Movies Like thank you for your service are full of tense, compelling, and suspenseful films about/with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Although, It has contents like the Iraq War, the military, soldiers haunted by the past, violence, and wrath themes of the Biography, Drama, and War genres.”
This article has compiled a list of movies like Thank you for your service.
1. Thank You for Your Service (2017)
- Director: Jason Hall
- Cast: Miles Teller, Beulah Koale, Scott Haze, Joe Cole, Haley Bennett, Haley Bennet, and Amy Schumer
- IMDb Ratings: 6.5/10
- Running Time: 1hr 45mins
Miles Teller’s highly regarded character Adam Schumann (who served in the battle for 15 months in Iraq), returns to Kansas and his devoted wife Saskia (Haley Bennett).
However, Two young children, a daughter, and a son were born while Adam was still away from home, belonging to Adam and Saskia.
Adam experiences frequent flashbacks and nightmares, which are symptoms of PTSD. His wife persuades him to seek treatment from the overworked Department of Veterans Affairs.
He also finds comfort in two Iraqi friends who live close by Solo Aeiti, an American Samoan (Beulah Koale), and Billy Waller (Joe Cole). Adam kills himself before his fiancee (Erin Darke) after learning that she has taken all his money and abandoned him.
2. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Cast: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Barry Pepper, Edwards Burns, Adam Goldberg, and Vin Diesel
- IMDb Ratings: 8.6/10
- Running Time: 2hr 49mins
They began on June 6, 1944, when the Allies invaded Normandy, soldiers from the 2nd Ranger Battalion under Cpt. Miller engaged in beachfront combat to establish a beachhead. Two brothers lose their lives in the fighting.
Another brother is killed earlier in New Guinea. Mrs. Ryan, their mother, Was supposed to receive three grave telegrams on the same day.
George C. Marshall, the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, learns that there is a fourth brother, Private James Ryan.
However, Eyan sends out eight men (Captain Miller and a few members of the 2nd Rangers) to find him and bring him back to his mother, hoping that this will help lessen some of her sorrow. This film is one of the best movies like thank you for your service.
3. Stop-Loss (2008)
- Director: Kimberly Peirce
- Cast: Ryan Phillippe, Abbie Cornish, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rob Brown, Channing Tatum, Victor Rasuk, and Timothy Olyphant
- IMDb Ratings: 6.4/10
- Running Time: 1hr 52mins
Following his term of service, Sgt. Brandon King, a decorated Iraq war hero, returns joyfully to his modest Texas hometown. He makes an effort to rebuild the life he abandoned.
The Army then sends Brandon back to duty in Iraq against his will, upending his entire world. Everything he holds dear is tested during the conflict, including his faith in the ties of friendship, love, and the worth of honor.
4. Lone Survivor (2013)
- Director: Peter Berg
- Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, Yousuf Azami, Ali Suliman and Eric Bana
- IMDb Ratings: 7.5/10
- Running Time: 2hr 1min
Lone Survivor is another incredible addition to our list of movies like thank you for your service. It is the year 2005.
Military intelligence discovers an old Taliban fighter hiding in a remote village deep in the Hindu Kush mountains of the Kunar Province after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, well into the Afghan War.
The Navy SEALs launched Operation Red Wings because they believed his arrest or death might tip the arduous War in the United States’ favor.
The plan is straightforward: deploy a small team of soldiers to monitor the settlement from the nearby mountains and advance on it when the moment is ripe.
Marcus Luttrell, Matt Axelso, and Danny Dietz arrive at their checkpoint under the command of Lieutenant Michael Murphy but quickly recognize that another nearby hill will offer a better observation point.
However, the soldiers are caught off guard by three roaming shepherds, including a little child, not long after reaching that new site and obtaining a positive ID on their target.
Although, Lt. Murphy ultimately decides that following the rules of engagement is the best course of action, which entails that the soldiers will abort the mission, release the prisoners, and retreat to their extraction point.
This decision follows a contentious discussion over what to do with the captured shepherds.
5. The Hurt Locker (2008)
- Director: Kathryn Bigelow
- Cast: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, and Evangeline Lilly
- IMDb Ratings: 7.5/10
- Running Time: 2hr 11mins
Currently based in Baghdad are US Army Sergeant First Class Will James, Sergeant JT Sanborn, and Specialist Owen Eldridge with the Bravo Company’s bomb disposal squad.
Only thirty-nine days remain in Bravo Company’s current deployment when James, the new tech team leader, shows up.
Sanborn and Eldridge will have a challenging 39 days because their leadership style does not match the new one (a renegade for whom the thrill of the dismantlement seems to be the ultimate goal, regardless of safety for his fellow team members, for others on the scene, or himself).
On the other hand, Sanborn adheres strictly to the rules, is aware of his role within the Army, and has faith that his fellow soldiers will complete their tasks just as diligently as he does.
Eldridge, on the other hand, is a nervous soldier who worries all the time that a mistake or poor decision he makes may result in the death of a defenseless civilian or a fellow soldier.
The three members must be alert of anyone near the bomb sites, some of whom may be actual bombers, even while they deal with their internal problems.
This movie is another excellent pick for those who love movies like thank you for your service.
6. American Sniper (2014)
- Director: Clint Eastwood
- Cast: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Kyle Gallner, Cole Konis, Ben Reed, Elise Robertson, and Luke Sunshine
- IMDb Ratings: 7.3/10
- Running Time: 2hr 13mins
In his thirties, Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) realized that perhaps his life needed something different, something where he could express his true talent.
Also he noticed he needed something that could aid America in its fight against terrorism.
Chris Kyle was nothing more than a Texas man who dreamed of becoming a cowboy. So to become a sniper, he joined the SEALs.
Kyle and the other team members asked to serve in Iraq for the first time after marrying Taya (Sienna Miller).
Afterwards, Not his missions, but Kyle’s relationship with the realities of the War and how, after returning home, he manages to deal with his urban lifestyle, his wife, and kids, is what he finds most challenging.
7. Jarhead (2005)
- Director: Sam Mendes
- Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx, Lucas Black, Scott MacDonald, Peter Sarsgaard, Ming Lo, and Kevin Foster
- IMDb Ratings: 7.0/10
- Running Time: 2hr 5mins
In the late 1980s, Anthony “Swoff” Swofford, a young Sacramento resident who reads Camus, enlists in the Marines. Despite whining during boot camp, he manages to graduate as a sniper and is with the typically dependable Troy.
His troop travels to Saudi Arabia for Desert Shield as the Gulf War erupts. Desert Storm starts after 175 days of boredom, adrenaline, heat, and anxiety over his fiancée finding someone else.
But Swoff was going crazy and almost killing a friend, being demoted, cleaning restrooms, wearing subpar gas masks, and playing desert football.
It ends in less than five days, but not before Swoff witnesses burned bodies, burning oil derricks, an oil-covered horse, and perhaps the opportunity to commit murder.
What happens to all the testosterone? Check out this one if you are looking for movies like thank you for your service.
8. Private War (2018)
- Director: Matthew Heineman
- Cast: Rosamund Pike, Alexandra Meon, Tom Hollander, Faye Marsay, Jesuthasan Antonythasan, Raman Srinivasan, and Natasha Jayetileke
- IMDb Ratings: 6.7/10
- Running Time: 1hr 50mins
Marie Colvin (Rosamund Pike) is among our era’s most renowned war correspondents in a society where journalism is not safe.
Colvin is a fearless and rebellious personality who is drawn to the front lines of conflicts worldwide to speak for the voiceless while constantly pushing the boundaries of daring and audacity.
However, She now sports a distinguishing eye patch after being injured by a grenade in Sri Lanka, but she is at home sipping martinis with London’s elite as she is taking on autocrats.
However, Colvin sacrifices her loving relationships, and as the tragedy witnessed wears on, her personal life gradually starts to fall apart.
Despite this, she and renowned war photographer Paul Conroy undertake the most dangerous assignment of their careers in the besieged Syrian city of Homs as part of her effort to reveal the actual cost of War.
9. 12 Strong (2018)
- Director: Nicolai Fuglsig
- Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Peña, Trevante Rhodes, Navid Negahban, Geoff Stults, and Thad Luckinbill
- IMDb Ratings: 6.5/10
- Running Time: 2hr 10mins
After the tragic events of 9/11, the US concluded that the Taliban had carried out many attacks on US citizens and assets in Afghanistan.
Sending in Special Forces units to join forces with the Northern Alliance, the Taliban’s adversaries, aid them in their conflict with the Taliban.
Particularly they were aided by coordinating air support, and shrink the Taliban’s area, is their first line of defense against them.
Operational Detachment Alpha 595, under the command of Captain Mitch Nelson, is the first team “in the country.” The 12 of them are up against impossible odds.
10. Megan Leavey (2017)
- Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite
- Cast: Kate Mara, Ramón Rodríguez, Tom Felton, Bradley Whitford, Edie Falco, Alisa Harris, and Nick Madrick
- IMDb Ratings: 7.1/10
- Running Time: 1hr 56mins
US Marine Corporal Megan Leavey worked as a Military Police K9 handler. She partnered with Rex, a military service dog (E168). Together, they completed two tours of duty in Iraq.
They were initially sent to Fallujah in 2005 and then to Ramadi in 2006, where an improvised explosive device injured both of them.
In recognition of courage in battle, Leavey received the Purple Heart and the Navy and Marine Corps Achilooknt Medal with a “V” decoration.
If you love movies like thank you for your service, you should watch this one.
11. Against the Sun (2014)
- Director: Brian Peter Falk
- Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Peña, Trevante Rhodes, Navid Negahban, Geoff Stults, and Thad Luckinbill
- IMDb Ratings: 6.5/10
- Running Time: 1hr 40mins
This movie is a perfect addition to our list of movies like thank you for your service. Three US Navy fliers crashed land their torpedo bomber in the South Pacific and ended up on a small life raft in the middle of the ocean.
However, in one of the actual terrifying events of World War II, zero food, zero water. No chance of rescue.
These three virtual strangers must persevere against overwhelming difficulties as they attempt to sail more than a thousand miles to safety, dodging storms, sharks, starvation, and each other.
12. The Forgotten War (2020)
- Director: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.
- Cast: Gijs Blom, Jamie Flatters, Susan Radder, Jan Bijvoet, Tom Felton, Coen Bril and Scott Reid
- IMDb Ratings: 7.1/10
- Running Time: 2hr 4mins
1944 September, the Germans still controlled the Scheldt estuary; supplies could not reach Antwerp or the Allied forces even though the Allies had taken the port city. The German defense depends heavily on Walcheren Island.
Operation Market Garden started to enter Germany from Arnhem, Holland, immediately. A few British soldiers are left trapped beyond enemy lines after a glider from this mission is compelled to crash land on Walcheren.
Meanwhile, three Germans are unintentionally killed by a Dutch youngster, starting a sad series of events.
A Dutch soldier serving on the German staff is beginning to wonder where his allegiances lie. This movie is a fine addition to our list of movies like thank you for your service.
13. The Messenger (2009)
- Director: Oren Moverman
- Cast: Ben Foster, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone, Woody Harrelson, Eamonn Walker, Yaya Dacosta, and Portia
- IMDb Ratings: 7.1/10
- Running Time: 1hr 53mins
US Army Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery got hurt while recently deployed to Iraq when an improvised explosive device detonated nearby.
The most critical wounds, which included ones to his eye and leg, are being treated by medical personnel in the United States.
Even though Kelly is engaged to someone Will knows, he has restarted a sexual encounter with her. The Army places Will on the Casualty Notification Team in his region for the last several months of his service.
Will is unsure if he is qualified for this position because he lacks counseling, psychology, or bereavement management training.
Captain Tony Stone, a career soldier with whom he is teamed, explains to Will the exact procedures required for the position.
Will immediately learns from experience on the job that this career has risks when Tony warns him of them.
He is unprepared for the response of Olivia Pitterson, whose husband was murdered in Iraq, as he learns to adjust to the gamut of emotions experienced by the next of kin.
After meeting Olivia for the first time, Tony feels he wants to know her further, which may not be in his best interests.
Despite being in recovery from alcoholism, the more knowledgeable Tony tries to mentor Will as best he can be given their current situation.
14. Fury (2014)
- Director: David Ayer
- Cast: Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Peña, Jon Bernthal, Jim Parrack and Brad William Henke
- IMDb Ratings: 7.5/10
- Running Time: 2hr 14mins
Don “Wardaddy” Collier, a battle-scarred US Army Sargent of the 2nd Armoured Division, had his devoted crew called M4 Sherman tank.
They fight valiantly against a hopeless foe during the coordinated Western Allied invasion of Nazi Germany in the spring of 1945 as Adolf Hitler prepares for his last stand.
Norman, Collier’s inexperienced new hull machine gunner, must quickly get in shape if he wants to have a chance to fight back deep behind the enemy territory. War is hell for all men, let alone Norman.
The warriors have boldly painted “Fury” in white paint on the triumphant 76mm cannon barrel of the ravenous war machine to drive away the horrors of War.
Will the five-person crew of the Fury survive to fight another day? If you love movies like thank you for your service, you should stream this movie.
15. Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
- Director: Mel Gibson
- Cast: Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer, Richard Pyros, Jacob Warner, and Milo Gibson.
- IMDb Ratings: 8.1/10
- Running Time: 2hr 19mins
A veteran sobs by the gravestones of his army company from the American Army that perished in World War I. He asks his sons to avoid using guns at home as he raises them in a religious environment.
Desmond studies the Bible and swears never to hurt another person again after a playful fight goes wrong. He then succeeds in saving a worker’s life and feels good about it.
However, Desmond dates the nurse he falls in love with while working in the hospital. Both boys enlist once the United States joins the Second World War, which infuriates the father, who disdains his kids enlisting in the Army.
Afterward, Desmond must complete his firearms training to pass the demanding Army training program.
However, after a central argument with his superiors, his father, a retired corporal, steps in to prevent a court-martial and allow Desmond to continue serving in the Army as a medic.
They transferred to Okinawa’s Hacksaw Ridge. If the Allies prevailed there, the Empire of Japan would submit. What follows, then? This movie is the best example when you talk about good movies like thank you for your service.
