The Best Iraq War Movies, Ranked

Welcome to Theater of War, a regular column analyzing the relationship between Hollywood and the U.S. military.

Looking back at almost 20 years of Iraq War movies, the first thought that comes to mind is that Iraq War movies aren't really all that great.

Sure, compared to conflicts such as World War II and the Vietnam War, the catalogue of films dealing with the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and the aftermath is relatively small; there are certainly more (and more profound) movies dealing with the war in Afghanistan. Of the small number of Iraq War movies, there aren't many actually worth watching. In fact, some of the best Iraq War movies actually don't even fully take place in the war, but focus primarily on how the conflict affected Americans back home. Unfortunately, there just aren't a lot of realistic (or even good) Hollywood stories about the actual fighting in Iraq.

Some of them primarily deal with how the war affected Americans back home. Others deal with both. Maybe one day, we'll get a movie that defines the genre; the Iraq War equivalent of "Saving Private Ryan" or "Platoon."

Until then, here are the best Iraq War flicks we have.

1. 'Generation Kill'

We know, we know: "Generation Kill" isn't a movie; it's an HBO miniseries. But if there's anything close to being a definitive retelling of the war in Iraq, this is it. It follows the Marine Corps' 1st Reconnaissance Battalion during the 2003 invasion. Adapted for television in 2008 by David Simon ("The Wire") and based on Rolling Stone reporter Evan Wright's book of the same name, "Generation Kill" probably captures not only the best depiction of the invasion, but also the pathos of the long, drawn-out insurgency to come.

The story is real, the characters are real and even the dialogue does its best to be realistic. One of the Marines (Rudy Reyes) even plays himself while serving as one of the show's military advisers. "Generation Kill" is as close to the actual invasion of Iraq that viewers (and most military veterans) will ever get, and that's why it deserves the top slot on our list despite the fact that it isn't a movie.

2. 'The Messenger'

Unlike "Generation Kill," many Iraq War movies don't focus so much on the war, but what happens when American veterans come home. We don't know why this is, because there are plenty of great combat stories from Iraq, but it is true nonetheless. "The Messenger" is the 2009 story of Will Montgomery (Ben Foster, "3:10 to Yuma"), a wounded Iraq veteran who comes home with PTSD and becomes a casualty notification officer. He works alongside Capt. Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), who lays out specific rules for interacting with grieving family members.

Montgomery is a combat veteran. Stone, a Gulf War veteran, has not seen combat and is incensed when Montgomery ultimately breaks his rules and comforts one of the widows. It's a gripping emotional journey, Harrelson's performance is top-tier and this might be the reason why Iraq War movies have been focused less about the war and more about what comes next.

3. 'American Sniper'

The controversy surrounding famed sniper Chris Kyle's 2012 autobiography "American Sniper" had, for a time, outshined this 2014 film adaptation from director Clint Eastwood. Did Kyle embellish his medals? Did the movie degrade Iraqis? Did "American Sniper" turn the Iraq War into a "good vs. evil fairy tale?" Remember that "Rambo III," a beloved 1980s action movie, was dedicated "to the brave Mujaheddin fighters" in Afghanistan and decide for yourself. Then hold that opinion tightly to your chest, because I promise you that, more than a decade later, no one cares.

After the culture wars' dust settled, what we were left with is still a good action movie that shows the consequences of multiple combat deployments on even the strongest of military families. The controversy also covered up the real message that not all veterans are as celebrated as Kyle was, and that there was a lot of work left to do for veterans' mental health. As far as filmmaking goes, the real lasting problem with this movie is the fake baby scene.

4. 'Thank You for Your Service'

Miles Teller stars in this wholly underrated adaptation of David Finkel's book of the same name. The movie follows members of the 2-16 Infantry Regiment coming home to Kansas after a 15-month deployment in Iraq. It highlights the guilt, pain and addictions faced by members of the regiment as they try to reintegrate back into some semblance of normal life.

Yes, it's another movie about Iraq War veterans struggling with coming home, but this one is intercut with the actual action sequences of the events that left them struggling. Watching all these PTSD-related films does leave one begging for the comedic action of "Generation Kill," but "Thank You for Your Service" is still time well spent.

5. 'Megan Leavey'

Kate Mara plays Marine Corps Cpl. Megan Leavey, a real-life K-9 handler who twice deploys to Iraq with her working dog Rex. While deployed to Ramadi in 2006, both Leavey and Rex were wounded by an improvised explosive device. Leavey suffered a traumatic brain injury, and Rex was wounded in the shoulder. The two recovered from their wounds together until 2008, when Leavey left the Corps. When she separated, she fought to adopt Rex. It took five years and an intervention from Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), but she finally brought the German shepherd home. The film "Megan Leavey" is about the pair's journey together.

Audiences generally loved this uplifting story about a Marine and her dog. Edie Falco ("The Sopranos") and Bradley Whitford ("Get Out") are as good as it gets in this heartwarming story that is not just about the war and its consequences, but how service animals can help veterans recover from the unseen wounds of war.

6. 'Taking Chance'

Lance Cpl. Chance Phelps was 19 years old when he was killed in action in Iraq's al-Anbar Province, but you never see how he died in "Taking Chance." The movie simply uses a black screen, sound effects and radio chatter to illustrate how Phelps lost his life. Instead, the film is an adaptation of then-Lt. Col. Michael Strobl's journal and essay about the volunteer assignment he took to escort Phelps' remains to Wyoming.

What's really striking about "Taking Chance" is that viewers see every detail about how mortuary affairs personnel and military escorts handle, prepare and move casualty remains for burial, from the battlefield to their final resting place. Unlike almost every other military movie, "Taking Chance" is a reminder that wars affect more than just the people who fight them. Be warned: Kevin Bacon's mostly silent performance is a constant tearjerker.

7. 'Cherry'

There are a couple of disparities in "Cherry," and they're pretty important. It's the story of an Iraq War medic who comes home with PTSD, gets hooked on opioids and turns to robbing banks to fund his drug habit, a fictionalized version of author Nico Walker's real-life story. The first disparity is that, although Walker really was a combat medic in Iraq, really had PTSD and became an addict, he was anything but Tom Holland-level nice when robbing banks. Which leads us to the next disparity: Critics hated the movie while audiences loved it.

The book the movie is based on won awards, while movie critics accused Hollywood of glossing over Walker's crimes. He threatened people with a gun while robbing those banks, and critics hated that he seemed to be getting praise for it (although he wrote "Cherry" from his prison cell). The movie's release in 2021 came at a time when opioid overdose deaths in the United States were reaching their zenith and mental health became an issue for nearly the entire country, so it likely caught some of that zeitgeist. Is an Iraq War medic celebrating his misdeeds to beat addiction all that bad? You be the judge.

8. 'The Hurt Locker'

It's true: No one would ever accuse "The Hurt Locker" of being the seminal Iraq War movie. A lot has been written in-depth about why veterans of the war hate this movie, and most of it has to do with it being an unrealistic, glossed-over Hollywood version of the war, how it was fought and even the people who fought it. It feels like a good war movie, unless you were one of the people who actually served in Iraq. Some veterans even thought it bordered on being disrespectful. And yet, as far as filmmaking and storytelling goes, it was a pretty good movie.

What is good about "The Hurt Locker" is that it accurately portrays the level of bomb violence that overtook Iraq at the height of the country's civil war and insurgency against occupying U.S. troops. The absurdity of what some of the characters actually do in the movie doesn't diminish the connection we felt when we saw William James (Jeremy Renner) struggle with the monotony of life back home.

9. 'Vice'

"Vice" is nominally about former Vice President Dick Cheney, but it is narrated by an Iraq War veteran named Kurt (Jesse Plemons, "Killers of the Flower Moon"). Like director Adam McKay's film "The Big Short" was an explanation of the 2008 global financial crisis, "Vice" breaks down the complex way the administration of George W. Bush led the United States into the Iraq War. Using actual news clips and video from the floor of Congress, he points out the focus group discussions, pro-war catchphrases and concerted effort to drive the U.S. to war.

The movie also explains how a relatively unknown terrorist named Abu Musab al-Zarqawi rose to prominence in Iraq because of the White House's machinations, and how al-Zarqawi came to lead al-Qaida In Iraq. Kurt isn't based on a real person, but is instead symbolic of the America before Cheney's time as VP -- and (spoiler alert) Kurt dies so that Dick Cheney could live.

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