The Gulf War of 1990-91 was broadcast live into living rooms around the world.
Yet only a few films have truly captured what it felt like to be there.
These are the best movies about the Gulf War — from frontline action to political drama.
1. Control Room (2004) 7.3
Genre: Documentary, War · Director: Jehane Noujaim · Cast: Samir Khader, Josh Rushing, Hassan Ibrahim
A chronicle which provides a rare window into the international perception of the Iraq War, courtesy of Al Jazeera, the Arab world’s most popular news outlet. Roundly criticized by Cabinet members and
2. Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) 7.1
Genre: Documentary · Director: Michael Moore · Cast: Michael Moore, John Conyers, Abdul Henderson
Michael Moore’s view on how the Bush administration allegedly used the tragic events on 9/11 to push forward its agenda for unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
3. Jarhead (2005) 6.7
Genre: Drama, War · Director: Sam Mendes · Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard
Jarhead is a film about a US Marine Anthony Swofford’s experience in the Gulf War. After putting up with an arduous boot camp, Swofford and his unit are sent to the Persian Gulf where they are eager t
4. Live from Baghdad (2002) 6.7
Genre: Drama, War, TV Movie · Director: Mick Jackson · Cast: Michael Keaton, Helena Bonham Carter, Joshua Leonard
A group of CNN reporters venture to the Iraqi capital to cover the Gulf War.
5. Three Kings (1999) 6.6
Genre: Action, Comedy, War · Director: David O. Russell · Cast: George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube
A group of American soldiers stationed in Iraq at the end of the Gulf War find a map they believe will take them to a huge cache of stolen Kuwaiti gold hidden near their base, and they embark on a sec
6. Courage Under Fire (1996) 6.5
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Mystery · Director: Edward Zwick · Cast: Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan, Lou Diamond Phillips
A US Army officer, who made a “friendly fire” mistake that was covered up, has been reassigned to a desk job. He is tasked to investigate a female chopper commander’s worthiness to be awarded the Meda
7. The Manchurian Candidate (2004) 6.5
Genre: Thriller, Drama, Mystery · Director: Jonathan Demme · Cast: Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Liev Schreiber
Years after his squad was ambushed during the Gulf War, Major Ben Marco finds himself having terrible nightmares. He begins to doubt that his fellow squad-mate Sergeant Raymond Shaw, now a vice-presid
8. Rules of Engagement (2000) 6.3
Genre: War, Drama · Director: William Friedkin · Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Guy Pearce
A Marine Colonel is brought to court-martial after ordering his men to fire on demonstrators surrounding the American embassy in Yemen.
9. Buffalo Soldiers (2002) 6.3
Genre: Drama, Comedy, War · Director: Gregor Jordan · Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Ed Harris, Scott Glenn
A criminal subculture operates among U.S. soldiers stationed in West Germany just before the fall of the Berlin wall.
10. Bravo Two Zero (1999) 5.8
Genre: War, Action, TV Movie · Director: Tom Clegg · Cast: Sean Bean, Steve Nicholson, Rick Warden
When an elite eight-man British SAS team is dropped behind enemy lines, their mission is clear: take out Saddam Hussein’s SCUD missile systems. But when communications are cut and the team finds thems
These films don’t just show war — they ask hard questions about why we fight and what it costs. Essential viewing for anyone who wants to understand modern conflict.