The topic of “films about the war on terror” encompasses a range of cinematic works that explore the complex and often controversial consequences of the global fight against terrorism, particularly following the September 11 attacks in 2001. These films delve into the personal, political, and social ramifications of terrorism and counter-terrorism efforts, often focusing on themes such as sacrifice, morality, the impact of war on civilians, and the psychological toll on soldiers and their families. Through various narrative approaches—be it drama, thriller, or documentary—these films aim to provoke thought and evoke emotion regarding a pivotal issue in contemporary history.
Here is a list of notable films that address the war on terror:
“United 93”, 2006
Director: Paul Greengrass
A real-time account of the events aboard United Airlines Flight 93 during the September 11 attacks, focusing on the passengers' brave efforts to thwart the hijackers.
Starring: Christian Clemenson, Cheyenne Jackson, David Alan Basche, Peter Hermann, Corey Johnson, Daniel Sauli, Trish Gates, Richard Bekins, Michael J. Reynolds, Khalid Abdalla, J.J. Johnson, Gary Commock, Polly Adams, Opal Alladin, Starla Benford, Nancy McDoniel, Susan Blommaert, Ray Charleson, Liza Colón-Zayas, Lorna Dallas, Denny Dillon, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Kate Jennings Grant, Tara Hugo, Marceline Hugot, Joe Jamrog, Masato Kamo, Becky London, Peter Marinker, Jodie Lynne McClintock, Libby Morris, Tom O'Rourke, Simon Poland, David Rasche, Erich Redman, John Rothman, Rebecca Schull, Chloe Sirene, Olivia Thirlby, Chip Zien, Leigh Zimmerman, Lewis Alsamari, Omar Berdouni, Jamie Harding, Thomas Roberts, Michael Bencal, Tom Fitzgerald, Bard Marques, John Moraitis, Scott Tourin;
Production year: 2006;
Genre: action, thriller, drama, history;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 111 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,6;
More information about the film “United 93” on the website imdb.com
“The Hurt Locker”, 2008
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
This gripping drama follows an elite bomb disposal team in Iraq as they navigate the dangers of their job and the psychological strain of warfare.
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Christian Camargo, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Sam Spruell, Christopher Sayegh, Evangeline Lilly, Suhail Dabbach, Nabil Koni, Sam Redford, Feisal Sadoun, Barrie Rice, Imad Dadudi, Erin Gann, Justin Campbell, Malcolm Barrett, Kristoffer Ryan Winters, J.J. Kandel, Ryan Tramont, Hani Al Naimi, Hasan Darwish, Wasfi Amour, Nibras Qassem, Ben Thomas, Nader Tarawneh, Anas Wellman, Omar Mario, Fleming Campbell, Mark Behar, Tommy Dallace, Jeffrey Feingold, Jerry Fortuna, David Gueriera, Samantha Kelly, Joseph Martinus, Kate Mines, Meera Nandlal, Yousef Shweihat;
Production year: 2008;
Genre: thriller, drama, war, history;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 126 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,5;
“Zero Dark Thirty”, 2012
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
A dramatization of the decade-long hunt for Osama bin Laden, this film chronicles the intelligence efforts and the controversial tactics used to capture the terrorist leader.
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Jennifer Ehle, Mark Strong, Fares Fares, Harold Perrineau, Joel Edgerton, Chris Pratt, James Gandolfini, Edgar Ramírez, Reda Kateb, Callan Mulvey, Stephen Dillane, Jeremy Strong, J.J. Kandel, Wahab Sheikh, Alexander Karim, Nabil Elouhabi, Aymen Hamdouchi, Simon Abkarian, Ali Marhyar, Parker Sawyers, Akin Gazi, Derek Siow, Mohammad K., Henry Garrett, Homayon Ershadi, Darshan Aulakh, Navdeep Singh, Yoav Levi, Sukhdeep Singh, Musa Sattari, David Menkin, Scott Adkins, Eyad Zoubi, Julian Lewis Jones, Christian Contreras, Lauren Shaw, Zachary Becker, John Antonini, Jessica Ann Collins, Fredric Lehne, Ashraf Telfah, Jonathan Olley, Ben Lambert, Manraaj Singh, Tushaar Mehra, Daniel Lapaine, Udayan Baijal;
Production year: 2012;
Genre: thriller, drama, history, war;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 157 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,4;
“American Sniper”, 2014
Director: Clint Eastwood
Based on the autobiography of Chris Kyle, a Navy SEAL sniper, the film depicts his experiences in Iraq and the impact of his military service on his life and family.
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Kyle Gallner, Cole Konis, Ben Reed, Elise Robertson, Luke Sunshine, Troy Vincent, Brandon Salgado Telis, Keir O'Donnell, Marnette Patterson, Billy Miller, Leonard Roberts, Jason Walsh, Reynaldo Gallegos, Kevin Lacz, Jake McDorman, Cory Hardrict, Eric Ladin, Brando Eaton, James Ryen, Luke Grimes, Jonathan Kowalsky, Shane Habberstad, Sammy Sheik, Kevin Ryan, Evan Gamble, Benjamin Mathes, Tim Griffin, Luis Jose Lopez, Brian Hallisay, Erik Aude, Jad Mhidi Senhaji, Navid Negahban, Fehd Benchemsi, Eric Close, Zack Duhame, Mido Hamada, Kathe E. Mazur, Sam Jaeger, Chance Kelly, Ryan Sadaghiani, Ayman Samman, Assaf Cohen, Fahim Fazli, Salah Salea, Hector Bucio, Aidan McGraw, Jonathan Groff;
Production year: 2014;
Genre: action, drama, war, biography;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 132 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,3;
More information about the film “American Sniper” on the website imdb.com
“Eye in the Sky”, 2015
Director: Gavin Hood
A tense thriller that explores the ethical dilemmas of drone warfare, focusing on a military operation to capture a terrorist cell in Kenya.
Starring: Helen Mirren, Alan Rickman, Aaron Paul, Barkhad Abdi, Phoebe Fox, Aisha Takow, Jeremy Northam, Iain Glen, Gavin Hood, Monica Dolan, Faisa Hassan, Armaan Haggio, Bob Chappell, Alex Gallafent, Babou Ceesay, Carl Beukes, Kate Liquorish, Richard Stephenson, Gabriella Pinto, Tylan Wray, Hossain Dahir, Mondé Sibisi, Warren Masemola, Ahmed Mohamed Ali, Lemogang Tsipa, Paul Spauling, Kenneth Fok, Zak Rowlands, Henry Pilime, Sammy Maina, Hassan Abdullah, Ebby Weyime, Vusi Kunene, Mohammed Ali Sahra, Chaltu Ahmed, Frances Chouler, Ed Suter, Richard McCabe, Roberto Kyle, Omar Abu Kadir, Kim Engelbrecht, James Gracie, Dileef Rahim, Robert Omache, Istar Takow, Bronson Mwangi, Lex King, Andrew Ahula, Hilowli Hassan, Abdi Mohamed Osman;
Production year: 2015;
Genre: action, thriller, drama, war;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 102 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,3;
More information about the film “Eye in the Sky” on the website imdb.com
“Sand Castle”, 2017
Director: Fernando Coimbra
This war drama follows a young soldier in Iraq tasked with repairing a water pump in a dangerous village, highlighting the struggles of soldiers in rebuilding efforts amidst chaos.
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Logan Marshall-Green, Henry Cavill, Tommy Flanagan, Glen Powell, Beau Knapp, Neil Brown Jr., Sammy Sheik, Salim Daw;
Production year: 2017;
Genre: action, drama, war;
Duration: 113 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 6,3;
More information about the film “Sand Castle” on the website imdb.com
“The Report”, 2019
Director: Scott Z. Burns
A political thriller based on the real-life investigation into the CIA's use of torture following the 9/11 attacks, examining the moral complexities of national security.
Starring: Adam Driver, Corey Stoll, Evander Duck Jr., Jon Hamm, Linda Powell, Annette Bening, Sandra Landers, John Rothman, Victor Slezak, Guy Boyd, Alexander Chaplin, Joanne Tucker, Maura Tierney, Michael C. Hall, Ian Blackman, Dominic Fumusa, Joseph Siravo, Sarah Goldberg, Lucas Dixon, Fajer Al-Kaisi, Zuhdi Boueri, Douglas Hodge, T. Ryder Smith, Carlos Gómez, Sean Dugan, Tim Blake Nelson, Pun Bandhu, Ben McKenzie, Jake Silbermann, Ratnesh Dubey, Ted Levine, Scott Shepherd, Julia K. Murney, Daniel London, Jennifer Morrison, Hope Blackstock, Matthew Rhys, Kate Beahan, April Rogalski, James Hindman, Austin Michael Young, West Duchovny, Noah Bean, Dick Cheney, John Kerry, Rachel Maddow, John McCain, Donald Rumsfeld, Genevieve Adams, Alex Anagnostidis;
Production year: 2019;
Genre: thriller, drama, crime, biography, history;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 119 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,2;
More information about the film “The Report” on the website imdb.com
“Lone Survivor”, 2013
Director: Peter Berg
Based on the true story of a Navy SEAL team on a mission in Afghanistan, this film portrays their harrowing experiences and the sacrifices made during combat.
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster, Eric Bana, Alexander Ludwig, Ali Suliman, Sammy Sheik, Yousuf Azami, Rich Ting, Dan Bilzerian, Jerry Ferrara, Rick Vargas, Scott Elrod, Gregory Rockwood, Ryan Kay, Patrick Griffin, Josh Berry, Eric Steinig, David Shepard, Justin Tade, Sterling Jones, Jason Riggins, Matthew Page, Nicholas Patel, Daniel Arroyo, Zarin Rahimi, Rohan Chand, Anthony McKenzie, Brian Call, Ishmael Antonio, Samuel Cloud, Perparim «Peter» Bici, Henry Penzi, Robert Loerke, Kurt Carlson, Daniel Fulcoly, Michael P. Herrmann, Paul Craig, Zabiullah Mirzai, John Hocker, Robert H. Doudell, Edmund Blanchet, Jim Cusic, Mikael Ayele, Todd Bethke, Vernon Bradley, Rowdy Brown, Nicoletta Chapman;
Production year: 2013;
Genre: war, action, drama;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 116 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,5;
“The Outpost”, 2019
Director: Rod Lurie
A war film based on the true events at Combat Outpost Keating in Afghanistan, focusing on the intense battle faced by U.S. soldiers against a large Taliban force.
Starring: Scott Eastwood, Caleb Landry Jones, Orlando Bloom, Jack Kesy, Cory Hardrict, Milo Gibson, Jacob Scipio, Taylor John Smith, Jonathan Yunger, Alexander Arnold, George Arvidson, William Attenborough, Chris Born, Ernest Cavazos, Scott Alda Coffey, Jack DeVos, Sharif Dorani, Henry Hughes, James Jagger, Josiah-Jack Kalian, Bobby Lockwood, Kwame Patterson, Daniel Ray Rodriguez, Alfie Stewart, Trey Tucker, Brandon Wengrzynek, Peter Petrov, Aleksandar Aleksiev, Jeremy Ang Jones, Ahmad Sakhi, Anton Trendafilov, Soel Sidiki, Mobin Asoli, Vasil Dimitrov, Celina Sinden, Marin Rangelov, Anna Bankina, Zhan Iliev, Ali Hosayni, Yordan Bikov, Nazam Karakurt, Rohullah Yosufi, M. Scott Mortensen, Simon Feek, Diman Rohlev, Joseph Macrina, Anthony Kenmore, Mihael Donchev, Todor Berov, Derek Morse;
Production year: 2019;
Genre: action, war, drama, history;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 123 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 6,8;
These films collectively provide a diverse perspective on the war on terror, engaging viewers in a dialogue about the far-reaching effects of conflict and the human experiences within it.
In conclusion, the selection of films about the war on terror offers a powerful and thought-provoking exploration of one of the most significant conflicts of our time. These films skillfully depict the complex realities and moral dilemmas faced by individuals caught in the midst of war, shedding light on the human cost and the far-reaching consequences of this ongoing battle. From intense and gritty portrayals of soldiers on the front lines to nuanced examinations of the impact on civilian lives, these films challenge us to confront the complexities of war, the erosion of civil liberties, and the pursuit of justice in an increasingly uncertain world. Through their compelling narratives and poignant performances, they serve as a reminder of the importance of understanding and empathy in the face of conflict.
