Vietnam War backdrop

Vietnam War movies

Guerrilla warfare and moral ambiguity, with broken leadership, unclear objectives, and lasting trauma.

The Greatest Beer Run Ever

1. The Greatest Beer Run Ever

Drama Comedy War Family Drama Vietnam War
6.8
20222h 7min

Overview

Chickie wants to support his friends fighting in Vietnam, so he does something wild—personally bring them American beer. What starts as a well-meaning journey quickly changes Chickie's life and perspective.

Themes

Collective risk and solidarity, Media coverage and interpretation, Warfront empathy and detachment, Duty and friendship under fire, Trauma and worldview shift, Homecoming redefines purpose

Available on

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

Da 5 Bloods

2. Da 5 Bloods

War Drama Vietnam War Political Drama
6.5
20202h 35min

Overview

Four African-American Vietnam veterans return to Vietnam. They are in search of the remains of their fallen squad leader and the promise of buried treasure. These heroes battle forces of humanity and nature while confronted by the lasting ravages of the immorality of the Vietnam War.

Themes

War trauma, Ptsd effects, Gold pursuit, Land mine danger, Vietnam veteran memory, Vietnam war legacy

Available on

Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Last Full Measure

3. The Last Full Measure

Drama Action War Vietnam War Historical Drama
6.8
20201h 50min

Overview

The incredible true story of Vietnam War hero William H. Pitsenbarger, a U.S. Air Force Pararescuemen medic who personally saved over sixty men. Thirty-two years later, Pentagon staffer Scott Huffman investigates a Congressional Medal of Honor request for Pitsenbarger and uncovers a high-level conspiracy behind the decades-long denial of the medal, prompting Huffman to put his own career on the line to seek justice for the fallen airman.

Themes

Duty under fire, Based on true story, True story grounding, Vietnam war context, Valor and sacrifice, Political infighting

Available on

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

Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan

4. Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan

War Action Drama History Vietnam War
6.8
20191h 59min

Overview

Vietnam War, 1966. Australia and New Zealand send troops to support the United States and South Vietnamese in their fight against the communist North. Soldiers are very young men, recruits and volunteers who have never been involved in a combat. On August 18th, members of Delta Company will face the true horror of a ruthless battle among the trees of a rubber plantation called Long Tân. They are barely a hundred. The enemy is a human wave ready to destroy them.

Themes

Outnumbered defense under strain, War context endurance under pressure, Brotherhood forged in conflict, Youthful recruits exposed, Monsoon conditions shape tactics, Relief and withdrawal dynamics

Available on

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

First They Killed My Father

5. First They Killed My Father

War Drama History Vietnam War Historical Drama
7.2
20172h 16min

Overview

A 5-year-old girl embarks on a harrowing quest for survival amid the sudden rise and terrifying reign of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.

Themes

Forced labor systems, Displacement and trauma, Childhood under war, Survival under repression, Propaganda and indoctrination, Family fragmentation and resilience, Memory of genocide

Available on

Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Tropic Thunder

6. Tropic Thunder

Action Comedy Adventure War Parody
7.1
20081h 47min

Overview

A group of self-absorbed actors set out to make the most expensive war film ever. After ballooning costs force the studio to cancel the movie, the frustrated director refuses to stop shooting, leading his cast into the jungles of Southeast Asia, where they encounter real bad guys.

Themes

Group dynamics under stress, Fame pressure, Ego vs craft, Land mine risk, Deception under production

Available on

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

Rescue Dawn

7. Rescue Dawn

Adventure Drama War Survival Adventure Vietnam War
7.3
20072h 5min

Overview

In a war where surrender means propaganda or death, a downed US fighter pilot refuses to denounce his country and lands in a brutal jungle prison camp. Starving, tortured, and marked for execution, he joins a desperate escape plan that turns the Laotian wilderness into his only shot at survival.

Themes

Survival under captivity, Group cohesion under stress, Hunger and harsh conditions, Emergency rescue and isolation, Torture and resilience, Escape planning under pressure

Available on

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

Pan's Labyrinth

8. Pan's Labyrinth

Fantasy Drama War Dark Fantasy Tragic Drama
8.2
20061h 58min

Overview

In post–civil war Spain, 10-year-old Ofelia moves with her pregnant mother to live under the control of her cruel stepfather. Drawn into a mysterious labyrinth, she meets a faun who reveals that she may be a lost princess from an underground kingdom. To return to her true father, she must complete a series of surreal and perilous tasks that blur the line between reality and fantasy.

Themes

Illusion vs reality, Postwar oppression, Childhood under siege, Resistance under regime, Fantasy as escape, Moral courage under coercion

Available on

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

We Were Soldiers

9. We Were Soldiers

Action History War Vietnam War Military Action
7.2
20022h 18min

Overview

The story of the first major battle of the American phase of the Vietnam War and the soldiers on both sides that fought it.

Themes

Duty on battlefield, Death toll awareness, Comradeship amid combat, Carpet bombing impact, Epic battle endurance, Military discipline under threat

Available on

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

Tigerland

10. Tigerland

Drama War Coming-of-Age Drama Vietnam War
6.9
20001h 41min

Overview

A group of recruits go through Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Polk, Louisiana's infamous Tigerland, last stop before Vietnam for tens of thousands of young men in 1971.

Themes

Group cohesion under stress, Conscription under pressure, Authority vs dissent, Racial tension within units, Escape and punishment dynamics, Leadership under adversity

Available on

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