Platoon Leader (1988)

West Point graduate lieutenant Jeff Knight meets cynicism when taking command of sergeant Michael McNamara's tour veterans platoon in a Vietnamese trench camp. Unlike his predecessor, who hid till the end of his tour, Jeff takes charge, experiences the manual doesn't allow coping with all realities and gets wounded. He returns, now fully respect by men and superiors. Besides the Vietcong, the platoon wrestles with the inscrutable villagers, which the G.I.'s officially protect, but also fear as some collaborate with them, other covertly with the Cong, either way subject to bloody reprisals.

Drama
War
Action

Top billed cast

Michael DudikoffLt. Jeff Knight
Robert F. LyonsSgt. Michael McNamara
Michael DeLorenzoRaymond Bacera
Jesse DabsonJoshua Parker
Rick FittsSgt. Robert Hayes
Tony PierceJan Shultz
Daniel DemorestDuffy
Brian LibbySgt. Roach
Michael RiderPvt. Don Pike
William SmithMajor Flynn

Similar to Platoon Leader

Forrest Gump (1994)

A man with a low IQ has accomplished great things in his life and been present during significant historic events—in each case, far exceeding what anyone imagined he could do. But despite all he has achieved, his one true love eludes him.

Comedy
Drama
Romance

Apocalypse Now (1979)

At the height of the Vietnam war, Captain Benjamin Willard is sent on a dangerous mission that, officially, "does not exist, nor will it ever exist." His goal is to locate - and eliminate - a mysterious Green Beret Colonel named Walter Kurtz, who has been leading his personal army on illegal guerrilla missions into enemy territory.

Drama
War

Backdrop image for movie The Quiet American

The Quiet American (2002)

Cynical British journalist Fowler falls in love with a young Vietnamese woman but is dismayed when a naïve U.S. official also begins vying for her attention. In retaliation, Fowler informs the communists that the American is selling arms to their enemy.

Romance
Thriller
Drama
War

Backdrop image for movie 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her

2 or 3 Things I Know About Her (1967)

As the city of Paris and the French people grow in consumer culture, a housewife living in a high-rise apartment with her husband and two children takes to prostitution to help pay the bills.

Comedy
Drama

Backdrop image for movie The Thin Red Line

The Thin Red Line (1998)

The story of a group of men, an Army Rifle company called C-for-Charlie, who change, suffer, and ultimately make essential discoveries about themselves during the fierce World War II battle of Guadalcanal. It follows their journey, from the surprise of an unopposed landing, through the bloody and exhausting battles that follow, to the ultimate departure of those who survived.

Drama
History
War

Tropic Thunder (2008)

A group of self-absorbed actors set out to make the most expensive war film ever. After ballooning costs force the studio to cancel the movie, the frustrated director refuses to stop shooting, leading his cast into the jungles of Southeast Asia, where they encounter real bad guys.

Action
Comedy
Adventure
War

Backdrop image for movie Love in Country

Love in Country (2021)

It's 1968. Ian and John, two young point men in love in the midst of the Vietnam War, lead their squad in a desperate attempt to survive a botched Phoenix Mission, despite their Captain who has lost his humanity and who will use any means to win, including sacrificing the squad.

Drama
War

Backdrop image for movie We All Came Home

We All Came Home (2020)

In 1974, a soldier, having now returned home, is haunted by shadows from the past, but are they just in his mind?

Horror
War

Backdrop image for movie A Penny for a Horse

A Penny for a Horse (1924)

The first Vietnamese feature-length film.

Drama

Backdrop image for movie Faith of My Fathers

Faith of My Fathers (2005)

Faith of My Fathers is based on the story of Lieutenant Commander John McCain's experiences as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for five and a half years during the Vietnam War, interleaved with his memories of growing up in a heritage rich with military service.

War
Drama

Backdrop image for movie Running on Empty

Running on Empty (1988)

The Popes are a family who haven't been able to use their real identity for years. In the late sixties, the parents set a weapons lab afire in an effort to hinder the government's Vietnam war campaign. Ever since then, the Popes have been on the run with the authorities never far behind. Their survival is threatened when their eldest son falls in love with a girl, and announces his wish to live his life on his own terms.

Drama
Romance
Crime

Big Wednesday (1978)

Three 1960s California surfers fool around, drift apart and reunite years later to ride epic waves.

Drama
Comedy

Backdrop image for movie The Killing Fields

The Killing Fields (1984)

New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg is on assignment covering the Cambodian Civil War, with the help of local interpreter Dith Pran and American photojournalist Al Rockoff. When the U.S. Army pulls out amid escalating violence, Schanberg makes exit arrangements for Pran and his family. Pran, however, tells Schanberg he intends to stay in Cambodia to help cover the unfolding story — a decision he may regret as the Khmer Rouge rebels move in.

Drama
History
War

Backdrop image for movie Fighter Pilots of Vietnam

Fighter Pilots of Vietnam (2018)

A group of American and Vietnamese fighter pilots gather almost fifty years after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Despite their training, aerial combat encounters, and being shot down, these veteran pilots talk as friends with mutual respect.

War
Documentary

Hazel's People (1973)

An NYU student visits a Mennonite friend in Lancaster, Pennsylvania after a fellow Mennonite is killed while protesting the Vietnam War.

Drama
Family
History

Backdrop image for movie Brothers in Blood

Brothers in Blood (1987)

War is Hell... especially NAM. A group of battle weary soldiers in Vietnam are trapped behind enemy lines. There is no way back. No help on the way. It's only a matter of time and these guys intend to "Die Fighting". Bo Svenson and Peter Hooten together again (Inglorious Bastards) join the Late, great Werner Porchat (as a part-time drag queen commando) in this explosive Italian commando film.

War
Adventure

Backdrop image for movie The Big Red One

The Big Red One (1980)

A veteran sergeant of World War I leads a squad in World War II, always in the company of the survivor Pvt. Griff, the writer Pvt. Zab, the Sicilian Pvt. Vinci and Pvt. Johnson, in Vichy French Africa, Sicily, D-Day at Omaha Beach, Belgium and France, and ending in a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia where they face the true horror of war.

Drama
War

R-Point (2004)

On 07 January 1972, the South Korean base in Nha-Trang, Vietnam, receives a radio transmission from a missing platoon presumed dead.

Action
History
Horror

Backdrop image for movie Alene B. Duerk: The First Woman Admiral

Alene B. Duerk: The First Woman Admiral (2020)

Following the tradition of military service in her family, Alene Duerk enlisted as a Navy nurse in 1943. During her eventful 32 year career, she served in WWII on a hospital ship in the Sea of Japan, and trained others in the Korean War. She became the Director of the Navy Nursing Corps during the Vietnam War before finally attaining the rank of Admiral in the U.S. Navy. Despite having no other women as mentors (or peers), Admiral Duerk always looked for challenging opportunities that women had not previously held. Her consistently high level of performance led to her ultimate rise to become the first woman Admiral.

War
Documentary

Saigon (1947)

After World War II Larry learns that his flying buddy Mike will only live a short time despite the efforts of the doctors. He takes on a profitable flying job for profiteers Maris to finance a good time for his buddy. As the plane takes off he shoves Maris' secretary Susan on board. When Mike falls for her, Larry tells her to play along for Mike's sake. She, of course, falls for Larry.

Crime
Drama