The 12 Greatest Navy SEAL Motion pictures, Ranked

Members of the armed companies can and can argue amongst themselves, however within the minds of individuals and popular culture, Navy SEALs loom massive as the image of the USA’ most elite army males. We are able to in all probability thank the fiction of Tom Clancy, and the truth that a SEAL staff that killed Sep 11 mastermind Osama bin Laden, however Hollywood has been enamored with the particular operations pressure for not less than the final three a long time. When a personality in any film is asserted to be both a present or former Navy SEAL, it is a provided that they will not go down simply. After we focus on probably the most ruthless factor a U.S. president can do in need of a nuclear strike, as a rule it is, “Ship in SEAL Workforce 6!”

Whereas motion pictures typically take inventive license, it is honest to say that among the motion pictures that includes Navy SEALs are considerably extra correct than others, simply as some are extra optimistic portrayals than others. All, nevertheless, have a spot on this checklist of the most effective movies to characteristic SEALs. They’re typically the heroes, however they are often the villains too, as a result of little or no is scarier as a risk than an elite hero gone unhealthy. Whatever the totally different tacks they take, all the flicks on this checklist are price your time, although for very totally different causes.

These are the 12 finest Navy SEAL motion pictures. 

Loosely based mostly on the exploits of retired SEAL Chuck Pfarrer, “Navy SEALs” was initially supposed for director Ridley Scott, nevertheless it went to Richard Marquand (“Return of the Jedi”), who died and was changed by Lewis Teague (“The Jewel of the Nile”). Teague had points with the script and the producers, desirous to make an edgier film than “Prime Gun,” with an ending that appeared to rejoice the terrorist villains. Rewritten nearly continually throughout capturing, the ultimate movie shows the identification disaster of a film that directly desires to be over-the-top motion and a critical army procedural. In a very odd determination, the film poorly pays tribute to the seaside volleyball scene from “Prime Gun” by having the staff drunkenly play golf. 

Nonetheless, there’s loads of enjoyable available watching Charlie Sheen excessive on, effectively, let’s be beneficiant and say “adrenaline.” A post-‘Terminator” Michael Biehn practically steals the film from his wilder pal, Dennis Haysbert performs their finest pal, Joanne Whalley-Kilmer is a journalist who helps the SEALs, and better of all, Invoice Paxton glues on a transparently faux mustache to play a sniper named “God.” The movie assumes viewers have by no means heard of the Navy SEALs earlier than, with opening textual content explaining who they’re.

Because the nation moved away from Reagan-era militarism and in the direction of George Bush’s “kinder, gentler nation” in 1990, the film was killed by timing. Nonetheless, within the years since, many SEALs have cited the film as an inspiration to enlist.

Steven Seagal garnered among the uncommon optimistic opinions of his profession as former SEAL Casey Ryback, demoted to the position of cook dinner for insubordination simply as terrorists take over the ship on which he is stationed. Tommy Lee Jones, as the principle CIA turncoat villain disguised as a musician is at his hammy finest, with Gary Busey as his equally evil sidekick. In Seagal’s nook is Playboy Playmate Erika Eleniak, who will get her compulsory nudity out of the way in which early so she will be able to spend the remainder of the film truly creating as a personality. The supporting solid is loaded with nice character actors like Colm Meaney, Bernie Casey, Glenn Morshower, and Kane Hodder.

Director Andrew Davis pointedly tried to make the film that may flip Seagal from a B-action star into an A-list main man, and he succeeded not less than for one film. Seagal had beforehand tried to broaden his vary by happening “Saturday Night time Reside,” for an episode the solid hated doing a lot that it is not even accessible in rerun streaming (Lorne Michaels known as him the largest jerk in “SNL” historical past). Davis, alternatively, received “The Fugitive” because of his evident directorial ability with a restricted lead.

For a short second, although, Seagal was respectable, and expert sufficient in martial arts that he regarded like an unstoppable killing machine onscreen. 

Bruce Willis is at his John Wayne-iest on this motion drama that concurrently embraces and interrogates the white Western savior trope. As SEAL staff chief Waters, Willis goes into Nigeria initially simply to avoid wasting 4 assist staff, earlier than struggling a low-key disaster of conscience and deciding the native refugees ought to come to security as effectively.

Director Antoine Fuqua disagreed with Willis concerning the focus of the movie — the star wished a profitable motion film, whereas the director wished to make some extent about situations in Africa. The previous clearly received out, as not one of the indigenous characters even register as absolutely developed. Nevertheless, the film succeeds in portraying the SEAL perspective — it might seem to be it is making an attempt to remain emotionally indifferent and centered on the supposed heroes, however then it piles on the atrocities till even probably the most stone-cold killers on our aspect cannot flip away. 

The top product is probably not escapist sufficient for motion followers, nor sufficiently life like for these with real-world issues, but in merely trying to show the ethical compromises everybody in a conflict zone should take care of, it lets viewers right into a headspace not typically empathized with by a serious studio.

If you watch “Lone Survivor,” it turns into fully clear that Mark Wahlberg was meant to work with Mel Gibson at some point. As our bodies get ripped open by bullets in gradual movement, the SEAL staff take a beating like Jesus in “The Ardour of the Christ,” with a really Catholic heroism of struggling and martyrdom positioned entrance and heart. The title arguably “spoils” the ending, although it is based mostly on true occasions anyway — the viewer already is aware of Wahlberg’s Marcus Luttrell will survive, and his teammates is not going to. From there, it is only a matter of how a lot he’ll need to endure earlier than he could make it to security. Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, and Ben Foster costar as his doomed compadres.

Based mostly on an unsuccessful real-life army operation to catch a Taliban chief, as recounted in Luttrell’s nonfiction e-book of the identical title, the film by no means helps you to loosen up within the information that the onscreen Luttrell can be tremendous. Relatively, it desires you to make you are feeling the ache he needed to maintain within the title of ostensibly defending you. It is not precisely household viewing, however director Peter Berg stored it genuine by giving actual Nay SEALs “free reign” on set to level out issues or name “lower” on something they felt wasn’t legit.

“Lone Survivor” turned the primary of an unofficial trilogy of real-life-based motion dramas directed by Berg and starring Wahlberg, adopted by “Deepwater Horizon” and “Patriot’s Day.”

Typically much less extremely rated than its predecessor, in all probability because of the lack of Tommy Lee Jones, “Underneath Siege 2” is definitely the higher “Die Laborious” ripoff, with Steven Seagal’s Casey Ryback caught on a dashing prepare filled with terrorists who’ve his daughter, Sarah (a teenage Katherine Heigl). Co-written by Matt Reeves and directed by Geoff Murphy (“The Quiet Earth”), it casts monologuist Eric Bogosian towards kind as a mad genius cyber-terrorist, with Everett McGill (“Twin Peaks”) as his major muscle, memorably licking pepper spray off his personal face in a single scene.

Seagal hardly ever allowed himself to be seen shedding a struggle in motion pictures, however he does permit McGill to get just a few first rate hits in earlier than dispatching him. The supporting solid this time consists of Morris Chestnut, Peter Greene and Kurtwood Smith. By most accounts, Seagal was beginning to throw his weight and ego round in disagreeable methods on set, so despite the fact that the film was a relative success, it was additionally the ultimate “Underneath Siege,” with director Murphy believing the movie was salvaged primarily within the enhancing room.

Navy SEALs right now could take a look at the present iteration of Seagal and wish nothing to do with the man. However for just a few years within the ’90s, he delivered two strong actioners that made the phrase “former SEAL” synonymous with “absolute badass.”

In recent times, “G.I. Jane” has turn into finest often known as the butt of Chris Rock’s joke about Jada Pinkett’s lack of hair, as in comparison with Demi Moore’s buzz lower within the film. But there’s nothing shameful about being in comparison with G.I. Jane’s lead character, Jordan O’Neil (Moore): she’s a butt-kicker who can dangle with the most effective of them, and the (fictional) first feminine Navy SEAL. Actually, there are nonetheless no feminine Navy SEALs, although in 2021, a feminine sailor accomplished the 37-week coaching course to turn into one among their boat operators for the primary time. Possibly it truly is time for a “G.I. Jane 2.”

It might be straightforward to mistake this for the work of Sir Ridley Scott’s late, extra action-oriented brother Tony. Ridley tends to favor grander world-building, whereas Tony was all about hard-hitting motion and one-liners. Maybe stung by having “Alien” upstaged by James Cameron’s “Aliens,” Scott turns Demi into his model of “Rambolina,” as some critics had dubbed Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley. Jordan, and Moore together with her, undergoes bodily transformation into the right warrior, and like Rambo in “First Blood Half II,” should reckon with the truth that she has additionally been set as much as fail. She succeeds anyway — the movie could also be fictionalized, nevertheless it’s not about to let Jordan, or the SEALs, down.

Tom Hanks practically all the time performs good guys, however hardly ever are they examined as a lot as Captain Phillips. Taking part in real-life service provider mariner Richard Phillips, he encounters Somali pirates led by the ruthless Abduwali Muse (Barkhad Abdi), who hijack his ship. Due to sensible considering and crew teamwork, Phillips’ males seize Muse, however the pirates refuse to go away until they’ll take Phillips hostage. Would a Tom Hanks character do something however nobly volunteer for such a thankless, life-threatening? However in fact.

Everybody remembers Muse yelling that he is the captain now; Abdi was Oscar-nominated for his efficiency, an element he had received as the results of a large expertise search. Much less remembered is that Phillips is saved by Seal Workforce 6, a.okay.a. DEVGRU, whose marksmen take out Phillips’ captors simply because it appears he is exhausted each final trick to remain alive. Max Martini, who beforehand labored with Hanks in “Saving Non-public Ryan,” performs the staff’s commander. Because the film ends, repeated assurances of security from the Navy present Phillips with the consolation and reassurance that Hanks’ presence in a film typically equally provides viewers.

Paul Greengrass, finest identified for three of the “Jason Bourne” motion pictures, directed in his signature shaky-cam, kinetic type, and it is really efficient right here.

On-line nitpickers turned excessively obsessive about a doll used as a stand-in for a child in a single scene, in addition to the truth that some particulars of the film could not have been 100% truthful to the precise lifetime of Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle. However dramatic motion pictures usually are not documentaries, actual infants typically get sick or do not present as much as set, and one could as effectively nitpick that Cooper is best wanting than Kyle too. Though Clint Eastwood is legendary partially for enjoying conservative heroes like Soiled Harry, and is a identified Republican, he does not make propaganda movies; on the entire, he does unsentimental character research.

Taking Kyle’s viewpoint could make the Iraq conflict sequences appear oversimplified, however the aftermath is the purpose. Even a veteran who completely believes he was the nice man killing unhealthy guys in his conflict will endure emotional fallout, each on himself and his household. No matter whether or not or not one agrees with Kyle, it is the dichotomy of being expert in fight and not-so-skilled at coping with what comes after that “American Sniper” is actually invested in. You do not have to love the sniper to empathize along with his harm, and his need to assist.

No less than some Academy voters agreed, giving it six award nominations, although its solely win can be for sound enhancing. Its field workplace was extra spectacular, as “American Sniper” turned the largest January film ever. 

After the second live-action Transformers movie, “Revenge of the Fallen,” acquired fan and important backlash over its broadly stereotypical humor and clearly rushed screenplay (the solid and crew knew there have been issues), director Michael Bay went pointedly darker with the third and added 3D. He nonetheless could not win over many critics, however the followers got here again, even when Megan Fox did not. The ultimate movie within the franchise to star Shia LaBeouf additionally recruited Kelsey Grammer and Patrick Dempsey to play the human villains, Frances McDormand as a no-nonsense Director of Nationwide Intelligence, and longtime Transformers fan Leonard Nimoy because the turncoat robotic villain Sentinel Prime.

“Darkish of the Moon” largely places the precise transformation elements of the robots on the again burner, as the key new Decepticon foes, Shockwave and Driller, by no means even show alt-modes. Within the movie’s main motion setpiece, people try and enter a Chicago that has been taken over by hostile robots, inflicting the normally ethical Autobot chief Optimus Prime to snap and declare that he desires to kill each final one among them.

The “Transformers” motion pictures sometimes characterize U.S. army energy with the fictional division codenamed N.E.S.T. Within the Battle of Chicago, nevertheless, they’re backed up by Navy SEALs, as a result of towards tons of of Decepticons, who even have their very own air pressure of non-sentient flying automobiles, a gaggle as small and secretive as N.E.S.T. want the most effective backup they’ll get. Bay, who by no means met a army pressure he did not adore and/or fetishize, makes them shine.

Earlier than Dwayne Johnson turned world-famous, “The Rock” that solid the largest shadow over Hollywood was Michael Bay’s second characteristic, and the film that crystallized his type as quick-cutting, explosion-loving, dirty-joke telling adrenaline junkie catnip. It additionally undoubtedly sparked debates in army circles for years, because it pitted Navy SEALs towards Marines gone rogue. SEALs would possibly argue that to make the match-up extra honest, the SEALs need to put up with reluctant SAS veteran Mason (Sean Connery), and noncombatant scientist Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage). Nevertheless, in addition they as soon as once more have Michael Biehn main the staff, right here going by the title of Commander Anderson. Collectively they need to take again Alcatraz from Common Francis Xavier Hummel (Ed Harris), who has hijacked it as a launch web site for his purloined chemical weapons.

The SEALs don’t survive their mission, however the Marines in the end get taken out by Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery. So who actually wins? The viewers. “Bayhem,” as we now name it, could fetishize the army, nevertheless it’s hardly a practical depiction of the battlefield; moderately, it is an operatic show of the most effective work that pyros, squibs, and quipping actors in uniform can ship.

In an ironic twist, false experiences of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction turned out to be based mostly on the way in which chemical weapons had been cinematically depicted by Bay in “The Rock.”

Kathryn Bigelow adopted up her Oscar-winning “The Harm Locker,” an unflinching take a look at a bomb disposal unit, with “Zero Darkish Thirty,” the story behind the story of how SEAL Workforce Six carried out the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. After they lastly do the deed, it is so abrupt and sudden that it takes the viewer a second to appreciate it even occurred, as a result of Bigelow is devoted to creating it really feel actual moderately than cinematic. A lot of the story, nevertheless, follows CIA analyst Maya (Jessica Chastain) a fictional composite character assigned to search out bin Laden earlier than the SEALs will be despatched in. Joel Edgerton performs the chief of SEAL Workforce 6, with backup that features pre-Marvel turns by Chris Pratt, Frank Grillo, and Mike Colter.

Whereas it was critically praised upon launch, “Zero Darkish Thirty” sustained bipartisan rebukes for its depiction of torture by the CIA. Within the movie, a key suspect will get waterboarded and doesn’t break, however feeding him effectively later is depicted as yielding higher data. On the one hand, that could possibly be learn as torture not working, whereas humane therapy does; on the opposite, it is also seen as endorsing abuse as the required a part of cop, unhealthy cop routine. Or did the CIA feed the filmmakers misinformation? Here is the “Zero Darkish Thirty” controversy, defined. Both method, it is arduous to disclaim it is a nice Navy SEALs film.

In some ways the last word James Cameron film, “The Abyss,” not less than in its most popular Particular Version director’s lower, combines all of the director’s obsessions: underwater exploration, nuclear conflict, iridescent aliens, militarism vs. science, a love story which will decide the destiny of the world, and CG characters (earlier than they had been even a factor!). 

When a U.S. nuclear submarine encounters one thing sudden and sinks to the underside of the ocean, the army sends a SEAL staff all the way down to an underwater diving platform to attempt to retrieve what they’ll. When a storm cuts off communication to the floor, and a world disaster escalates, mining foreman Bud (Ed Harris) and his estranged scientist spouse Lindsay (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) butt heads with SEAL staff chief Coffey (Michael Biehn, once more!) as to their subsequent plan of action. Then the aliens present up.

Coffey, affected by a pressure-related nervous dysfunction, promptly decides to nuke the aliens and successfully makes him the movie’s antagonist. Regardless of Cameron’s anti-violence inclinations, nevertheless, it is by no means so simple as “army unhealthy, scientists good.” After Coffey’s suicidal plan of action kills him, the remainder of his staff assist Bud be taught to breathe oxygenated fluid, so he can get deep sufficient to disarm the stolen warhead. As soon as there, his willingness to self-sacrifice convinces the aliens to not destroy humanity (or, within the theatrical lower, merely serves as a “we are available in peace”-style introduction).