Check out the best war movies on Netflix in 2023

If you’re looking for good war movies on Netflix but don’t want to waste time scrolling endlessly, we’ve got you covered. There aren’t too many war movies on Netflix, but there are a few that truly stand out, including some streaming originals. The streamer also releases new shows and movies every week, so you can keep an eye out for more war stories.

We’ve chosen titles that capture a range of styles and genres. Some are deep, gritty, and disturbing, while others are lighter, more comedic and satirical in tone. We hope to have something for everyone here. And if you’re not already signed up, you can join Netflix by hitting the link below.

The best war movies on Netflix:

Editor’s note: We will update this post as new Netflix war movies are added to the service and others are removed.

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

• Rating: 17+
• Runtime: 147 minutes
• Director: Edward Berger
• Main cast: Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Aaron Hilmer, Moritz Klaus, Adrian Grünewald, Edin Hasanović, Daniel Brühl
• Genre: Action, Drama, War
• IMDB rating: 7.8

Winner of the Oscar for Best International Feature Film and nominated for Best Picture, All Quiet on the Western Front is a standout Netflix original film certainly among the best war movies on Netflix. Based on the 1929 novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque, which was previously adapted in 1930, the film tells one of the great anti-war stories. In 1917, the third year of World War I, a patriotic teenager enlists in the German army, roused by a speech at his school. His romantic view of the conflict is quickly dashed as he witnesses the atrocities of war and the senseless death all around him.

Ready to watch? You can find the movie right here on Netflix.

Da 5 Bloods (2020)

• Rating: 17+
• Runtime: 156 minutes
• Director: Spike Lee
• Main cast: Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Mélanie Thierry, Paul Walter Hauser
• Genre: Adventure, Drama, War
• IMDB rating: 6.5

Some of the best war movies deal more with the aftermath of armed conflict than the horrors of the battlefield itself. Spike Lee directed this 2020 movie about a group of Vietnam War veterans who return to the country in the present day. Their goal? To find a hidden cache of gold they retrieved in during the war, and also to honor one of their lost soldiers, played in flashback by the late Chadwick Boseman. It’s one of the best war movies on Netflix, featuring an especially stellar performance by Delroy Lindo.

Ready to watch? You can find the movie right here on Netflix.

Sand Castle (2017)

• Rating: 16+
• Runtime: 113 minutes
• Director: Fernando Coimbra
• Main cast: Logan Marshall-Green, Nicholas Hoult, Henry Cavill, Gonzalo Menendez, Beau Knapp, Sam Spruell, Tommy Flanagan
• Genre: Action, Drama, War
• IMDB rating: 6.3

This Netflix war movie takes place during the War in Iraq, and it’s based on the real-life experiences of screenwriter Chris Roessner. Private Matt Ocre may have joined the army to help pay for college before 9/11, but once war breaks out, he finds himself unenthusiastically shipped over to the Middle East. When his unit is assigned to repair a broken water system in a dangerous part of the country, he comes face to face with the reality of dealing with insurgent forces. The film addresses the stress and insecurity of young soldiers during the conflict and rings true to the experiences of those sent overseas.

Ready to watch? You can find the movie right here on Netflix.

Beasts of No Nation (2015)

• Rating: 17+
• Runtime: 137 minutes
• Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
• Main cast: Abraham Attah, Idris Elba, Emmanuel Nii Adom Quaye, Opeyemi Fagbohungbe, Emmanuel Affadzi, Richard Pepple, Ama K. Abebrese
• Genre: Drama, War
• IMDB rating: 7.7

It’s one thing to see free-willing, grown men in battle, but kids living in war is a whole other level of heart-wrenching. Beasts of No Nation takes you through an emotional roller coaster, following Agu’s life during a civil war in West Africa. His family is separated, and some of them are killed. His attempts to escape fail, after which he is forced to join the battle. He is forced to do things no kid should ever have to do. While a very sad movie, Beasts of No Nation is definitely one of the best war movies on Netflix.

Ready to watch? You can find the movie right here on Netflix.

War Machine (2017)

• Rating: 16+
• Runtime: 122 minutes
• Director: David Michôd
• Main cast: Brad Pitt, Anthony Michael Hall, Emory Cohen, John Magaro, Topher Grace, Daniel Betts, Aymen Hamdouchi
• Genre: Comedy, Drama, War
• IMDB rating: 6

This Netflix original war movie is also one of its biggest budgeted films. Released in 2017, this is a fictional story, but it’s based on the real-life exploits of US Army General Stanley McChrystal. Brad Pitt plays General Glen McMahon, who has been asked to try to wrap up the current war in Iraq in 2009. This satirical movie shows General McMahon trying to get more troops together for one final push to win the war, but he is faced with opposition on several military and political fronts. War Machine uses humor to show what the military has to deal with besides fighting the enemy, and it has a huge (some might say over-the-top) performance by Pitt.

Ready to watch? You can find the movie right here on Netflix.

The Woman King (2022)

• Rating: 14+
• Runtime: 135 minutes
• Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
• Main cast: Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, John Boyega, Jordan Bolger, Hero Fiennes Tiffin
• Genre: Action, Drama, History
• IMDB rating: 6.8

While sadly overlooked at the Oscars, The Woman King, from the director of Netflix’s own The Old Guard, is certainly among the best war movies on Netflix. Viola Davis leads a knock-out cast. She plays a General, training an all-female army of fierce warriors in the African kingdom of Dahomey. As a foreign enemy seeks to destroy their way of life, she leads an uprising against them, ensuring the prosperity of her people in the face of colonial atrocities.

Ready to watch? You can find the movie right here on Netflix.

Black Crab (2022)

What you need to know:

• Rating: 16
• Runtime: 109 minutes
• Director: Adam Berg
• Main cast: Noomi Rapace, Jakob Oftebro, Dar Salim, Erik Enge, Ardalan Esmaili, Aliette Opheim, Susan Taslimi
• Genre:  Action, Adventure
• IMDB rating: 5.7

In a frozen post-apocalyptic world, soldier Edh embarks on a dangerous mission across the ice-covered Stockholm Archipelago. The weight of impossible choices plagues her journey. The promise of reuniting with her daughter pushes Edh forward, but at what cost?

Ready to watch? You can find the movie right here on Netflix.

The King (2019)

• Rating: 16+
• Runtime: 140 minutes
• Director: David Michôd
• Main cast: Timothée Chalamet, Joel Edgerton, Sean Harris, Tom Glynn-Carney, Lily-Rose Depp, Thomasin McKenzie, Robert Pattinson
• Genre: Biography, Drama, History
• IMDB rating: 7.3

This historical actioner telles the story of Hal, also known as King Henry V. After trying to escape royal life for most of his life, he is forced to take the throne after his father dies. The rightful heir to the throne must now deal with politics and everything that comes with ruling. He is also found in the middle of a war his tyrannical father left behind. The leader needs to adapt to the new life while he settles personal matters.

Ready to watch? You can find the movie right here on Netflix.

A Call to Spy (2020)

What you need to know:

• Rating: 14
• Runtime: 124 minutes
• Director: Lydia Dean Pilcher
• Main cast: Sarah Megan Thomas, Stana Katic, Radhika Apte, Linus Roache, Rossif Sutherland, Samuel Roukin, Laila Robins
• Genre:  Biography, Crime, Drama
• IMDB rating: 6.7

During WWII, Britain needs help. Churchill asks for women to become spies. Vera Atkins finds two brave women: Virginia, an American with a wooden leg, and Noor, a peaceful Indian Muslim. Together, they work secretly in France to fight against the Nazis.

Ready to watch? You can find the movie right here on Netflix.

Triple Frontier (2019)

• Rating: 16+
• Runtime: 125 minutes
• Director: J.C. Chandor
• Main cast: Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, Pedro Pascal, Adria Arjona, Louis Jeovanny
• Genre: Action, Thriller
• IMDB rating: 6.4

Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, and Pedro Pascal all play members of a former US Special Forces team who feel they need a new challenge. The result is that this five-man team decides to steal money from a major drug lord in Central America. However, getting the money is easy compared to the team getting out of the country alive as they are attacked by the crime lord’s forces. While not exactly a war movie, Triple Frontier follows an army unit who bonded while on active duty and use their skills to make good on the promises their government failed to keep.

Ready to watch? You can find the movie right here on Netflix.

Operation Mincemeat (2021)

• Rating: 13+
• Runtime: 128 minutes
• Director: John Madden
• Main cast: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald, Penelope Wilton, Johnny Flynn, Jason Isaacs, Mark Gatiss
• Genre: Drama, War
• IMDB rating: 6.6

A bizarre true story set during wartime, Operation Mincemeat is one of the best war movies on Netflix. In 1943, the UK faces the difficult challenge of protecting Allied forces joining the fray in Europe, where German troops are firmly entrenched and waiting. Using a corpse, two British intelligence officers come up with an outlandish scheme to trich the Nazis and ensure the safe arrival of their allies.

Ready to watch? You can find the movie right here on Netflix.

Blood & Gold (2023)

• Rating: 17+
• Runtime: 100 minutes
• Director: Peter Thorwarth
• Main cast: Robert Maaser, Jördis Triebel, Marie Hacke, Alexander Scheer, Roy McCrerey, Stephan Grossmann, Florian Schmidtke
• Genre: Action, Drama, War
• IMDB rating: 6.5

As World War II comes to a close, a German deserter tries to get home to his family. He and a young woman instead find themselves in a bloody battle with a group of Zazi gold hunters searching for Jewish treasure.

A politically charged historical actioner in the tradition of Inglourious Basterds, Blood & Gold is a German Netflix original worth checking out for fans of war films.

Ready to watch? You can find the movie right here on Netflix.