There are very few great films that capture the spirit and heart of the United States Navy SEALs. Many films feature mentions of the Navy SEALs in some regard, but fail to focus their entire films on these great individuals.
The film “Navy SEALs” starring Charlie Sheen is one of the only Hollywood produced films that focuses on the Navy SEALs. Additionally, the story behind the movie was also written by an actual Navy SEAL.
Are there many other Hollywood produced movies about Navy SEALs? As a film lover I’ve been searching high and low for the best films about the Navy SEALs or films that have strong mentions or ties to the Navy SEALs. In your opinion, what is the best SEAL movie? What are some films that feature storylines focusing on these brave men?
If you have viewed a great Hollywood film that focuses on the Navy SEALs or makes mention of them that is worth checking please comment in reply to this post. Or if you have witnessed a film that “got it all wrong” when it comes to the Navy SEALs tell us about that as well! We want to hear what you have to say when it comes to the best movies featuring Navy SEALs.
September 11th, 2009 - 7:40 pm
Tears of the Sun is a decent one
September 12th, 2009 - 5:27 am
1. The finest hour (pretty good flick)
2. Silver strand (kinda generic)
3. Shadow warriors (hulk Hogan)
4. tears of the sun
5. Frogmen (old school)
6. Operation Redwing (coming soon)
September 12th, 2009 - 8:27 am
No Hollywood movie or TV show has ever gotten it right yet; virtually all of them have focused incorrectly on elements or information which completely skews the final presentation. To make a good movie you have to have major players and minor characters, you have to have angst and conflict, and you have to have situations which heighten the angst or conflict and compound the storyline.
Every man who makes it to the SEAL Teams is a bona fide ALFA MALE, and every man on a SEAL Team is a major player, yet every SEAL is a member of a TEAM and works in concert with his fellows. Braggarts aren’t tolerated well, and glory hounds don’t make it to the Teams. Every SEAL is proud of his accomplishments and generally willing to tell you so in plain language, but every SEAL knows that he has to work as a team member, not as a stand-along rock star. That means cooperation as well as pride of accomplishment.
Navy SEALs are accurately described as “The Quiet Professionals” despite comments to the contrary by military members serving in other branches of the US armed forces. Inter-service rivalries are very much alive and thriving, and it’s doubtful that will change at any point in the foreseeable future. Hollywood movies and TV shows won’t work if there is no conflict, no angst, no superstar with minor character parts in the background… so they never, never, NEVER get it right.
The movie NAVY SEALS was, indeed, written by a Navy SEAL, but he was still serving on active duty when he wrote it, and he had to get permission from the Navy to undertake that activity. One of the conditions which the US Navy insisted upon was that his story, his screenplay must NOT accurately demonstrate the training, the capabilities, the tactics, or the technologies used by the real SEALs. He agreed to that stipulation, and fully complied.
I am a former Navy SEAL. I graduated with Class 59 in 1971 and served on SEAL Team ONE. I can tell you truthfully that any man in the SEAL Team who conflicted with his fellows and ended up “jumping off the Coronado Bay bridge” like Charlie Sheen did in that movie would have been booted from the Team within about 48 hours. There’s no place on the SEAL Teams for grandstanding and showboating, and no place for those who question authority or orders. Minor personal conflicts between men are always going to occur, but anyone who cannot set that minor stuff aside and work seamlessly with his Teammates will be shown to the door and transferred to the fleet without hesitation.
Movies that depict SEAL Instructors as cruel, or sadistic are absolutely inaccurate. Movies that depict SEALs being sent off alone on “secret missions” are inaccurate. Movies that depict SEALs being captured, held as POWs, and escaping are absolutely inaccurate. Movies that show SEALs ignoring orders, doing things their own way, and subsequently ending up as heroes without ever facing any serious problems with disobeying orders are absolutely inaccurate. Movies that depict SEALs as mindless killing machines who care nothing for the humanity around them are absolutely inaccurate.
Hollywood has NEVER gotten it right… and I seriously doubt that they ever will.
Steve Robinson RM2(SEAL)
USN 1970-1978
SEAL Team ONE
Inshore Undersea Warfare Group ONE
Defense Analyst – Soviet Threat specialization 1981-1993
UDT-SEAL Association – Member
POW Network Board of Directors
Naval Special Warfare Archives – SOF Analyst/Contributing Journalist
Disabled American Veterans – Life Member
FORMER Special Investigator – SEAL Authentication Team
CyberSEALs.org – Webmaster
Author – “NO GUTS, NO GLORY – Unmasking Navy SEAL Imposters”
September 12th, 2009 - 9:25 am
Behind Enemy Lines II (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0497329/) was pretty good.
October 1st, 2009 - 9:08 am
HI,
i am a recreational diver with lots of friends, we got talking the other day about scuba films, i am sure that i have seen a film , could be a documentry on the US navy training , all i can remember is loads of young men diving in a pool and staying down at certain given levels and then coming up to get the bends? im sure it was the for runner to the dive charts we use today, it would be a great film to show the studants of today to see what these guys had to go through to get the charts of today.
any help is welcome
many thanks
Trevor UK
October 13th, 2009 - 10:11 pm
I think that the movie, The Rock, was awesome. The film was not based on the SEALs but their part in the movie was really cool.
November 13th, 2009 - 5:43 pm
I have yet to see a decent SEAL movie. Lone Survivor is a very good book though. I hope Operation Red wing does it justice.
December 27th, 2009 - 3:09 pm
Hollywood will never get it completely right, Tears of the Sun was good but there was plenty of hollywood still in it, like the “minor” point that they disobeyed a direct order, which subsequently still got most of the refugees killed and most of the team as well, I did like the movie in that it didn’t portray those guys as a bunch of cowboys as they usually do. I am an aspiring SEAL and a film major in high school (its a fine arts high school- way to many liberals). I have high hopes for Operation Redwing if Peter Berg is still doing it. Last I heard he was. But the general problem in making films about SEALs is that the average audience doesn’t admire them for their professionalism or group cohesion. They want to see big explosions and people running around doing flips and what not. I really do hope Operation Redwing does a better job of portraying these heros without all the crap my generation likes to through in to these movies. Maybe if your interested you should just take the time to read the book. Its quite good and completely free of hollywood interference.
December 28th, 2010 - 4:24 am
to Steve Robinson
let me start by saying mad respect to ya when i was young i wanted to be a seal unfortunately i chose the wrong path in life. anyway
acording to Lively Travis Chief Petty Officer Navy since 2001-present BUD/s Class 234 ST-3 ( SEAL Team 3 ) i came across on yahoo answers (tears of the sun) was the best depict lol even i no thats bull evan as a hollywood movie it sucked out loud. my personal fav would be
(the finest hour).
to bad it hasn’t been released on dvd yet only vhs .
December 29th, 2010 - 4:34 pm
One movie not yet mentioned: Under Siege (with Steven Seagal as a lone SEAL… with special circumstances). I’d especially like to hear what Mr. Steve Robinson thinks of that film.
December 29th, 2010 - 6:10 pm
Seals get it done! No movie does their competence, courage and valor justice. Their reward is and always will be – the proud knowingness of accomplishment. We all owe the Seals a debt of gratitude. Larry – Lt. JG USNR 63-68.
January 16th, 2011 - 1:46 pm
I have yet to see any movie depict accurate information concerning SEAL training or operation. Most was done under the cloak of secrecy and avoidance and should stay that way.
David – ST-2 Det. Bravo
April 18th, 2011 - 7:30 pm
you mean G.I. Jane wasn’t an accurate portrayal?
April 21st, 2011 - 10:36 pm
Navy SEALs: BUDS Class 234 (TV mini-series 2000– ) – IMDb discovery channel is a very good series about training and the people who want to be a seal .
thanks to al of you who stand for our freedom,and giving me the ability to raise my kids in a safe environment.may god give you strength to do the work you do.
kind regards johan
April 30th, 2011 - 12:42 pm
i ve just seen an other great movie about navy seal team 6 from 2008.its a movie about honour,brotherhood and the sacrifices men make for the good of mankind,god and country.truly a good movie with an even clearer message with gives me the chills.(Seal.Team.VI.2008) a must see movie.
i wish of al you men and women who trie,or die trieing to make this world a better place, for us and our children and loved ones all the best.and may god bless us all who stand for thruth,honour and love
a sealfan from holland. 5th of may we get to celibrate our freedom again from ww2 .a big hoorah for the men who died for our freedom here in holland .
April 30th, 2011 - 3:16 pm
I honestly wish they did a remake of the movie Navy Seals, the one with Charlie Sheen, except get the people who made Saving Private Ryan to make it, with great actors and up to date effects/cgi & film-making.
Maybe change the storyline a bit, to something more recent!
That would be epic.
May 3rd, 2011 - 7:14 pm
I just wanted to say that i am greatly appreciated, honored, and lucky to have people of our great nation that represent the fighting spirit of the U.S. Navy and those who have gone before them to defend freedom and democracy around the world. I am very thankful for those who proudly serve this country’s Navy combat team with honor, courage, and commitment. I proudly salute those; for they just don’t get their SEAL Trident, they earn it.
United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps- Fort McHenry Division- Seaman Frazier
May 25th, 2011 - 2:25 pm
I’m a former special forces soldier. With few words I enjoy the “Navy Seals” movie, because it captures the variety of missions and the ways that SEALs approach their target.
If it was not accurate 100%, the basic reason is that a film MUST NOT show to the public the exact ways that SEALs and generally spec. forces are working and trained.
June 27th, 2011 - 10:31 am
I think Behind Enemy Lines series gives us an insight into the world of Navy SEAls..The fact that they are trained to believe that they can handle any situation and overcome any odds..The great spirit of patriotism and bravery that is inherent in every SEAL.behind Enemy lines Axis of Evil was perhaps the best but the action scenes in behind Enemy lines Columbia were great as well.
June 29th, 2011 - 6:40 am
I’ve been looking for one unique film, however I dont remember it name. the film is about a NAVY SEALS group.
so its a great action film. In the film there are many fights and most of the members of the NAVY SEAL group get killed, I remember only 1 guy and a woman have survived,which was sad. I remember that at the end of the film the good woman fought the bad woman, who was blond, and the good navy seal guy fought the bad guy and killed him with the woman by cutting him into 2 halfs with the help of the good woman. (she helped him in the last minute by holding the sword on the other side and they both raised it upagaist his body) I gave a deep description so you might recognize the film. Thanks you. P.S its not the Charlie Sheen NAVY SEALS FILM.
August 4th, 2011 - 2:35 am
BLACK HAWK DOWN!!! Isn’t that about Navy SEALs????
August 6th, 2011 - 12:55 am
dear burt,
black hawk down isnt about navy seals,but in the real event ,a couple of seals were present in mogadishu,you can read all about it in a book written by howard washdin en steve templin cald:seal team six.http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/navy-seals-read-seal-team-howard-wasdin/story?id=13514696 or http://www.amazon.com/SEAL-Team-Six-Memoirs-Sniper/dp/031269945X.
it is a beautiful book about and certainly worth reading as it is a true story,and even more beautiful how god works trough the life,s of the seals.
for all of you who stand for god and truth,all the best of wishes for the truth will finaly set as free in the end.
greetings a seal fan from holland
August 26th, 2011 - 4:20 pm
Keep your eyes open for “Act of Valor” which will open February 2012. Movie stars active Seals with full cooperation from Navy. I think you’ll find it features the most realistic portrayal of the Seal mission to date. Action set pieces make special operations scenes in “Clear and Present Danger” (which I like) look like community theater.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1591479/
August 31st, 2011 - 9:56 am
Non of yall has read the book (POTUS) by Greg Holden just released. This book tells it all.
December 20th, 2011 - 11:41 pm
the best movies:
1) tears of the sun
2) behind enemie lines 2 and 3
3) Navy Seals
4) different discovery movies like about the class 234
December 27th, 2011 - 4:31 am
Well…i believe, for now, the best movie about them…is TEARS OF THE SUN!!
And Burt…Black Hawk Down was more about the Delta Force!!
January 6th, 2012 - 7:40 am
To Tchabana: Actually I wouldn’t say it was more about the Delta Force. Black Hawk Down mainly focuses on the Army Rangers, all though some of the different squads in the movie are either led by or feature Delta Force members. Also (This is for the all the SEAL fans out there) a great book to read is “SEALs, the U.S. Navy’s elite fighting force”. Unlike most books about Navy SEALs such as “Rogue Warrior” and “Lone Survivor” (which is an amazing book) SEALs isn’t gathered on one person’s views. It features an array of stories including those of the legendary Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle
January 24th, 2012 - 10:34 pm
U S NAVY SEALS ARE THE BEST OF THE BEST!!!!!!! , I SHOULD KNOW.
February 16th, 2012 - 9:34 pm
steel sharks is a good one
February 16th, 2012 - 11:20 pm
Act of Valor.
May 31st, 2012 - 8:23 pm
Um, act of valor?
June 4th, 2012 - 6:47 am
Act of valor is brilliant
June 4th, 2012 - 5:58 pm
I thought Tears of the Sun was a pretty damn good one. Ironically eventhough Bruce Willis was the star of the movie and the Team Leader, he’s the one guy who didn’t fit what most of think the appearance of a Navy seal would look like. Other actors looked the part. Willis didn’t.
January 14th, 2013 - 10:05 pm
Try Tears of the Sun, Act of Valor.