Peacock Adds ‘American Sniper,’ ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ and More War Movies Ahead of Veterans Day

Peacock subscribers have six additional military movies to choose from ahead of Veterans Day, including “American Sniper” and “Hacksaw Ridge,” two films centered on very different experiences of American combat service.

Both joined the streaming service Nov. 1, alongside “Lone Survivor,” “12 Strong,” “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” and “Unbroken,” according to Peacock’s November schedule. The additions bring stories about Iraq, Afghanistan and World War II together in one place before the Nov. 11 holiday.

For viewers deciding where to start, the lineup covers a lot of ground. It includes small-unit combat dramas, a prisoner-of-war story and an account of an Army medic who went into battle without a weapon. All draw on real people or events, though their screen versions take the liberties that come with Hollywood adaptations.

“American Sniper”

Clint Eastwood’s 2014 film stars Bradley Cooper as Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, with Sienna Miller playing his wife, Taya. Based on Kyle’s memoir, it follows his deployments to Iraq and the strain that repeated returns to combat placed on his family.

The domestic scenes carry much of the movie’s weight. Kyle’s difficulty being present at home takes the story beyond his work behind a rifle, making the film a fit for viewers interested in how war follows service members back into civilian life.

“Hacksaw Ridge”

Andrew Garfield plays Army medic Desmond Doss in Mel Gibson’s 2016 World War II drama. A Seventh-day Adventist who refused to carry a weapon, Doss faced resistance within the Army before serving in the Battle of Okinawa.

The movie’s central rescue is grounded in the military record. Doss’ Medal of Honor citation describes him staying with wounded troops under fire and lowering them down a cliff to safety. The citation credits him with saving 75 men.

The film’s brutal combat scenes make it a difficult watch at times, but Garfield’s performance gives viewers a reason to stick with it.

“Lone Survivor”

Peter Berg’s 2013 film stars Mark Wahlberg as Marcus Luttrell and adapts Luttrell’s account of Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan. Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster and Emile Hirsch play the other members of the four-man SEAL team.

Much of the film stays close to the men as their mission collapses into a desperate fight for survival. The physical punishment is relentless, with falls down rocky slopes compounding the gunfire. Viewers looking for a combat-focused entry will find one here, though the film should be understood as a dramatization of Luttrell’s account.

“12 Strong”

Chris Hemsworth leads the cast of this 2018 film about Army Special Forces soldiers deployed to Afghanistan shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks. Michael Shannon and Michael Peña also star.

The soldiers work with Afghan allies against the Taliban, traveling on horseback through terrain that complicates their mission. That blend of mounted movement and modern American airpower gives the movie its most distinctive sequences. It also places the story at the beginning of a war that would last nearly two decades.

“13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi”

Michael Bay’s 2016 film follows the security contractors who fought during the September 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya. John Krasinski and James Badge Dale star.

Based on Mitchell Zuckoff’s book, co-authored with surviving members of the Annex Security Team, the movie focuses on the men’s response as the attacks unfold. It follows former military personnel on security assignments, a distinction that sets their circumstances apart from those of the active-duty troops portrayed elsewhere in this lineup.

“Unbroken”

Angelina Jolie directs Jack O’Connell as Louis Zamperini, the Olympic runner and Army Air Forces bombardier whose plane crashed in the Pacific during World War II.

The 2014 film follows his survival at sea and subsequent imprisonment by the Japanese. Zamperini spent 47 days adrift before the Japanese captured him. His ordeal continues in the prison camps, where the story focuses on the daily struggle to endure captivity.