Sometimes there is nothing better than watching a good military movie, but it can also be incredibly frustrating for anyone with some military background. This is because often times Hollywood will change real life events or military procedures and responses to line up with their script for better or worse. This can increase the action or drama effect that they want viewers to experience but it can also completely inaccurately depict military life and events. With that said, there have been several times that Hollywood just nailed it and here are some of our favourites.
Real Fighter jets used in “Top Gun: Maverick”
The original “Top Gun” movie was fantastic and many are still in awe of it today. In order to make the movie as realistic as they could, the production team simply rented out really fighter jets from the US Navy. It seems no expense was spared as the movie racked up an $11,000 per hour cost to rent the fighter jet 1l
The Mess Hall Attendant in “Pearl Harbor”
During the Pearl Harbor attack there were many stories of heroics however one in particular stands out. Doris Miller was just a mess hall attendant when the attack began but he immediately jumped in to assist with wounded soldiers. He then headed to an anti-aircraft battery and began operating a AA machine gun shooting down enemy aircraft. After he ran out of ammo, he jumped back into assisting with the wounded. This was depicted in the movie, Pearl Harbor.
Real functional Tiger Tank used in “Fury”
I hate when the military equipment in a military movie doesn’t add up to real work events. In the movie, “Fury”, the production team wanted to keep the tank battles as realistic as possible. As a result, they deployed a real functional Tiger Tank as one of the tanks used in the battle scenes.
Sergeant Hartman being played by a real Drill Instructor in “Full Metal Jacket”
Lee Ermey starred in “Full Metal Jacket” as Sergeant Hartman who was a US Marine drill sergeant. Interestingly enough the Lee was actually a US Marine Drill Instructor during the Vietnam War and fit the role naturally. This was after the original actor selected for Sergeant Hartman was tired of yelling after 30 minutes so Lee stepped in to assist as he was at the set as a technical advisor.
Vietnam War napalm bombing footage in “Apocalypse Now”
The movie, “Apocalypse Now”, was made during 1979 so they didn’t have access to a whole lot of special effects or CGI. In order to make the movie as a realistic as possible, the production team took up discarded film from one of the cameras used to film actual napalm bombings. They then used this footages as the opening.
Authentic WWII German uniforms in “The Last Crusade”
Probably one of the most overlooked aspect of military movies are the uniforms of soldiers. Often times, they are the wrong uniforms for the unit or feature patches that don’t make sense. However, in “The Last Crusade”, they nailed the Nazi uniforms the Germans were supposed to be wearing during World War II. This was because the production team actually went out and sourced real, original Nazi uniforms and used them on sets.
Marcus Luttrell appears in “Lone Survivor”
Probably one of the most well-known facts about the movie, “Lone Survivor”, is that movie features the real Marcus Luttrell in it. Of course, Lone Survivor is centered around Marcus’ story however the real Marcus does not play a major role in the movie, making only a couple appearances.
Enjoy!
