Marine Vet Reveals Hollywood's Most Accurate War Movie
War movies tend to promise gritty realism, but according to someone who's actually been there, only a couple really get it right.
Former Marine Corps special operations leader and ex-CIA operative Elliot Ackerman has weighed in on Hollywood's track record — and his top picks are not what you'd expect.
Ackerman, a decorated veteran with a Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart, knows a thing or two about military life. Since retiring, he's built a writing career and recently appeared in a video for Insider, breaking down the accuracy of military films and TV.
His verdict? The two most realistic depictions of Marine Corps life aren't the obvious battlefield epics. Instead, Ackerman gave a perfect 10 out of 10 to:
- Full Metal Jacket (1987)
- A Few Good Men (1992)
On Full Metal Jacket, Ackerman praised the film's brutal, detailed look at boot camp, led by the famously savage drill instructor played by R. Lee Ermey, who was a real-life former instructor:
"Today it isn't quite as brutal and profanity-laced, but I can certainly imagine in 1967 that there was. The Marine Corps is an elite fighting force, but inevitably there are some Marines who can struggle with height and weight standards. This movie really went to great pains to get everything exactly right."
For A Few Good Men, which focuses more on courtroom drama than combat, Ackerman highlighted its portrayal of military culture within a democracy:
"A Few Good Men is a movie that kind of deals with these much larger themes, about the role of military culture inside of a democracy, and I think that conflict is very realistic, and extremely effectively portrayed. This one is so iconic, I got to give it a 10 out of 10. I mean, maybe there are some quibbles on the margins, but I think what A Few Good Men is saying is very realistic."
Both films earned critical acclaim and serious box office returns:
- Full Metal Jacket:
Budget: $30 million
Worldwide box office: $120 million - A Few Good Men:
Budget: $40 million
Worldwide box office: $243.2 million
Ackerman didn't mention Apocalypse Now, though many call it the greatest war film ever made. Likely because it focuses on the U.S. Army in Vietnam rather than the Marine Corps. Still, Full Metal Jacket and A Few Good Men remain his gold standard — one capturing the psychological grind of training, the other the ethical dilemmas of service.
It turns out, according to someone who's actually served, the most realistic military movies aren't always the ones with the biggest explosions — sometimes it's just a courtroom and a drill sergeant with a grudge.