As we pause as a nation to celebrate Memorial Day, it’s important to remember the men and women who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. This curated list features movies that honor American heroes. From the real-life story in HACKSAW RIDGE to the patriotic themes in TOP GUN: MAVERICK, watching these films would be a fantastic way to mark Memorial Day. Some of the recent movies listed contain strong subject matter, so caution or even extreme caution is warranted, even for older teenagers and adults.
Top 10 Movies to Watch in Honor of Memorial Day
SERGEANT YORK
SERGEANT YORK stars Gary Cooper as Alvin York, a good-hearted, but hard drinking farmer in the Tennessee hills. His claim to fame is his astounding marksmanship. On his way to kill someone who cheated him, lightning knocks him off his horse and…
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THE GREAT ESCAPE
Led by Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough and James Garner, THE GREAT ESCAPE follows Allied inmates during World War II trying to escape from a new POW camp run by evil German National Socialist soldiers. Inspired by a true story, the Nazis keep…
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TOP GUN: MAVERICK
TOP GUN: MAVERICK is a sequel to the popular 1986 hit starring Tom Cruise. Cruise plays Pete “Maverick” Mitchell who after 30 years as a fighter pilot is now a test pilot. After he crashes a supersonic jet, Maverick is sent to…
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GETTYSBURG
Ron Maxwell's epic film GETTYSBURG, based on Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel THE KILLER ANGELS, dramatically depicts the three most courageous days in American history when North and South were arrayed against each other in the decisive battle fought on the Gettysburg,…
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THE SIX TRIPLE EIGHT
THE SIX TRIPLE EIGHT, Tyler Perry’s war drama, is about the only U.S. Black Women’s Auxiliary Battalion to serve on foreign soil during World War II. Lena Derriecott is a grieving young black woman who loses her young Jewish boyfriend in the…
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YANKEE DOODLE DANDY
YANKEE DOODLE DANDY stars James Cagney in one of his signature roles as George M. Cohan, the patriotic musical playwright of the first half of the 20th Century. George loved America and his family, a beloved group of performers known as the…
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HACKSAW RIDGE
HACKSAW RIDGE is a great, powerful, emotive Christian war movie. Andrew Garfield stars as Desmond Doss. Desmond’s father is an abusive alcoholic because of the terrible things he experienced during World War I. When World War II breaks out, Desmond and his…
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JOHNNY TREMAIN
JOHNNY TREMAIN is a classic Walt Disney historical drama. It’s a young, brash, self-involved silversmith’s apprentice who learns to put principle above self-interest, and value his fellow countrymen and their liberty over his own safety during the Revolutionary War. Johnny Tremain is…
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