Sean Connery as Captain Marko Ramius, The Hunt for Red October
Hollywood isn’t exactly a bastion of truth and enlightenment but they’ve churned out some pretty entertaining foreign policy films over the years. I’ve compiled a list of my favorites. The trailer for each film is provided below, along with a brief snippit detailing why it made the list. Please note that this list does not include the best war films of all time–that top ten list is forthcoming. Stephen Walt and Daniel Drezner generated their own lists in the spring but both seem to be missing a few classics.
10. Charlie Wilson’s War (2007)
Charlie Wilson’s War has a solid cast led by Tom Hanks and Philip Seymour Hoffman, arguably two of the best actors of their respective generations. In addition to examining why Washington supported the mujahadeen in the 1980s, the film illustrates how an enterprising congressman was able to impact U.S. foreign policy in a major way. Most foreign policy films tend to focus exclusively on the CIA or the Department of Defense. This film actually showcases the role Congress plays in making foreign policy. The takeaway here is that congressional appropriators control the purse strings of the U.S. government and by extension many of the levers of U.S. foreign policy.
The only comedy to make the list, Spies Like Us stars Chevy Chase and Dan Akroydintheir prime and features a cameo from Bob Hope. It lampoons the bureaucracies at both State and Defense. The basic training sequence is hilarious.
8. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
This movie has it all: theology, explosions, foreign policy, archaeology, and the Ark of the Covenant. Now, this isn’t a foreign policy film per se, but it checks enough of the boxes to make the list. It’s the first of two apperances from Harrison Ford on this list.
Examines the decision-making process of the Kennedy administration during the thirteen days in October 1962 when the world came frighteningly close to nuclear war. It does a good job of chronicling the tensions between the White House and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Harrison Ford stars as Jack Ryan, the U.S. Naval Academy Professor and CIA analyst, who confronts rogue elements of the IRA in this 1992 classic. James Earl Jones and Samuel L. Jackson are terrific in their supporting roles. Based on the novel by Tom Clancy.
A brutal reminder of the cruelty of man, the impotence of the United Nations, and the unwillingness of member states to intervene in a foreign country when it doesn’t advance their interests. Don Cheadle, Nick Nolte, and Joaquin Phoenix all turn out strong performances.
4. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
A classic political thriller about psychological warfare starring Frank Sinatra. You’ll never look at the Queen of Hearts the same way again.
The greatest threats to America’s national security are those from within. Breach tells the story of the American traitor Robert Hanssen, the FBI analyst who spied for the Soviets and the Russians for more than twenty years. Both Ryan Phillippe and Chris Cooper deliver top-notch performances.
2. The Hunt for Red October (1990)
This is Jack Ryan’s second appearance on this list. The Hunt for Red October stars Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan and Sean Connery as Captain Marko Ramius, a legendary Soviet submarine captain who defects from the Soviet Union during the maiden voyage of the Red October–an advanced nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine. The film also features James Earl Jones and former Republican Senator Fred Thompson. Based on the novel by Tom Clancy.
There’s something in this movie for everyone: romance, nationalism, politics, and foreign policy. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman are outstanding. This movie really is everything that everyone says it is.
Honorable Mention:
Team America: World Police (2004)
A politically incorrect commentary on the paradox of American power. It lampoons both the right and the left but is especially hard on the anti-war left.
A pretty good CIA spook movie. It’s a bit over the top but both Brad Pitt and Robert Redford turn in fine performances. It focuses on the awkward U.S.-Chinese relationship which is both refreshing and prescient.
What are your picks?
Good list. I’d probably add “Red Dawn,” just for grins. And virtually any Tom Clancy movie qualifies for consideration. Had “The Sum of All Fears” remained faithful to the book, it might even top the list.
Back at DTRA we used to joke about Sean Connery’s ability to speak Russian in Scottish.