SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Favorite true war movies

May 25, 2018, 1:04 PM

privateryan...

Washington state loves "Saving Private Ryan."(screengrab)

(screengrab)

If taking in a movie on Memorial Day is more your speed, why not a war movie?

Review.org compiled the nation’s favorite true war movies and organized it by state. See the map here.

On the list:

Saving Private Ryan — Washington state’s pick
Hacksaw Ridge
Lone Survivor
13 Hours
Fury
Full Metal Jacket
American Sniper
Thank You For Your Service
Gettysburg
Jarhead
The Great Escape
Charlie Wilson’s War
Flags of Our Fathers
Glory
Argo

So we asked KIRO Radio Movie Critic Tom Tangney his favorite and he agrees with Kentucky. “The Great Escape” is at the top of his list.

“I’d go with that. It’s one of my childhood favorites. I remember watching it in elementary school. My understanding is it’s 75 percent Hollywood, but if that’s allowed, then that’s a fun one.”

Tom reviews Solo: A Star Wars Story

In terms of the quality of picks, Tom also sides with Oregon, which picked “Full Metal Jacket” as its favorite true war movie.

“You can not do better than Stanley Kubrick.”

Speaking of Kubrick, if Tom had to choose the best war movie (true or fiction), Paths of Glory, about WWI, is at the top of his list.

“It may be seen as sort of anti-war, but that’s a fantastic movie.”

Tom also recommends “The Deer Hunter,” “Apocalypse Now,” and “Gallipoli.”

Check out Tom’s movie reviews

Please follow our Community Guidelines

Pedestrians walk on the campus at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP P...

Associated Press

Cornell president calls alleged gang rape ‘deeply disturbing,’ pledges greater transparency

Cornell’s president called the alleged gang rape of a student at a fraternity house in 2024 “deeply disturbing” Saturday and said it would weigh on the university for years to come, as he pledged greater transparency amid mounting outrage over the school’s handling of the case. In an eight-minute video message to the Cornell community, […]

4 hours ago

This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Nolo ...

Associated Press

Nolo becomes a Category 3 Hurricane in the remote Pacific Ocean

Nolo strengthened into a major hurricane Saturday far out in the Pacific Ocean, well to the west of Hawaii’s main islands. The storm’s maximum sustained winds rapidly intensified to 115 mph (185 kph), the Miami-based National Hurricane Center reported, meaning it was a Category 3 hurricane. Nolo was located about 210 miles (335 kilometers) south-southwest […]

5 hours ago

President Donald Trump gestures to reporters as he walks on the South Lawn upon his arrival to the ...

Associated Press

Trump announces $90 payments for seniors on Medicare ahead of midterm elections for premium costs

President Donald Trump is promising more payments to voters just ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections — this time, to more than 20 million seniors, giving them $90 each to help pay for Medicare premiums. The announcement, made late Friday night by Trump on social media, comes after the president last month said about […]

6 hours ago

The location of the Vertical Evacuation Tower will be near the Westport Marina. It will be the thir...

Tom Brock

Rising above the risk: Westport breaks ground on Washington’s newest tsunami refuge

The city of Westport broke ground Saturday on what will become Washington state's latest tsunami-safe location: a new vertical evacuation tower.

6 hours ago

FILE - President Donald Trump listens as Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, speaks while holding up a signed ...

Associated Press

Trump rallies in Ohio to boost Jon Husted in a tight Senate race against Sherrod Brown

WASHINGTON (AP) — After a few days campaigning in safe conservative territory, President Donald Trump on Saturday takes his midterm tour into Ohio, a battleground state that’s home to one of the top-tier Senate races this cycle. Trump has embarked on what he says will be a 32-day blitz ahead of the Nov. 3 elections, […]

7 hours ago

FILE - Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks during a n...

Associated Press

Mormon leader decries explosion in sports gambling, prediction markets

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints warned Saturday that an explosion in gambling driven by online prediction markets and sports betting is fostering greed, particularly among youths, while producing “nothing of value.” D. Todd Christofferson, one of the top three leaders of what is known […]

7 hours ago

Favorite true war movies