War movies are, by definition, not usually the lightest fare. If you’re looking to dig into something riveting on Thanksgiving, though, and think something about war might be the kind of seriousness that you’re looking for, then we’ve got you covered.
We’ve pulled together five war movies that are perfect to watch on Thanksgiving, and they cover a wide array of different tones. War is a multi-faceted thing, and these movies represent all the ways it can manifest itself.
Need more Thanksgiving recommendations? Then try 10 great movies to watch on Thanksgiving, the 5 great Netflix thrillers to watch on Thanksgiving, the 10 great Amazon Prime Video movies to watch on Thanksgiving, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2024: all confirmed performers.
Blitz (2024)
The most recent entry on this list, Blitz tells the story of a mother living in London during Germany’s air raids on London. After a particularly close call, she decides to send her young son to the countryside, but he escapes from the train and attempts to make his way back to her.
A fascinating look at how racial prejudice survived amid harrowing circumstances, Blitz features an incredible central performance from Saoirse Ronan and a harrowing reminder of how much of London was devastated during the blitz.
You can watch Blitz on Apple TV+.
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (2016)
One of the only war movies that’s also explicitly about Thanksgiving, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk tells the story of a young soldier who comes home a war hero after winning a battle in Iraq. As he is honored during halftime of a Thanksgiving Day football game, we get flashbacks to what actually happened in Iraq that reveal the stark contrast between the realities of war and the way it is sanitized to be palatable for Americans at home.
Directed by Ang Lee and starring a young Joe Alwyn, this movie is better than its tepid reputation, and well worth exploring if you want a movie that reminds us what it means to honor the troops.
You can watch Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk on Pluto TV.
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Most war movies are serious and respectful, and there’s undoubtedly a reason for that. Sometimes, though, you want to watch something that’s wild and fun, even as it also courses with the tension and fear that defined World War II. Inglourious Basterds tells the entirely fabricated story of a group of American Jews who formed a special unit designed to hunt and take down Nazis.
The basterds at the movie’s center are fighting for revenge, and it’s this very revenge fantasy that Kill Bill director Quentin Tarantino seems so eager to engage in. Featuring two great central performances from Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz (who won the first of his two Oscars for this film), the movie remains one of the director’s best and is oddly ideal to watch over the Thanksgiving break.
You can watch Inglourious Basterds on Paramount+.
Glory (1989)
Denzel Washington is one of the biggest stars in the history of Hollywood, but when Glory was first released, he was still on the rise. The film tells the story of the white colonel who was tasked with leading the first all Black regiment of the Union army, and Washington plays an escaped slave who joins up.
While not everything in Glory holds up perfectly, the central tension between the unit’s white officers and its Black soldiers, and the question of whether they’re even fighting the same war, pulses through every scene. There’s a reason Washington won an Oscar for this performance. He’s simply electric.
You can rent Glory on Amazon Prime Video
Oppenheimer (2023)
A war movie without much real war in it, Oppenheimer tells the story of the creation of the atomic bomb and of the man who built it. The movie intentionally elides the violence happening all over the globe, including the violence caused by the bomb, and instead focuses on the circumspect motivations of the man who built it, even as he understood how destructive it could be.
Christopher Nolan crafts something genuinely riveting out of the story of this man’s life, and Cillian Murphy’s central performance was worthy of all the praise and attention it received.
You can watch Oppenheimer on Amazon Prime Video.