Best Movies Featuring Women in the Military
by gamawire | created - 30 Dec 2015 | updated - 02 Feb 2020 | PublicI have discovered over 1000 movies, originating from more than 45 countries, that have female characters who are in the military. I tend to prefer characters who have non-typical jobs (especially for the era in which the film was produced) and films that show true gender integration in the military (even if all of those feature aliens). These are my top picks.
- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. Aliens (1986)
R | 137 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Decades after surviving the Nostromo incident, Ellen Ripley is sent out to re-establish contact with a terraforming colony but finds herself battling the Alien Queen and her offspring.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn, Paul Reiser
Votes: 762,802 | Gross: $85.16M
2. Aloha (I) (2015)
PG-13 | 105 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A celebrated military contractor returns to the site of his greatest career triumphs and reconnects with a long-ago love while unexpectedly falling for the hard-charging Air Force watchdog assigned to him.
Director: Cameron Crowe | Stars: Bradley Cooper, Rachel McAdams, Emma Stone, Alec Baldwin
Votes: 71,051 | Gross: $20.99M
3. The Americanization of Emily (1964)
Approved | 115 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
An American Naval Officer's talent for living the good life in wartime is challenged when he falls in love and is sent on a dangerous mission.
Director: Arthur Hiller | Stars: James Garner, Julie Andrews, Melvyn Douglas, James Coburn
Votes: 5,662
4. Basic (2003)
R | 98 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A D.E.A. Agent investigates the disappearance of a legendary Army Ranger Drill Sergeant and several of his cadets during a training exercise gone severely awry.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Connie Nielsen, Tim Daly
Votes: 66,493 | Gross: $26.54M
5. Battleship (2012)
PG-13 | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A fleet of ships is forced to do battle with an armada of unknown origins in order to discover and thwart their destructive goals.
Director: Peter Berg | Stars: Alexander Skarsgård, Brooklyn Decker, Liam Neeson, Rihanna
Votes: 257,317 | Gross: $65.42M
6. Courage Under Fire (1996)
R | 116 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
A U.S. Army officer, despondent about a deadly mistake he made, investigates a female chopper commander's worthiness for the Medal of Honor.
Director: Edward Zwick | Stars: Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan, Lou Diamond Phillips, Michael Moriarty
Votes: 59,541 | Gross: $59.03M
7. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
PG-13 | 113 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A soldier fighting aliens gets to relive the same day over and over again, the day restarting every time he dies.
Director: Doug Liman | Stars: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson
Votes: 736,604 | Gross: $100.21M
8. A Few Good Men (1992)
R | 138 min | Drama, Thriller
Military lawyer Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee defends Marines accused of murder. They contend they were acting under orders.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon
Votes: 287,241 | Gross: $141.34M
9. G.I. Jane (1997)
R | 125 min | Action, Drama, War
Lt. Jordan, a US Navy topographic analyst, joins the US Navy Special Warfare Group and struggles to prove her worth in a unit dominated by men. But a cynical woman Texan senator has sold her out.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Demi Moore, Viggo Mortensen, Anne Bancroft, Jason Beghe
Votes: 86,997 | Gross: $48.17M
10. G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)
PG-13 | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
The G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence.
Director: Jon M. Chu | Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum, Adrianne Palicki, Lee Byung-hun
Votes: 187,309 | Gross: $122.52M
11. Grace Is Gone (2007)
PG-13 | 85 min | Drama, War
Upon hearing his wife was killed in the Iraq war, a father takes his two daughters on a road trip.
Director: Jim Strouse | Stars: John Cusack, Emily Churchill, Rebecca Spence, Jennifer Tyler
Votes: 9,697 | Gross: $0.05M
12. Home of the Brave (2006)
R | 106 min | Action, Drama, War
Three soldiers struggle to readjust to life at home after returning home from a lengthy tour in Iraq.
Director: Irwin Winkler | Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, 50 Cent, Jessica Biel, Brian Presley
Votes: 11,241 | Gross: $0.05M
13. The House with Closed Shutters (1910)
Not Rated | 17 min | Short, Drama, War
A Confederate soldier shames his mother and sister by going AWOL during battle. His sister takes his place, with tragic results, leaving him to live out his life in shame, hiding to protect his family name.
Director: D.W. Griffith | Stars: Henry B. Walthall, Dorothy West, Grace Henderson, Charles West
Votes: 581
14. I Was a Male War Bride (1949)
Approved | 105 min | Comedy, Romance, War
After marrying an American lieutenant with whom he was assigned to work in post-war Germany, a French captain attempts to find a way to accompany her back to the States under the terms of the War Bride Act.
Director: Howard Hawks | Stars: Cary Grant, Ann Sheridan, Marion Marshall, Randy Stuart
Votes: 9,213
15. The Lieutenant Wore Skirts (1956)
Approved | 99 min | Comedy
In this hilarious romp starring Tom Ewell, Sheree North and Rita Moreno, a middle-aged ex-serviceman who plans to re-enlist (Ewell) is shocked to learn that not only did he fail his medical... See full summary »
Director: Frank Tashlin | Stars: Tom Ewell, Sheree North, Rita Moreno, Rick Jason
Votes: 292
16. The Lucky Ones (2008)
R | 115 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Three different soldiers - a woman and two men - return from war and facing the peaceful life's problems of each other.
Director: Neil Burger | Stars: Rachel McAdams, Tim Robbins, Michael Peña, Molly Hagan
Votes: 14,543 | Gross: $0.18M
17. My Brother's War (2005)
Not Rated | 115 min | Drama, Romance, War
On the day of her engagement, Grace Kieler finds her family and fiancé divided on political matters. With her future husband off to join the Union army and her brother vowing loyalty to the... See full summary »
Director: Whitney Hamilton | Stars: Dana Bennison, Rebecca Damon, Gerry Green, Whitney Hamilton
Votes: 78
18. Navy Secrets (1939)
Passed | 62 min | Adventure, Thriller
A Navy officer is assigned to break up a spy ring within the service itself.
Director: Howard Bretherton | Stars: Fay Wray, Grant Withers, Craig Reynolds, Wilhelm von Brincken
Votes: 113
19. Never Wave at a WAC (1953)
Approved | 87 min | Adventure, Comedy, Romance
A shallow society matron is urged by her senator father to join the Women's Army Corps.
Director: Norman Z. McLeod | Stars: Rosalind Russell, Paul Douglas, Marie Wilson, William Ching
Votes: 574
20. Return (2011)
Not Rated | 97 min | Drama
A soldier returns to her family, friends, and old job after a tour of duty, though she finds herself struggling to find her place in her everyday life.
Director: Liza Johnson | Stars: Linda Cardellini, Michael Shannon, John Slattery, Talia Balsam
Votes: 1,055 | Gross: $0.01M
21. Gdzie jest general... (1964)
92 min | Comedy, War
Waclaw Orzeszko is unlucky soldier. Nobody from the platoon likes him. One day he decided to go away from platoon. At the castle he meet Russian soldier Marusia. At this time German forces ... See full summary »
Director: Tadeusz Chmielewski | Stars: Elzbieta Czyzewska, Jerzy Turek, Boleslaw Plotnicki, Stanislaw Milski
Votes: 195
22. Soar Into the Sun (2012)
PG-13 | 113 min | Action, Drama, Romance
After he performs a dangerous daredevil stunt at an air show, South Korean Air Force pilot Tae-hun is kicked out of the elite Black Eagles flying team and transferred to a combat unit where... See full summary »
Director: Dong-won Kim | Stars: Rain, Yoo Joon-sang, Kim Seong-su, Lee Hana
Votes: 1,778
23. La France (2007)
Unrated | 102 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
In France in the darkest days of the Great War Camille receives an alarming letter from her soldier boyfriend. Disguising herself as a man she sets off to try and find him. As she lives ... See full summary »
Director: Serge Bozon | Stars: Sylvie Testud, Pascal Greggory, Guillaume Verdier, François Négret
Votes: 580
24. Raising Colors (2018)
TV-MA | 101 min | Drama
Laure, 23 years old, suddenly decides to join the French Navy.
Director: Hélène Fillières | Stars: Lambert Wilson, Diane Rouxel, Alex Descas, Corentin Fila
Votes: 457
Tell Your Friends