10 War Films Where Everyone Survives

One of the best movies about the bitterness of the military system, this classic 1973 road/war film about the ways the American military breaks down its soldiers is notable for having no on screen deaths, yet still being one of the most angry and emotional films about war ever made.

Set right at the end of the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War, two soldiers are tasked to escort a young man who has been dishonourably discharged from the Army for petty theft to military jail. Instead of rigidly following procedure, the older more cynical soldiers decide to let the boy embrace his last days of freedom, taking him to underground bars and on chaotic adventures before he gives up his future.

All three central performances are brilliant and represent director Hal Ashby’s perspective on what war does to men brilliantly, with the renegade Jack Nicholson in particular expressing his disdain for military systems beautifully. When it eventually reaches the end of its comedic journey, there is such an intense pain present in all three men, as their momentary bond has to disappear.

Nicholson’s performance in the final scene is more painful than most deaths in conventional war films. A beautiful movie about the scars war can leave even without bloodshed.