Traditionally, Memorial Day is at the beginning of summer, but it’s also a day when we reflect on American history and its many traditions. If you’re looking for an appropriate way to celebrate the long weekend, we’ve pulled together a list of movies that might be perfect for the occasion.
Each of the movies on this list gets at something about the American experience, and they’re also just great movies in their own right. Check them out below.
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+.
The Thin Red Line (1998)
One of the greatest war movies ever made, Terence Malick’s The Thin Red Line is a meditative look at an entire troop of soldiers stationed in the South Pacific. It’s undoubtedly lighter on battle than your average war movie, but The Thin Red Line nonetheless finds ways to depict war that feel almost entirely unique.
The movie’s interest in all of these soldiers, and the way the camera seems to wander from famous actor to famous actor, makes us come to see how each man deals with the extremity of the circumstances they’re facing, and the way it’s juxtaposed with the beauty of their surroundings.
You can watch The Thin Red Line on Hulu.
War of the Worlds (2005)
Steven Spielberg made several movies in the wake of 9/11 that seemed to be, at least in part, about the terrorist attack and its aftermath. None of them was more bracing than War of the Worlds, though, which tells the story of a struggling father as he’s forced to deal with an alien invasion that upends his life.
The opening attack is some of the most harrowing footage you’re likely to see. Anchored by Tom Cruise in the last era when he was still willing to play regular people, War of the Worlds is an impressive accomplishment in scale and tone.
You can watch War of the Worlds on Hulu.
L.A. Confidential (1997)
A throwback to the hard-bitten noirs of the 1940s, but with an even more cynical edge, L.A. Confidential tells the story of three police officers working inside the LAPD in the 1950s.
The complex ecosystem of information and corruption the movie depicts is fascinating in and of itself, as is the ultimate heroism of the three cops at the movie’s center. L.A. Confidential is a crime movie about the foundational myths of Hollywood and about the seedy underbelly that has always existed right alongside it.
You can watch L.A. Confidential on Hulu.
Tombstone (1993)
As the best depiction of the legendary gunfight at the OK Corral, Tombstone is a throwback to the classic Westerns of the ’40s and ’50s in the best possible way. Starring Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer, the movie is romantic about the old west, even as it understands the peril that waits around every corner.
The final gunfight here is great, but what’s even better are Russell and Kilmer’s central performances as two of the Old West’s most famous heroes. Russell’s Wyatt Earp is a reluctant hero who finds himself drawn into conflict at least partially because no one else will step up. As Doc Holliday, Kilmer is even better, finding the strength for one last fight even as he becomes more and more delirious.
You can watch Tombstone on Hulu.
The Last of the Mohicans (1993)
A sensitive, fascinating depiction of Native American life at a time when it was being upended, The Last of the Mohicans follows a native tribe as they come into conflict with the colonists who live near their land. As they work to avoid getting enveloped in the broader French and Indian War, we’re treated to plenty of detail about their way of life and its disappearance.
Daniel Day-Lewis gives a characteristically riveting performance as the movie’s lead character, a half-Native American who has been adopted into their culture, but Michael Mann’s movie works in part because he is so fascinated with the texture of the world around him.
You can watch The Last of the Mohicans on Hulu.