Over its years as a streaming service, Netflix has amassed a catalog of great movies across basically every conceivable genre. No matter what you’re looking for, you can probably find a handful of good titles on the service.
That’s especially true of war movies. If you’re looking for the best war movies available on the service, we’ve got you covered. These are the five war movies that you should absolutely start with if you’re looking for one to watch on Netflix this fall.
We also have guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
A World War I film that tells its story from the German perspective, All Quiet on the Western Front is a bracing anti-war film that also contains plenty of grotesque beauty. The film tells the story of a young boy eager to volunteer for the war upon graduating from high school who very quickly realizes exactly how horrific and mundane war can be.
As he travels from horror to horror, and begins to comprehend the propaganda he was sold, we realize all the ways in which war and its glory are, at their heart, lies told by the powerful men who don’t have to fight in them.
You can watch All Quiet on the Western Front on Netflix.
Troy (2004)
The war film on this list set during the most ancient of wars, Troy tells the mythic story of first told in The Iliad over the war between the kingdoms of Troy and Sparta.
Featuring epic battle sequences, a cast stacked with great actors in parts small and large, and Brad Pitt at his most beautiful, Troy isn’t the smartest movie on this list, but it is epic nonetheless. The movie’s scale helped it to become an unquestioned box office smash at the time, and it’s still an incredibly fun watch all these years later.
You can watch Troy on Netflix.
1917 (2019)
A harrowing, brilliant exploration of the perpetual nightmare of war, 1917 tells the story of a pair of young soldiers who are given the unenviable task of passing through enemy territory to let a garrison of British soldiers know that they are walking into a trap.
Set during the waning days of World War I, the film is also shot as if it’s a single take, which does not mean that the movie doesn’t also contain plenty of beauty. Featuring a great central performance from The Beast actor George MacKay, 1917 doesn’t really slow down for very long, but it will keep you riveted from the moment it starts.
You can watch 1917 on Netflix.
Da 5 Bloods (2020)
Spike Lee’s story of race and the Vietnam War is actually set almost entirely in the present day, but has fascinating echoes of the conflict that defines the veterans at its center. The film tells the story of a group of Black Vietnam veterans who decide to return to the country decades later to recover the gold they found and buried there when they were soldiers.
Featuring excellent performances from its veteran actors, as well as conflicts rooted in that war that are difficult to pin down, Da 5 Bloods is as knotty and fascinating as every great Spike Lee film somehow manages to be.
You can watch Da 5 Bloods on Netflix.
Beasts of No Nation (2015)
Telling the story of a child soldier being forced to fight in a civil war in Africa, Beasts of No Nation is a difficult but bracing piece of filmmaking. Featuring a commanding performance from Idris Elba, some virtuosic direction, and an excellent child performance from an unknown actor, the movie justifiably earned plenty of acclaim and awards buzz upon its release.
Notably, Beasts of No Nation was also one of the first Netflix original films to receive that kind of acclaim, helping to prove that the upstart streamer was capable of making very real, very serious films.
You can watch Beasts of No Nation on Netflix.
