One of the best ways to understand the Korean War, and the mindset of the average American during the conflict is through contemporary, and post-war media. Listed below are various films and music tracks that hold the Korean War as their central focus. Films released between 1950-1953 reveal the raw nature of the American experience during the Korean War. Films produced after the end of the war in Summer, 1953 provide a reactionary perspective on the war in Korea often permeated by the issues of the day as America continued its fight against Communism during the Cold War.
Korean War Era Music
The Steel Helmet (1951)
A ragtag group of American soldiers battle against Communist troops in an abandoned Buddhist temple during the Korean War. [27]
Fixed Bayonets! (1951)
The story of one platoon’s story during the Korean War. Corporal Denno's superiors are methodically killed off until it falls to him to take command. [27]
My Son John (1952)
The Jefferson family is the picture-perfect all-American family in a small town, but their son John returns home after a long absence spouting views that cause them to worry he may be a Communist. [27]
One Minute to Zero (1952)
During the onset of the Korean War, U.S. Army colonel Steve Janowski is a military adviser training the South Korean army, and he is tasked with evacuating American civilians from the war zone. [27]
Pickup on South Street (1953)
A petty thief unknowingly steals a message intended for enemy agents and he then becomes a target for a Communist spy ring. [27]
Take the High Ground (1953)
In 1953, at Fort Bliss, Texas, two Korean War veterans work as drill sergeants and both fall in love with the same woman. [27]
The Glory Brigade (1953)
During the Korean War, an American unit work with Greek troops to perform a reconnaissance mission behind Communist lines. [27]
The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954)
During the Korean War a Navy fighter pilot grapples with with his own ambivalence towards the war, and the fear/anxiety of having to bomb a set of highly defended bridges. [27]
Bamboo Prison (1954)
Corporal Brady is an American soldier captured during the Korean War, and he is taken to a POW camp. There he meets Sergeant Rand a prisoner who is cooperating with the North Koreans. CPL Brady is disgusted by SGT Rand’s actions, but he soon discovers that Rand is actually somewhat of a double agent working to uncover North Korean intelligence. SGT Rand also seduces Tanya Clanton, the wife of an American traitor, in order to exact information. [27]
Prisoner of War (1954)
An American officer during the Korean War infiltrates a Communist-run POW camp in order to investigate the treatment of American prisoners by the enemy. [27]
The Rack (1956)
A Korean War veteran collaborates with the enemy while interred in a POW camp and is court-martialed. [27]
Men in War (1957)
During the Korean War, a American lieutenant and his platoon are behind enemy lines, and have orders to march to Hill 465. [27]
Time Limit (1957)
A former Prisoner of War during the Korean War, Major Harry Cargill admits to having collaborated with the enemy. [27]
Battle Hymn (1957)
A former bomber pilot-turned-minister rejoins the military to fight in the Korean War. [27]
The Hunters (1958)
During the Korean War in 1952 two American pilots become bitter enemies over the same woman but must set their grievances aside when attacked by Chinese fighter jets. [27]
Tank Batallion (1958)
The story of a armored unit during the Korean War in 1951, who are lost behind enemy lines. [27]
Pork Chop Hill (1959)
Set during the Korean War, the film presents acts of true heroism in war, when soldiers in the field fighting, while diplomats and UN officials engage in diplomacy. Gregory Peck leads his 135 man unit on the attack of the Chinese-held Pork Chop Hill. When reinforcements finally arrive, only 25 of Peck's men survive. [27]
All the Young Men (1960)
A platoon leader dies during the Korean War leaving an inexperienced black Sergeant in charge of his squad of belligerent and racist white men. [27]
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
An American POW in the Korean War is brainwashed to be an assassin for an international Communist conspiracy. [27]
War Hunt (1962)
On the front lines of the Korean War an American soldier discovers the horrors of combat and comes at odds with a psychopathic member of his platoon. [27]
Iron Angel (1964)
A small squad of American soldiers during the Korean War is sent to destroy a hidden North Korean mortar position, and runs into a stranded ambulance driven by an American nurse. [27]
Sergeant Ryker (1968)
Set during the Korean War Sergeant Paul Ryker is accused of defecting to Communist China, and then returning to his unit as a spy. He is court-martialed and sentenced to death but Ryker’s attorney believes that he is innocent and asks for a new trial. [27]
M* A* S* H (1970)
The staff of a Korean War field hospital use humor and childish escapades to keep their sanity in the face of the horror of the war. [27]
M* A* S* H (1972-1983)
The staff of an Army hospital in Korea during the Korean War find that laughter is the best way to deal with their situation. [27]
Inchon (1981)
General Douglas MacArthur ‘masterminds’ the amphibious invasion of Inchon in September 1950 during the Korean War. [27]
The Atomic Café (1982)
A collection of 1940s and 1950s United States government-issued propaganda films designed to reassure Americans that the atomic bomb was not a threat to their way of life. The film briefly covers the Korean War. [27]
Heartbreak Ridge (1986)
The film is centralized around the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge during the Korean War where Clint Eastwood's character earned the Medal of Honor as a young soldier in the U.S. Army before he began his career Marine. [27]
Chattahoochee (1989)
A Korean War veteran living in Florida during 1955 has a breakdown and is interred in a mental health facility, where he and other patients are abused. [27]
Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (2004)
Two brothers Jin-tae, and Jin-seok are drafted to fight in the Korean War. Jin-tae becomes a war hero with a growing blood lust that frightens his younger brother.[27]
Welcome to Dongmakgol (2005)
Soldiers from both sides of the Korean divide live among villagers who know nothing of the war. [27]
71: Into the Fire (2010)
71 student-soldiers are left behind to guard the city of Pohang against North Korean forces. [27]
The Front Line (2011)
A film that focuses on the Korean War's final battle which will determine the border between North Korea and South Korea. [27]
Battle for Incheon: Operation Chromite (2016)
A spy ring is sent into Incheon, South Korea to gain intelligence on North Korean positions ahead of the amphibious invasion by UN/US forces. [27]
Ayla: The Daughter of War (2017)
Sergeant Suleyman from the Turkish UN Brigade during the Korean War discovers an abandoned a Korean child. She is very weak, shocked and does not know where her parents are. Although they are unable to communicate the girl immediately becomes an outlet for American soldiers exhausted by hostilities. As the war is coming to an end, Suleyman needs to return home with or without the girl he rescued. [27]
Swing Kids (2018)
A musical set during the Korean War, soldiers at a POW camp plan a tap dancing show to distract both themselves and the prisoners from the hardships of war led by a former Broadway dancer and a North Korean soldier. [27]
The Battle of Jangsari (2019)
A unit of student soldiers are on a mission during the Battle of Incheon in the Korean War in 1950. [27]
The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021)
The film is set during the Second Phase Offensive of the Korean War, during the Battle at Lake Cahngjin. Enduring freezing conditions, the troops on the Eastern Front courageously fight the enemy at Lake Changjin (Chosin Reservoir). The battle was a turning point in the Korean War and demonstrated the courage and resolve of the PVA. [27]
Devotion (August, 2022)
"Devotion" follows the incredible true story behind the book "Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice," written by Adam Makos. The plot follows two aviation pilots who come from different backgrounds but learn to work together for the greater good of their country in the middle of the Korean War. [27]
Fallout (Video Game Series)
Fallout is a video game series that had its initially release in 1997, and it has since grown into one of the biggest role playing game series on the market. Fallout is set within an alternate universe that never evolved from 1950s culture, and takes place between 20 - 200 years after an all out nuclear war between the United States, China, and their respective allies. The game focuses on the potential aftermath of the mass hysteria around communism, and the arms race between democratic and communist nations. While loosely based on the events surrounding the Korean War it has nonetheless drawn widespread attention to the conflict, and immersed younger generations into the culture of a generation that is almost extinct. The series has sold almost 200 million copies since 1997 with the majority of the sales occurring since 2015.