Want to know the best USMC Marine movies? How about the worst USMC Marine movies? Curious about USMC Marine movie box office grosses or which USMC Marine movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which USMC Marine movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which ones got the worst reviews? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
This page will rank 31 USMC movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, shorts, cameos and movies that were not released in North American theaters were not included in the rankings.
Drivel part of the page Part 1: Currently our 3rd oldest son is at the quarter mark of his Marine basic training on Parris Island, South Carolina. So now that we proud parents of a Marine….we figured it would be interesting to take a look at how the Marines have been presented on the big screen. During our research we found movies from 1942 to 2015.
Drivel part of the page Part 2: To Aliens or not! During our research we found a few sources that included Aliens as a Marine movie and some that did not. Yet almost all of our sources included Battle: Los Angeles. Well since they battle aliens in that dud of a movie….we decided to include Aliens as well. Plus the fact that James Cameron’s Aliens is one of our all-time favorite movies….made it easier to include the movie.
Marine Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
Year
Movie (Year)
Rating
S
Year Movie (Year) Rating S
1986
Aliens (1986)
1989
Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
AA Best Picture Nom
1992
A Few Good Men (1992)
AA Best Picture Nom
1957
Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
1942
Wake Island (1942)
AA Best Picture Nom
1945
Pride of the Marines (1945)
1949
Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)
1987
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
1943
Guadalcanal Diary (1943)
1951
Halls of Montezuma (1951)
1943
Salute To The Marines (1943)
1955
Battle Cry (1955)
1957
The D.I. (1957)
1951
Flying Leathernecks (1951)
1986
Heartbreak Ridge (1986)
1943
'Gung Ho!': The Story of Carlson's Makin Island Raiders (1943)
1944
Marine Raiders (1944)
2005
Jarhead (2005)
1952
Retreat, Hell! (1952)
2006
Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
2000
Rules of Engagement (2000)
1952
What Price Glory (1952)
1979
The Great Santini (1979)
2011
Battle Los Angeles (2011)
1978
The Boys in Company C (1978)
2017
Megan Leavey (2017)
1961
The Outsider (1961)
2009
Brothers (2009)
1960
All the Young Men (1960)
2002
Windtalkers (2002)
2015
Max (2015)
1987
Death Before Dishonor (1987)
| Year | Movie (Year) | Rating | S |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Movie (Year) | Rating | S |
| 1986 | Aliens (1986) | |
|
| 1989 | Born on the Fourth of July (1989) AA Best Picture Nom |
|
|
| 1992 | A Few Good Men (1992) AA Best Picture Nom |
|
|
| 1957 | Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957) | |
|
| 1942 | Wake Island (1942) AA Best Picture Nom |
|
|
| 1945 | Pride of the Marines (1945) | |
|
| 1949 | Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) | |
|
| 1987 | Full Metal Jacket (1987) | |
|
| 1943 | Guadalcanal Diary (1943) | |
|
| 1951 | Halls of Montezuma (1951) | |
|
| 1943 | Salute To The Marines (1943) | |
|
| 1955 | Battle Cry (1955) | |
|
| 1957 | The D.I. (1957) | |
|
| 1951 | Flying Leathernecks (1951) | |
|
| 1986 | Heartbreak Ridge (1986) | |
|
| 1943 | 'Gung Ho!': The Story of Carlson's Makin Island Raiders (1943) | |
|
| 1944 | Marine Raiders (1944) | |
|
| 2005 | Jarhead (2005) | |
|
| 1952 | Retreat, Hell! (1952) | |
|
| 2006 | Flags of Our Fathers (2006) | |
|
| 2000 | Rules of Engagement (2000) | |
|
| 1952 | What Price Glory (1952) | |
|
| 1979 | The Great Santini (1979) | |
|
| 2011 | Battle Los Angeles (2011) | |
|
| 1978 | The Boys in Company C (1978) | |
|
| 2017 | Megan Leavey (2017) | |
|
| 1961 | The Outsider (1961) | |
|
| 2009 | Brothers (2009) | |
|
| 1960 | All the Young Men (1960) | |
|
| 2002 | Windtalkers (2002) | |
|
| 2015 | Max (2015) | |
|
| 1987 | Death Before Dishonor (1987) | |
USMC Marine Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort USMC Marine movies by the stars in movie
- Sort USMC Marine movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort USMC Marine movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort USMC Marine movies how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each USMC Marine movie received.USMC Marine
- Sort USMC Marine movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Actual B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | B.O. Rank by Year | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | S |
| 1 | Aliens (1986) | Sigourney Weaver & Michael Biehn |
141.00 | 409.6 | 409.60 | 3 | 94 | 07 / 02 | 99.6 | |
| 3 | Born on the Fourth of July (1989) AA Best Picture Nom |
Tom Cruise | 70.00 | 190.1 | 437.20 | 17 | 82 | 08 / 02 | 99.1 | |
| 2 | A Few Good Men (1992) AA Best Picture Nom |
Tom Cruise | 141.30 | 367.1 | 631.80 | 5 | 76 | 04 / 00 | 98.3 | |
| 5 | Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957) | Robert Mitchum & Deborah Kerr |
12.00 | 231.0 | 231.00 | 11 | 80 | 02 / 00 | 97.7 | |
| 4 | Wake Island (1942) AA Best Picture Nom |
Robert Preston & William Bendix |
10.00 | 371.7 | 371.70 | 10 | 70 | 04 / 00 | 97.3 | |
| 8 | Pride of the Marines (1945) | John Garfield | 6.40 | 202.1 | 265.90 | 45 | 73 | 01 / 00 | 96.1 | |
| 6 | Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) | John Wayne | 13.90 | 348.2 | 348.20 | 3 | 70 | 04 / 00 | 96.0 | |
| 10 | Full Metal Jacket (1987) | Directed by Stanley Kubrick | 46.40 | 127.8 | 127.80 | 23 | 88 | 01 / 00 | 94.2 | |
| 7 | Guadalcanal Diary (1943) | Anthony Quinn | 8.60 | 308.0 | 308.00 | 15 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 93.9 | |
| 11 | Halls of Montezuma (1951) | Richard Widmark | 7.60 | 163.2 | 163.20 | 20 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 93.2 | |
| 12 | Salute To The Marines (1943) | Wallace Beery | 5.50 | 199.2 | 199.20 | 47 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 92.5 | |
| 12 | Battle Cry (1955) | Van Heflin | 23.10 | 479.8 | 544.90 | 2 | 59 | 01 / 00 | 92.4 | |
| 12 | The D.I. (1957) | Jack Webb | 7.10 | 137.5 | 137.50 | 31 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 91.7 | |
| 14 | Flying Leathernecks (1951) | John Wayne | 7.40 | 160.2 | 243.30 | 22 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 91.5 | |
| 15 | Heartbreak Ridge (1986) | Clint Eastwood | 42.70 | 124.1 | 124.10 | 19 | 74 | 01 / 00 | 89.2 | |
| 16 | 'Gung Ho!': The Story of Carlson's Makin Island Raiders (1943) | Randolph Scott | 4.80 | 172.0 | 246.90 | 64 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 88.8 | |
| 17 | Marine Raiders (1944) | Robert Ryan | 4.30 | 145.1 | 173.30 | 79 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 85.4 | |
| 18 | Jarhead (2005) | Jake Gyllenhaal & Jamie Foxx |
62.70 | 105.5 | 163.20 | 42 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 84.0 | |
| 20 | Retreat, Hell! (1952) | Frank Lovejoy | 5.60 | 108.9 | 108.90 | 52 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 82.2 | |
| 20 | Flags of Our Fathers (2006) | Directed by Clint Eastwood | 33.60 | 55.1 | 104.30 | 93 | 76 | 02 / 00 | 80.9 | |
| 21 | Rules of Engagement (2000) | Samuel L. Jackson & Tommy Lee Jones |
61.30 | 122.7 | 143.50 | 39 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 80.6 | |
| 23 | What Price Glory (1952) | James Cagney | 5.60 | 108.9 | 108.90 | 53 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 78.3 | |
| 22 | The Great Santini (1979) | Robert Duvall | 9.20 | 39.6 | 39.60 | 68 | 76 | 02 / 00 | 77.5 | |
| 24 | Battle Los Angeles (2011) | Aaron Eckhart | 83.60 | 113.6 | 287.90 | 37 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 70.3 | |
| 25 | The Boys in Company C (1978) | Stan Shaw | 9.20 | 42.5 | 42.50 | 63 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 69.9 | |
| 24 | Megan Leavey (2017) | Kate Mara & Tom Felton |
13.40 | 16.1 | 16.10 | 116 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 68.7 | |
| 27 | The Outsider (1961) | Tony Curtis | 2.20 | 31.4 | 31.40 | 90 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 66.6 | |
| 28 | Brothers (2009) | Jake Gyllenhaal & Natalie Portman |
28.50 | 41.0 | 62.30 | 93 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 66.4 | |
| 29 | All the Young Men (1960) | Sidney Poitier | 4.10 | 64.7 | 64.70 | 67 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 61.1 | |
| 30 | Windtalkers (2002) | Nicolas Cage | 40.90 | 76.0 | 144.30 | 62 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 57.7 | |
| 31 | Max (2015) | Thomas Haden Church | 42.70 | 54.5 | 56.20 | 65 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 55.2 | |
| 32 | Death Before Dishonor (1987) | Fred Dryer | 4.50 | 12.5 | 12.50 | 108 | 47 | 00 / 00 | 14.5 |
Marine Movies Adjusted World Wide Box Office Grosses
Movie (Year)
UMR Co-Star Links
World-Wide Box Office Adjusted (mil)
S
Movie (Year) UMR Co-Star Links World-Wide Box Office Adjusted (mil) S
A Few Good Men (1992)
AA Best Picture Nom
Tom Cruise
631.80
Battle Cry (1955)
Van Heflin
544.90
Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
AA Best Picture Nom
Tom Cruise
437.20
Battle Los Angeles (2011)
Aaron Eckhart
287.90
Pride of the Marines (1945)
John Garfield
265.90
'Gung Ho!': The Story of Carlson's Makin Island Raiders (1943)
Randolph Scott
246.90
Flying Leathernecks (1951)
John Wayne
243.30
Marine Raiders (1944)
Robert Ryan
173.30
Jarhead (2005)
Jake Gyllenhaal &
Jamie Foxx
163.20
Windtalkers (2002)
Nicolas Cage
144.30
Rules of Engagement (2000)
Samuel L. Jackson &
Tommy Lee Jones
143.50
Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
Directed by Clint Eastwood
104.30
Brothers (2009)
Jake Gyllenhaal &
Natalie Portman
62.30
Max (2015)
Thomas Haden Church
56.20
| Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | World-Wide Box Office Adjusted (mil) | S |
|---|---|---|---|
| Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | World-Wide Box Office Adjusted (mil) | S |
| A Few Good Men (1992) AA Best Picture Nom |
Tom Cruise | 631.80 | |
| Battle Cry (1955) | Van Heflin | 544.90 | |
| Born on the Fourth of July (1989) AA Best Picture Nom |
Tom Cruise | 437.20 | |
| Battle Los Angeles (2011) | Aaron Eckhart | 287.90 | |
| Pride of the Marines (1945) | John Garfield | 265.90 | |
| 'Gung Ho!': The Story of Carlson's Makin Island Raiders (1943) | Randolph Scott | 246.90 | |
| Flying Leathernecks (1951) | John Wayne | 243.30 | |
| Marine Raiders (1944) | Robert Ryan | 173.30 | |
| Jarhead (2005) | Jake Gyllenhaal & Jamie Foxx |
163.20 | |
| Windtalkers (2002) | Nicolas Cage | 144.30 | |
| Rules of Engagement (2000) | Samuel L. Jackson & Tommy Lee Jones |
143.50 | |
| Flags of Our Fathers (2006) | Directed by Clint Eastwood | 104.30 | |
| Brothers (2009) | Jake Gyllenhaal & Natalie Portman |
62.30 | |
| Max (2015) | Thomas Haden Church | 56.20 |
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If you do a comment….please ignore the email address and website section.
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Thank you.
You are welcome. We should send it to him on next mail delivery.
Semper Fi… oorah!
Hi Bruce, this is an interesting topic and by including Aliens you’ve made it easier for me to pick my favorite of the group. 🙂
I’ve seen 19 of the 31 films listed – my favorite – Aliens – I’ve seen many times since it’s release in 1986, I can practically quote the whole film. Other favorites include – Battle Los Angeles (not great but a good stab at a conventional war film but set during an alien invasion, the stereo surround sound is ace), Full Metal Jacket (Kubrick’s last great film, fans of Eyes Wide Shut may be disagree), A Few Good Men, Sands of Iwo Jima and The Halls of Montezuma.
Born on the Fourth of July, is a well made well acted film but not a favorite. I remember being disappointed by Clint Eastwood’s Flags of our Fathers, I expected more from that. The flipside Letters from Iwo Jima was actually better.
The highest rated film here I haven’t seen is The D.I. never even heard of this one until a few minutes ago.
Good to see Aliens heading the critics and UMR chart, but was pipped at the post by Battle Cry on adjusted domestic gross.
I remember suggesting you do a Vietnam war movie page a while back, it might be worth considering. Good work as always. Voted Up!
p.s. Sean Penn has somehow crept into the first paragraph of the page, how dare he!
Hey Steve
1. Thanks for the catch on Sean Penn. That has been fixed.
2. We are tied at 19…with Flora at 18.
3. Glad you like Aliens being on the list…a movie buff I work with was giving me a hard time for including it.
4. I agree with you on Born on the 4th of July and Flags.
5. Your suggestion will probably get done in the future.
As always thanks for the feedback.
I have seen 8 of these Marine movies.
The highest ranking film I have seen is A Few Good Men. The lowest ranked film I have seen is The Great Santini.
The highest ranked film I have not seen is Aliens.
My favourite is (not a surprise to anyone who knows me) Halls of Montezuma starring Richard Widmark . Also I love Heaven Knows Mr. Allison.
Hey Flora….thanks for checking out our latest page. Currently your tally is third behind me and Steve. Yes no surprise are your favorite this time. The power of Mr. Widmark. I also enjoyed Heaven Knows Mr. Allison. Thanks for the visit, the comment and the tally. 🙂