Hollywood does its best to capture the essence of what it means to be in the military and translate it for a civilian audience in ninety-minute chunks. Sometimes, they fall flat on their face. But, on occasion, there are outstanding moments when they knock it out of the park.
Most big-budget military films often put the focus on the Army or the Marines, leaving Navy films on the sidelines. When sailors do get an opportunity to shine on the silver screen, the glory often goes to the SEALs — or it’s “Top Gun.” But everyone’s already seen “Top Gun” and most sailors would roll their eyes if we mentioned it in this list.
In no particular order, here are six awesome Navy films that you should put on your must-watch list.
Crimson Tide
As was the case with many of the great war films set in the 1990s, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, “Crimson Tide “is a Navy film that showcases the “what-if” scenario of the Russian Federation squaring off against the United States in another “The Day After”-style incident.
Denzel Washington (“The Equalizer”) stars as the mild-tempered XO to Gene Hackman’s (“Unforgiven”) temperamental captain. The two are at odds with one another on how to prevent (or respond to) World War III.
Fun Fact: Though uncredited, Quentin Tarantino wrote much of the pop-culturey dialogue.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Set during the Napoleonic Wars, this film is heavily focused on what it means to complete the mission and the importance of safeguarding the welfare of the troops under them. Russell Crowe is Capt. “Lucky” Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe, “Gladiator”) whose crew aboard the HMS Surprise are locked in seemingly eternal combat with the French privateer Acheron.
This seagoing epic was nominated for ten Academy Awards the year it came out, including Best Picture and Best Director, and would lose all but two (Cinematography and Sound Editing) to “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”
Annapolis
“Annapolis” is an indie drama that follows Jake Huard (James Franco, “Hey Joe”) as he attends the Naval Academy. It’s the story of a poor nobody trying to make it as one of the elite. It kind of toes the line between being a Marine film and a Navy film because it’s never made clear which route he’ll take, but it’s still steeped in Navy traditions.
It tanked at the box office, but eventually found its footing with a home release. The fact that it shows pledges getting hazed upset the Department of the Navy so bad that they called for its boycott. It’s still a great film, in my opinion.
Anchors Aweigh
This 1945 navy film was released just before the Japanese signed the surrender and brought an end to the Second World War. The film follows Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra as two sailors on liberty in golden-age Hollywood. In this musical comedy, the sailors encounter a lost, innocent boy who aspires to join the Navy himself one day. Then, the sailors proceed to hit on his aunt.
It’s nice to see that nothing’s changed in the way sailors think since then.
Down Periscope
Still one of the best military comedies, “Down Periscope” stars Kelsey Grammer (“Frasier”), who plays one of the best worst commanders in the Navy, given an even worse crew of submariners who all manage to fail upwards.
It’s packed full of 90s comedians in their prime. It also stars William H. Macy (“Shameless”), Rob Schneider (“The Waterboy”), and even a young Patton Oswalt (“The King of Queens”).
The Hunt for Red October
What else can be said about “The Hunt for Red October?” It’s a cinematic masterpiece. If you haven’t seen this one yet, you should honestly clear your evening schedule and watch it today.
Set during the conclusion of the Cold War, Sean Connery (“The Rock”) plays a Soviet submarine captain, and Alec Baldwin (“30 Rock”) is a CIA analyst. Both struggle to find peace while their respective forces do everything in their power to avoid it. Technically, “Patriot Games,” “Clear and Present Danger,” “The Sum of All Fears,” and “Shadow Recruit” are all sequels to this masterpiece, but none come close.
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