, and that includes Brian De Palma‘s Casualties of War. Based on a true story that saw the Vietnamese woman Pan Thi Mao kidnapped, raped, and murdered by American soldiers, it’s one of the countless films that are strongly critical of the United States’ involvement in the war.
Casualties of War stars Michael J. Fox, Sean Penn, and Thuy Thu Le, all of whom deliver strikingly powerful performances.
It’s a grim, brutal, absolutely gut-wrenching watch, so it’s definitely not for everyone, but it’s still one of the most perfect Vietnam War movies ever, making it a must-see. It stars Michael J. Fox, Sean Penn, and Thuy Thu Le, all of whom deliver strikingly powerful performances, enough to elevate De Palma’s mature direction into a final product that’s rage-inducing but also awfully thought-provoking.
9
‘Born on the Fourth of July’ (1989)
Oliver Stone‘s Vietnam War trilogy is one of the greatest thematic movie trilogies of its time. Its middle outing is Born on the Fourth of July, which stars Tom Cruise as the anti-war activist Ron Kovic, on whose 1976 autobiography the movie is based. After being stuck in development hell for 13 years, Stone finally released a film that’s since never been remembered as anything less than one of the most potent anti-war movies of the ’80s.
Cruise’s performance is admirably transformational and emotionally stirring, but that’s not the only thing that Born on the Fourth of July has going for it. There’s also John Williams‘ unforgettable score, Stone’s emotionally draining yet undeniably magnificent direction, and—of course—the engrossing way in which the movie critiques the American military complex and the way it has plagued every generation of Americans since its inception.
8
‘The Little Girl of Hanoi’ (1974)
It’s usually Vietnam War movies made in Hollywood about distinctly American stories that get the most recognition, praise, and mainstream coverage. Sadly, masterpieces like the North Vietnamese drama The Little Girl of Hanoi, about the civilians who suffered the carnage of the war directly, are forgotten. The story follows a young Vietnamese girl who must find her lost family after an American bombing campaign destroys her city.
Many anti-war movies explore the loss of childlike innocence through military conflict, but few as powerfully as The Little Girl of Hanoi. The fact that the movie isn’t better-known or more widely praised is a crime, but not an unfixable one. Available to watch in its entirety on YouTube, this gem is politically sharp, visually haunting, and absolutely devastating. It’s essential viewing for all those exploring the world of Vietnam War cinema.
7
‘The Deer Hunter’ (1978)
The winner of five Academy Awards (including Best Picture), Michael Cimino‘s The Deer Hunter is one of the most nearly-perfect drama movies of the ’70s, perhaps the greatest decade for American cinema in history. The way Russian roulette comes into play in the movie’s plot is one of its best-remembered visuals, serving as a perfect symbol for the irrationality, chaos, and dirty violence of the Vietnam War—and war in general.
Its three-hour runtime may be daunting, but there isn’t a single minute in The Deer Hunter that isn’t suspenseful, emotionally riveting, or artistically beautiful. Often, it’s all of those things at the same time. Epic, incredibly well-acted, and full of meaningful thematic depth, it’s a psychologically complex masterpiece that captures the aftermath of war more effectively than the vast majority of other movies in this genre.
6
‘When the Tenth Month Comes’ (1984)
Yet another Vietnamese masterpiece that’s sadly overshadowed by Hollywood’s films about the conflict—a good majority of them inferior in every way—, When the Tenth Month Comes was the first Vietnamese film to be shown in the West after the War. It’s about Duyen, a woman who faces a daily struggle to care for her young son and her weakened father-in-law while she keeps her husband’s death during the war secret.
Shot in haunting black-and-white to really capture the suffocating nature of the war and the atmosphere of fear it created, When the Tenth Month Comes is a deeply poignant and beautifully human love letter to life itself. Available in its entirety on YouTube, this undersung triumph is a crucial piece of film history that deserves to be watched and talked about by far more people nowadays.
5
‘Forrest Gump’ (1994)
The all-American classic Forrest Gump, based on Winston Groom‘s 1986 novel of the same name, is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential Hollywood masterpieces of the ’90s. The winner of six Oscars (including Best Picture), it has aged wonderfully as one of the most timeless drama movies of all time, largely thanks to Tom Hanks‘ larger-than-life leading turn as the titular character.
The film isn’t purely about the Vietnam War. Rather, it’s an expansive and genre-juggling gem that, much like its main character, refuses to allow itself to be neatly placed in a box. It’s a rom-com, a character drama, a sports movie, a historical period piece, and—yes—a powerful portrait of the Vietnam War that focuses on the tremendous human loss and tragedy that it provoked. The film’s attempts at being apolitical have lent themselves to criticism as the years have passed, but in the end, it’s still one of the most iconic Vietnam War movies of all time for a reason.
4
‘Bullet in the Head’ (1990)
John Woo is one of Hong Kong’s most legendary filmmakers, mainly known for his invention of the gun fu genre and the way he’s revolutionized action cinema as a whole. Bullet in the Head is no traditional John Woo film, however. It’s an action flick, that’s for sure, but one that follows three friends who escape from Hong Kong to wartime Saigon to start a criminal life.
It’s one of the greatest Vietnam War epics ever made, full of marvelous performances and signature Woo-isms. The action sequences are impeccably made and incredibly engaging, as one would expect from virtually any action scene directed by Woo. But what really makes the movie special is how emotionally stirring it is, with an anti-war message that’s surprisingly effective.
Stanley Kubrick, recognized by many as the single greatest filmmaker that’s ever lived, was an auteur who loved to dip his toes into many different genres. But if there was one that he seemed to enjoy returning to time and time again, it was the war genre. His final war film was also his penultimate film: Full Metal Jacket, one of the most acclaimed and widely studied war movies of the 20th century.
Packed with exceptional performances, two halves that feel immensely distinct and are made all the more powerful because of it, and one of the best endings of any war movie ever, Full Metal Jacket is an undeniable masterpiece. It’s perhaps the best film ever made about the dehumanizing effects of war, directed and co-written by a master at the very top of his craft.
2
‘Platoon’ (1986)
The first installment in Oliver Stone’s Vietnam War trilogy remains not just the best of the bunch, but arguably the director’s magnum opus as well—and, of course, one of the greatest war films ever made. Platoon won four Academy Awards (including Best Picture), and it deserved to win more. Bolstered by one of the greatest cast ensembles ever assembled for a war movie, it’s one of the best war movies with great acting.
The performances aren’t the only thing that Platoon has going for it, though. It’s a masterpiece through and through, largely based on Stone’s experiences from the war. This hugely intimate scope gives Platoon an emotional vulnerability that not many war films, and certainly not many Vietnam War films, ever share. It’s a harrowing, thought-provoking, awfully visceral example of the heights that the genre is capable of achieving.
1
‘Apocalypse Now’ (1979)
When it comes to talking about Vietnam War movies, there’s never really any competition for first place. The title has to go to what may just be the greatest war film of all time, period: Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, one of the best epics in movie history. Loosely inspired by the 1899 novella Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, it’s a nightmarish, artful, and visually striking boat ride down the River Styx right into the bowels of Hell itself.
The movie had one of the most notoriously difficult production processes of any film in history, but thankfully, the result was an unparalleled masterpiece that has aged flawlessly. Depicting war as hell should be the ultimate goal of all anti-war cinema — and frankly, being anti-war should be the goal of all war cinema — and no film succeeds at conveying that feeling better than Apocalypse Now. It’s the greatest Vietnam War masterpiece ever made, and it’s not even particularly close.
