Military Action backdrop

Military Action movies

Combat missions and tactical operations: assaults, rescues, sieges, and coordinated teamwork under fire.

Sniper: Reloaded

1. Sniper: Reloaded

War Action Thriller Drama Modern Conflicts
5.4
20111h 31min

Overview

Marine Sgt. Brandon Beckett, son of the U.S. Marine Corps' deadliest sniper, Thomas Beckett, must turn to his father's former protégé (Billy Zane) to track down and kill a mysterious sniper before he kills his next target.

Themes

Mentorship under pressure, Deception and coverups, Loyalties under conflict, Duty versus vengeance, Arms dealing conspiracy, Casualties of war

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Battle: Los Angeles

2. Battle: Los Angeles

Science Fiction Action Alien Invasion Sci-Fi Military Action
5.7
20111h 56min

Overview

When once distant UFOs become a terrifying threat and an alien invasion force begins attacking Earths major costal and riverside cities, a U.S Marine staff sergeant and his team are sent into battle only to find they must take it upon themselves to defeat an unknown enemy and protect what remains of Los Angeles.

Themes

Leadership under fire, Duty under threat, Resilience through loss, Civilian evacuation under pressure, Urban warfare dynamics, Water as fuel

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

King of Devil's Island

3. King of Devil's Island

Drama Action Historical Drama Military Action
7.4
20101h 57min

Overview

Norwegian winter, 1915. On the island Bastøy, outside Oslo, a group of young boys aged 11 to 18, are held in an institution for delinquent youth, notorious for its sadistic regime. One day a new boy, Erling, arrives, determined to escape from the island. After a tragic incident, he ends up leading the boys in a violent uprising. When the boys manage to take over the island, 150 soldiers are sent in to restore order.

Themes

Class inequality, Abuse of power, Collective resilience, Youth revolt, Institutional brutality, Punishment and control

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Viaplay Amazon Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Elite Squad: The Enemy Within

4. Elite Squad: The Enemy Within

Drama Action Crime Organized Crime Military Action
8.0
20101h 55min

Overview

After a bloody invasion of the BOPE in the High-Security Penitentiary Bangu 1 in Rio de Janeiro to control a rebellion of interns, the Lieutenant-Colonel Roberto Nascimento and the second in command Captain André Matias are accused by the Human Right Aids member Diogo Fraga of execution of prisoners. Matias is transferred to the corrupted Military Police and Nascimento is exonerated from the BOPE by the Governor.

Themes

Police corruption, Investigative journalism, Institutional complicity, Militia power, Political machine, State capture

Available on

Fandango at Home Free
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Overview

A group of cold-blooded killers find themselves trapped on an alien planet to be hunted by extraterrestrial Predators.

Themes

Perpetual hunt dynamics, Predator hierarchy tension, Group cohesion under threat, Alien environment hostility, Predator blood feud, Abduction across worlds

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Hulu
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The A-Team

6. The A-Team

Action Comedy Crime Military Action Parody
6.7
20101h 57min

Overview

A man who loves when a plan comes together, Col. Hannibal Smith leads a close-knit team of elite operatives and Iraq War veterans. Framed for a crime they didn't commit, Smith and his men, Capt. H.M. ‘Howling Mad’ Murdock , Sgt. Bosco ‘B.A.’ Baracus, and Lt. Templeton ‘Faceman’ Peck, break out and go rogue, using their special talents to clear their names and find the perpetrator. Hot on their trail is Capt. Charissa Sosa, who was once involved with a member of Smith's team and has sworn to capture them, no matter what it takes.

Themes

Deception and betrayal, Loyalty under pressure, Authority vs autonomy, Framed by authorities, Teamwork under duress, Private power interests

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Green Zone

7. Green Zone

War Action Adventure Drama Thriller
6.8
20101h 55min

Overview

During the U.S.-led occupation of Baghdad in 2003, Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller and his team of Army inspectors are dispatched to find weapons of mass destruction believed to be stockpiled in the Iraqi desert. Rocketing from one booby-trapped and treacherous site to the next, the men search for deadly chemical agents but stumble instead upon an elaborate cover-up that threatens to invert the purpose of their mission.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Media scrutiny, Intel manipulation, Institutional deception, Bureaucratic cover up, Accountability in war

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Little Big Soldier

8. Little Big Soldier

Action Comedy Adventure Military Action Parody
6.8
20101h 36min

Overview

The story of a farmer forced into conscription, who has been looking to get out of the army ever since. His great chance arrives when he stumbles upon a wounded general from an enemy state, and he kidnaps him, intending to claim credit for the capture, which includes five acres of land, and most importantly, honorable discharge from the army.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Deception and alliance, Duty versus freedom, Survival through coercion, Power struggles and throne, Loss of homeland

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Max Manus: Man of War

9. Max Manus: Man of War

History War Action Crime Biographical History
7.3
20081h 58min

Overview

Max Manus is a Norwegian 2008 biographic war film based on the real events of the life of resistance fighter Max Manus (1914–96), after his contribution in the Winter War against the Soviet Union. The story follows Manus through the outbreak of World War II in Norway until peacetime in 1945.

Themes

Resistance under occupation, Deception and propaganda, Clandestine networks, Survival guilt, Collective sacrifice, Idealism vs pragmatism, Moral ambiguity under war

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Red Cliff

10. Red Cliff

Adventure Drama History Action War
7.3
20082h 25min

Overview

In 208 A.D., in the final days of the Han Dynasty, shrewd Prime Minster Cao convinced the fickle Emperor Han the only way to unite all of China was to declare war on the kingdoms of Xu in the west and East Wu in the south. Thus began a military campaign of unprecedented scale. Left with no other hope for survival, the kingdoms of Xu and East Wu formed an unlikely alliance.

Themes

Deception and loyalty, Leadership under pressure, Alliance politics, Strategic maneuvering, Battlefield improvisation, Naval warfare tactics

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.