Content Warning: This article contains discussions of trauma and violence.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Saving Private Ryan redefined war movies. Gone was the gung-ho patriotism of previous Second World War cinematic outings from Hollywood down the years, with director Steven Spielberg presenting an unflinching portrait of the relentless and dangerously unpredictable conflict.
From the moment Tom Hanks’s Captain John H. Miller stepped off the boat onto Omaha Beach, Spielberg never shied away from depicting the unfolding chaos that must have greeted those soldiers.
A brilliantly realized war film, Saving Private Ryan served as both a thrilling depiction of the conflict and, fundamentally, an anti-war movie that stripped away the bravado and false promises of glory. A critical and commercial smash, it has never been bettered on the big screen, but television has proven a worthy canvas for similarly realistic portraits of war. Some preceded Spielberg’s film while many followed it.
The Liberator
This underrated miniseries (created by Die Hard screenwriter Jeb Stuart) arrived on Netflix back in November 2020 but is well worth seeking out. It follows the exploits of the 157th Infantry Regiment, led by US Army Officer Felix Sparks, as they embark on a brutal 500-day journey through Nazi-occupied Europe.
Based on real-life events, the series is distinctive for its striking CGI animation and vivid depiction of the conflict’s most grueling battles as well as the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp.
Boardwalk Empire
Boardwalk Empire might not be a war drama in the strictest sense, but it serves as a brilliant portrait of the harrowing impact and aftermath of the First World War. Much of that rests on the shoulders of Michael Pitt’s Jimmy Darmody, a young man who escapes a troubled home life by enlisting in the fight on the Western Front.
After returning from war, the viewers see that Jimmy's experiences in the trenches have left him with life-changing injuries and trauma. The show also explores the effects war has on several of the other soldiers and individuals who fought on the frontlines.
The Company
Based on the best-selling Robert Littell novel, this three-part miniseries from Black Hawk Down writer Kevin Nolan chronicles the exploits of three Yale graduates as they embark on careers within their respective countries’ secret service.
Spanning 40 years of Cold War conflict and everything from the Bay of Pigs and the collapse of the USSR, The Company is a realistically taut spy thriller, tracking the true inner workings of these covert agencies. Proceedings are bolstered further by an impressive cast, including Chris O’Donnell, Alfred Molina, and Michael Keaton, with the latter on scene-stealing form as real-life CIA chief James Jesus Angleton.
Babylon Berlin
Ostensibly a neo-noir set in 1920s post-war Germany, Babylon Berlin offers a fresh perspective on the fallout from the First World War, told from the viewpoint of police inspector and central protagonist, Gereon Rath (Volker Bruch).
Drafted in to deal with an extortion ring, Rath and police clerk, Charlotte Ritter (Liv Lisa Fries), uncover a web of corruption, social unrest, and deceit set against the unstable backdrop of the Weimar Republic. An authentic and vividly realized period drama, Babylon Berlin is a fresh and inventive take on the crime genre.
Generation Kill
HBO gave the Iraq War the Band of Brothers treatment with this powerful miniseries from the team behind The Wire. It’s a stark, searing take on the conflict, chronicling the experiences of a reporter embedded in a Marine unit during the first few weeks of the war.
Writer David Simon and Ed Burns have always favored realism over the narrative cues associated with traditional storytelling and that’s no different here with Generation Kill, proving it to be an intelligent (if slightly chaotic) watch. That’s intentional and once viewers pick up the key details of the unfolding action, it’s an enthralling watch.
Tour of Duty
Coming hot on the heels of Oliver Stone’s Platoon, Tour of Duty offered up a similarly unflinching look at the Vietnam War. For three seasons, it followed the exploits of an infantry platoon on a tour of duty and was one of the first shows to portray the conflict in a negative light.
Battles were fought against the Viet Cong and also within the platoon’s ranks, while the protagonists faced social disapproval and their own mortality on a regular basis. Ahead of its time in showcasing the experience of the troops, Tour of Duty remains a diamond in the rough.
Das Boot
This follow-up to Das Boot may not capture the same level of psychological tension as Wolfgang Petersen’s classic film, but it remains a worthy successor. Based on Lothar-Günther Buchheim’s books, Das Boot, and the sequel Die Festung, the series is notable for splitting the storyline into two distinctive narratives, with one based around the crew of a German U-boat and the other focusing on the French Resistance.
Boasting brilliant period detail and a steady narrative pace, while the submarine warfare remains authentically cramped and gritty, the action on land adds a new depth to what is an impressive ensemble drama.
Catch-22
Joseph Heller’s novel had long been deemed virtually unfilmable due to its distinctive non-chronological narrative structure. Mike Nichols made a decent fist of it with a 1970 movie but it was Luke Davies and David Michôd who struck gold with this richly realized TV miniseries.
Rising star Christopher Abbot stars as anti-hero Captain John Yossarian, a US Army Air Forces B-25 Bombardier doing the bare minimum to get through the Second World War. A beautiful reminder of the futility of war, Catch-22 boasts an impressive supporting cast, including George Clooney, who also served as executive producer and directed several episodes.
The Pacific
Nearly a decade on from Band of Brothers, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks revisited the Second World War as executive producers on another big-budget HBO miniseries. The Pacific may lack the same narrative cohesiveness but it remains a powerful and, often, difficult watch, chronicling the lesser-known battles of the Pacific and the horrors that unfolded at places like Guadalcanal.
Based on the memoirs of US marines Eugene Sledge and Robert Leckie, this bleakly brilliant series features powerhouse performances from James Badge Dale, Jon Seda, and Jurassic Park’s Joseph Mazzello, as well as an early breakout role for Rami Malek.
Band of Brothers
Band of Brothers was one of the first TV shows to possess cinematic sensibilities, setting the blueprint for the likes of True Detective. Like Saving Private Ryan, it also pulled off that same balancing act of serving as a showcase of the heroism and horrors of war.
An incredible cast led by Damien Lewis and Ron Livingston, along with a glut of rising stars, brought the exploits of “Easy” Company to life, from training through to the end of the conflict. Blending contemporary interviews with the real-life survivors alongside visually astonishing drama, Band of Brothers set a new benchmark for TV drama.