In the 1990s, Hollywood war movies went back to covering all of history’s conflicts after a couple of decades of covering the Vietnam War. The war ended in 1975, but it was still fresh in the American consciousness throughout the ‘80s with movies like Full Metal Jacket and Platoon. The ‘90s is when the film industry moved on.
Throughout the ‘90s, Steven Spielberg directed a couple of the best World War II movies ever made, while some filmmakers were daring enough to tackle contemporary wars, like the Gulf War. So, here are the five best and five worst war movies from the ‘90s.
Best: Schindler’s List (1993)
Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List is one of cinema’s finest masterpieces, and a cultural landmark. It’s been criticized for focusing on the 1,200 Jews who were saved from concentration camps as opposed to the millions who were killed, but the movie doesn’t sanitize the horrors of the Holocaust.
Liam Neeson stars as Oskar Schindler, a businessman who began the war as a member of the Nazi Party and turned a blind eye to the Holocaust until he simply couldn’t anymore and decided to use his resources to save as many lives as he could. At the end, he’s not satisfied with how many lives he saved; he just laments the lives he didn’t save.
Worst: Dead Presidents (1995)
Spike Lee’s new Netflix movie Da 5 Bloods has shed a light on underrepresented Vietnam War veterans of color. The Hughes brothers’ Dead Presidents attempted to do the same in 1995, but it comes off as condescending, and it’s filled with negative stereotypes.
All the clichés from portrayals of Vietnam veterans, from drug use to casual civilian murder to a brazen attitude toward committing war crimes, are front and center here.
Best: Braveheart (1995)
It might play a little fast and loose with historical fact, but Mel Gibson’s Braveheart is a breathtaking action-packed epic. William Wallace and his band of Scottish rebels wage war against King Edward I in some of the most exciting battle sequences ever filmed.
In particular, the Battle of Stirling Bridge set piece stands out as one of cinema’s all-time greatest. Gibson does a fine job both in front of and behind the camera.
Worst: The Finest Hour (1991)
This movie was Pearl Harbor before there was Pearl Harbor. That is to say, it was a war movie about a banal love triangle. The horror of war is interesting enough; it doesn’t need to be embellished or livened up by a fictional romance.
Rob Lowe and Gale Hansen star in The Finest Hour as two Navy SEALs who become best friends in training before being torn apart by a girl. The war they fight in is just an engine to mend their broken friendship.
Best: The Thin Red Line (1998)
At nearly three hours long, The Thin Red Line isn’t an easy-going watch. But in the hands of contemplative arthouse writer-director Terrence Malick, it’s far more philosophical and thought-provoking than the average World War II epic.
And since A-listers jump at the chance to work with an auteur like Malick, the ensemble cast is filled with big names: George Clooney, Sean Penn, Woody Harrelson, Nick Nolte, John Travolta – the list goes on.
Worst: Legends Of The Fall (1994)
Set between World War I and the Prohibition era, cheese-fest Legends of the Fall tells the sensationalized story of a white soldier at the turn of the 20th century turning his back on the U.S. government due to its repeated betrayals of Native Americans.
For the most part, the movie coasts along on an early-career Brad Pitt’s irresistible charm. Who needs a riveting plot when they’ve got a hunk to swoon over for two hours?
Best: Three Kings (1999)
Set against the backdrop of Iraqi uprisings against Saddam Hussein’s rule during the Gulf War, Three Kings is a heist comedy with a trio of hilarious performances by its lead actors, George Clooney, Ice Cube, and Mark Wahlberg.
David O. Russell wrote and directed the movie from an initial idea conceived by John Ridley. Then-President Bill Clinton reportedly liked Three Kings so much that he organized a screening at the White House.
Worst: Air America (1990)
Mel Gibson and Robert Downey, Jr. star in Air America as two pilots working for the titular CIA-financed airline during the Vietnam War, transporting weapons into warzones. When they figure out that the government is smuggling drugs on their planes, they have to clear their names.
It was marketed as a lighthearted buddy comedy, but Air America has strong anti-war themes and specific critiques of high-profile generals. This clash of tones means it can’t be enjoyed for its comedy or its political message. Pick a lane.
Best: Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Although the premise of a whole team being sent to find one guy is totally implausible, Saving Private Ryan just might be the definitive cinematic portrait of combat in World War II, with gritty visuals and relatable characters.
Tom Hanks stars as a level-headed school teacher who’s been whisked away to fight in a global conflict he’s not prepared for. The opening D-Day sequence alone makes this a war movie classic.
Worst: Heaven & Earth (1993)
After helming two masterpieces about the Vietnam War, Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July, real-life Vietnam vet Oliver Stone returned to the subject matter once more to complete his spiritual trilogy about the conflict with a story from the Vietnamese perspective.
Although this setup is intriguing, providing an underrepresented side of the war with some much-needed representation, the movie itself is meandering and keeps its characters at an emotional distance.