Women have been part of the fighting forces in many roles since the dawn of time. It could be in a supporting role, like a nurse or doctor, it could be leading forces, like a queen or a prime minister, or it could be on the frontline as a soldier. Here are 32 times Hollywood depicted women in the military and how they contributed, including some of the best war movies ever made.
Megan Leavey (2012)
Based on a true story, Megan Leavey, starring Kate Mara in the titular role, tells the story of a woman returning from the frontline in Iraq after serving as a K-9 Military Police officer. Upon return, she fights to bring home her dog, Rex, after he has retired from his military duties. It tackles some of the hardest things all soldiers face when they return, including PTSD and other health issues.
Private Benjamin (1980)
On its surface, you might not think of Private Benjamin as a positive portrayal of a woman, in this case, a private in Basic Training played by Goldie Hawn, in the Army. But by showing the titular character conquering her fears and hang-ups, she eventually becomes a proud member of the U.S. Army. It's also hilarious, of course.
A Few Good Men (1992)
The United States Navy has all kinds of jobs that aren't serving on a ship or submarine. One of the most important roles is of a JAG (Judge Advocate General), the lawyers who prosecute and defend members of Navy for crimes in the service. A Few Good Men is one of the best movies telling those stories, and while Tom Cruise is the hero of the movie, Demi Moore plays the most competent and experienced member of the team.
Carve Her Name With Pride (1958)
Throughout history, women have often been spies in military conflicts. World War II was no exception and one of the best portrayals of that comes from the 1958 film Carve Her Name With Pride. Virginia McKenna plays a widowed mother who is recruited for her language skills to serve as a spy for the U.K. in France. It's a raw and brutal depiction that shows women have suffered every bit as horribly as men as POWs.
Return (2011)
Over the 20 years that the United States fought the War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan, many women served on the front line. Some were killed or captured, and many suffered from the same traumas as their male counterparts. Return tells the story of a woman returning from war and struggling to connect with her old life, a story all too common to come out of that war.
Captain Marvel (2019)
Sure, Captain Marvel is a superhero movie and the flawed Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) is a superhero, but she's also an Air Force aviator as depicted in the movie. She and Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch) are fine examples of women in the military even without the superpowers.
Charlotte Gray (2001)
World War II saw contributions from people all over the world, in all walks of life. Charlotte Gray depicts one such example. Cate Blanchett plays a woman recruited to be a British spy and the story plays out as part war movie, part romance with a complicated love triangle created by the war. Charlotte's bravery is not to be discounted, either.
G.I. Jane (1997)
In the wake of the first Gulf War, the idea of women in combat became a very hot political issue. Reflecting that discussion came G.I. Jane in 1997 starring Demi Moore as the first woman recruited into BUDs training to become a Navy SEAL. IF we're honest, it's not the best movie, but it did serve to help normalize the idea that women could serve on the front lines of the U.S. military, including in the most physically demanding positions.
Aliens (1986)
In the future, it's easy to assume women will be just like men in combat and that was obvious even in 1986 when Aliens was released. Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein) is just "one of the guys," as part of the marine detachment assigned to search for life on LV-426. Not only is she an equal in every way, but she far exceeds most of her team with her skills. Women have played an important role throughout the entire Alien franchise.
Courage Under Fire (1996)
Dr. Mary Walker, a surgeon in the Civil War for the Union Army, is the only woman to win the Medal of Honor in real life. The 1996 film Courage Under Fire tells a fictional story of a soldier (Denzel Washington) investigating an incident that could award a woman (Meg Ryan) the highest honor in the United States Armed Forces. While the story is fictional, it is believable, and while it's kind of a forgotten movie, it's well worth a watch.
Causeway (2022)
Jennifer Lawrence's performance as a returning soldier and mother suffering from PTSD and a traumatic brain injury is harrowing and excellent. It shows just how hard it can be for soldiers, men or women, to return to their previous lives. She still can't help but return to the war, as it is what she feels she was born to do.
Golda (2023)
Women have been world leaders forever. As a leader, that often means overseeing military operations at the highest level. 2023's Golda shows just this, following Israeli Prime Minster Golda Meir's (Helen Mirren) leadership during the Yom Kippur War. Mirren's performance may have been a bit of Oscar bait, but it's still an interesting look into the halls of power during the war.
The Woman King (2022)
Myths of all-women fighting forces go back to the Amazons in Greek Mythology. The Agojie, were not a myth, however. The Agojie were an all-female regiment that defended the Kingdom of Dahomey in West Africa at the height of European colonialism. The famous fighters were made even more famous by the 2022 film The Woman King starring Viola Davis as the leader of the force.
Annihilation (2018)
Alex Garland's 2018 sci-fi mystery Annihilation is not easy to love at first, but eventually, it all comes together brilliantly. While it's technically a "scientific expedition" that the film portrays, it's really a military operation too, and the protagonist Lena (Natalie Portman) is former military, alongside the all-female team she's part of.
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999)
The most famous female warrior in Western Civilization is Joan of Arc. The patron saint of France, Joan defended her country to the death, inspiring centuries of French soldiers. The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc is a rare attempt to bring her story to the big screen and while not everything in the movie works, Milla Jovovich's performance is pretty rough, it does tell the story well.
Testament of Youth (2014)
the medical corps of any conflict is every bit as important as the soldiers on the front line. Of course, women have long played their part in that aspect of war. Testament of Youth is about a woman, played by Alicia Vikander, who follows three men she is close with to war during the First World War. She serves as a nurse and feels the full tragedy that was The Great War.
Mulan (1998)
Of course, throughout history, women have often been sidelined in war. Mulan is a version of that story but flipped on its head when the protagonist disguises herself as a man to fight alongside her father in ancient China. Of course, Mulan distinguishes herself in battle, but that isn't even to earn the respect of her fellow soldiers. Until it is.
MASH (1970)
We're highlighting MASH here, not because it's a true representation of women in uniform, but because it inadvertently shows just how hard it can be for women in war. MASH is seen as pretty problematic these days and for good reason, the treatment of "Hot Lips" Houlihan (Sally Kellerman) is pretty despicable.
Starship Troopers (1997)
It seems in the 23rd Century when the wild Starship Troopers takes place, women are common in the military. Sci-Fi has long put women on equal footing - or close to equal - with men and this wild Paul Verhoeven flick is no exception, with women in infantry and pilot roles.
Stripes (1981)
The comedy Stripes may not be the first movie you think of when you think of when you think of women in the military, but it's important to remember that the two women in the movie, played by Sean Young and P. J. Soles are easily the most competent soldiers in the whole movie.
Wings (1927)
During World War I, women were not on the front lines as soldiers, but they did play a huge part in the war effort. This is reflected in one of the greatest early war movies, Wings. Clara Bow plays an American woman who enlists as an ambulance driver in Europe. While the character is not the main focus of the movie, Bow's performance stole the show.
Women Of Valor (1986)
The made-for-TV movie Women Of Valor is a movie not a lot of people have seen, and it doesn't have the greatest production value, but it does tell an important story. It follows a group of female army nurses who, during World War II, are forced on the infamous Bataan Death March alongside the defeated American forces early in the war.
She’s In The Army Now (1981)
If we're being honest here, 1981's She’s In The Army Now, which was really a long pilot for a potential show, isn't the best movie on this list. Sure, you've got Jamie Lee Curtis and Melanie Griffith in very early roles which makes it fun, but it's also a trope salad, built on the back of the success of Private Benjamin a year earlier. Still, it is also an early-ish portrayal of the trials and tribulations women dealt with when they joined the military at the time.
Elizabeth (1998)
Sometimes great military leaders are born into the role. Queen Elizabeth I, who is played brilliantly by Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth, as Sovereign, was the leader of the mighty English military of the 16th Century. Surrounded by plotters looking to usurp her power and take her life, Queen Elizabeth overcomes early defeats on the battlefield to rise up and become one of England's greatest leaders.
The Stopover (2016)
The 2016 French film The Stopover is not an easy movie to watch. Women, like men, suffer from the effects of PTSD, and The Stopover not only shows that in an unflinching manner, but goes further to show women can also fall victim to brutal horrors after returning from the battlefield. This one is not for the faint at heart.
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
So, technically Zero Dark Thirty is really about a woman who works at CIA, played by Jessica Chastain in one of her best roles. Without her, as the movie claims, the US might not have located Osama Bin Laden and taken him out, using Navy SEALs. So while Chastain's character may not be in the military, exactly, it shows that the military relies on women like her.
Eye in the Sky (2015)
Usually in war films, all the important leaders making the tough decisions are men. The generals and colonels are rarely ever female, but Eye In The Sky reverses that, putting a Colonel played by Helen Mirren at the head of an operation to take out a group of terrorists operating in Kenya after one of her men is killed while undercover.
Edge Of Tomorrow (2014)
Edge Of Tomorrow, like a lot of sci-fi movies set in the future, features a woman in a prominent combat role. Emily Blunt not only plays a soldier, but she plays the most competent soldier in the movie, leading her male counterpart (Tom Cruise) on and off the battlefield. It's been widely praised for the reversal of traditional roles in war movies and as one of the best sci-fi movies of all time.
Fort Bliss (2014)
Like a lot of movies that have been inspired by the seemingly endless War on Terror, Fort Bliss tells a powerful story of a soldier returning home and struggling to reconnect with her family, especially her son. It's a movie that flew under the radar when it was released, but is worth seeking out for the great performance by Michelle Monaghan.
The General's Daughter (1999)
One of the more common roles, it seems, for women in the military in the movies is that of Military Police. The General's Daughter is one such example, with Madeline Stowe playing the partner of John Travolta's character, and in many ways, unsurprisingly, the voice of reason in the film.
Enemy At The Gates (2001)
The Battle of Stalingrad in World War II was one of the bloodiest and most brutal battles in world history. There aren't a lot of heroes that came out of it, but one that did emerge was the real-life sniper Tania Chernova. She's played by Rachel Weisz in Enemy At The Gates and while it's disputed just how true-to-life the movie is, the performance by Weisz is great.
The Old Guard (2020)
The Old Guard is an often overlooked sci-fi flick that, like many movies of its genre, is not afraid to put women front and center of battlefields and other combat missions. A cast led by Charlize Theron and KiKi Layne, the movie follows a group of immortal soldiers as they battle their way through modern armies to find a lost comrade.
