· Firestick.io Team · Guides · 12 min read
Memorial Day Movies to Stream: 6 Powerful Stories Worth Saluting This Holiday
Six war films and military dramas worth streaming on your Firestick this Memorial Day weekend — where to find each one, which apps to open, and what to watch first.
I spent this past week tracking down the best Memorial Day films available right now on Fire TV — not just pulling titles from a Wikipedia list, but actually verifying which apps have them, what it costs to watch each one, and which are worth three hours of your weekend. On my Firestick 4K Max, I tested Netflix, Max, and Prime Video back to back. Some of what I found surprised me. A 2025 war film nobody talks about enough is sitting right there on Max. Three legitimately great films are on Netflix right now for no extra charge. And the two that require a rental are absolutely worth the couple of dollars.
This isn’t a trivia list. It’s a streaming guide — where to find each film, how to get there on your remote, and what you’re actually signing up to watch.
The best Memorial Day movies to stream on Firestick right now are Warfare (Max), 1917 (Netflix), Saving Private Ryan (Prime Video rental), Glory (Netflix), All Quiet on the Western Front (Netflix), and Black Hawk Down (Prime Video rental). Three are included with a Netflix subscription. The other three need Max or a Prime Video rental. All are available through native Fire TV apps — no sideloading required.
The 6 Films at a Glance
Before I get into each one — here’s the fast version. Licensing changes constantly, so I’ve listed the confirmed service for each title as of late May 2026. If something has moved, check Prime Video’s rental store as the reliable fallback.
| Film | Year | Where to Watch | Cost | Worth It? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🏆 Warfare | 2025 | Max | Max subscription | Yes — watch first |
| 1917 Critics' Favorite | 2019 | Netflix | Netflix subscription | Yes |
| Saving Private Ryan | 1998 | Prime Video | Rental/purchase | Essential |
| Glory | 1989 | Netflix | Netflix subscription | Yes |
| All Quiet on the Western Front | 2022 | Netflix | Netflix subscription | Yes — Oscar winner |
| Black Hawk Down | 2001 | Prime Video | Rental/purchase | Yes |
1. Warfare (2025)
Warfare
- Alex Garland’s most immersive film yet — shot in near-real time
- Based on a true account from a 2006 Ramadi operation
- No political commentary — just the weight of what happened
- Currently streaming on Max, native Fire TV app
Warfare is the one I keep telling people about. Alex Garland — the director behind 28 Days Later and Ex Machina — made this film with actual Navy SEAL Ray Mendoza, reconstructing a single operation in Ramadi, Iraq in 2006. It doesn’t editorialize. It doesn’t have a hero arc. It just puts you in the room.
I watched it on a Friday night on my Firestick 4K Max and didn’t move for two hours. The sound design alone will rattle your living room. If you have a soundbar or a decent speaker setup, this is the one to use it for.
The catch: you need a Max subscription. If you already have it, this is your first watch of the weekend — no debate.
✓ Pros
- Available on Max's native Fire TV app — one search away
- Most recent film on this list — fresh perspective on combat storytelling
- Based on a true account, with input from the actual participants
- Stunning sound and cinematography — best viewed on a big screen
✕ Cons
- Requires a Max subscription — no free option
- Intense and unflinching — not a background watch, demands full attention
- No traditional narrative arc — may frustrate viewers expecting a conventional story
2. 1917 (2019)
Sam Mendes constructed 1917 as a single continuous shot — or at least the illusion of one — following two British soldiers racing across No Man’s Land during World War I with an urgent message. It won the Oscar for Cinematography and Best Visual Effects, and watching it on a Firestick feels genuinely cinematic in a way that most streaming films don’t.
The pacing is relentless. About forty minutes in, I had to remind myself to breathe. This is one of those films where you feel the physical exhaustion of the characters by the time it’s over.
It’s on Netflix right now — no rental fee, just open the app and search. The 4K HDR version streams cleanly; I watched it at night with the lights off and had zero buffering issues on my 500 Mbps connection.
3. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
This one doesn’t need a description. You already know it. What you might not know is that the Omaha Beach opening sequence — the first twenty-five minutes — remains the most technically accomplished combat scene ever put on film. Spielberg, Hanks, 1998. Still correct.
Saving Private Ryan isn’t currently included in a subscription on Fire TV — you’ll need to rent or purchase it through Prime Video. It’s worth it. This is the one to watch on Memorial Day itself if you’re doing a single film that evening.
To rent it: open Prime Video on your Firestick, search “Saving Private Ryan,” select the rental option, and it plays immediately after purchase. Payment goes through your Amazon account — no extra app sign-in required.
4. Glory (1989)
Glory tells the story of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment — one of the first all-Black units in the Union Army during the Civil War — led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. Denzel Washington won his first Oscar for this film. Matthew Broderick turns in one of his most underrated performances. The final battle sequence is devastating and earned.
It’s on Netflix right now, which means if you watched 1917 the night before, you can follow it up with Glory the next morning and not spend a dollar extra. That’s a solid Memorial Day double feature.
5. All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
The German-language remake of the classic won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film in 2023, and it earned it. This version is grimmer and more unflinching than the 1930 original — the Western Front as a meat grinder that doesn’t care about ideology or age. The lead performance from Felix Kammerer is extraordinary.
This is the Memorial Day watch for people who want the war told from the other side — not the enemy, just another young person caught in the same machinery. It reframes what remembrance means.
It’s on Netflix, included with your subscription, in the original German with subtitles. I watched the full film in a single sitting without reaching for the remote.
6. Black Hawk Down (2001)
Ridley Scott’s account of the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu doesn’t feel like a film that’s twenty-five years old. The chaos is precise, the cast is stacked — Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Hardy in an early role — and the respect for the soldiers on the ground is evident in every frame.
Like Saving Private Ryan, this one requires a rental through Prime Video. Search for it in the Prime Video app on your Firestick, select rent, and it’s yours for 48 hours. A solid choice for Sunday night if you’ve already worked through the Netflix titles.
Which Service Has the Best Memorial Day Selection?
Three of the six films above are on Netflix right now. That makes it the clear anchor app for this weekend — if you’re choosing one subscription to lean on, that’s your answer.
✓ Pros
- Three top-tier Memorial Day films included at no extra cost (1917, Glory, All Quiet)
- Native Fire TV app with reliable 4K HDR playback
- Search works well — find any of these titles in under 30 seconds
- Watchlist feature lets you queue up the weekend's viewing in one go
✕ Cons
- Catalog changes without warning — licensing is never guaranteed long-term
- Premium plan required for 4K HDR on 1917 and All Quiet on the Western Front
- Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down aren't here — you'll need a second app or rental
✓ Pros
- Warfare (2025) is exclusive here — you can't watch it anywhere else right now
- Native Fire TV app available in the Amazon App Store
- Strong overall catalog for war and prestige drama
✕ Cons
- Adds a separate subscription cost if you don't already have Max
- Fewer Memorial Day titles than Netflix in the current lineup
- App can be slow to load on older Firestick models
How to Find These Films on Your Firestick
If you’ve got all three apps set up, the hardest part of Memorial Day streaming is choosing what to watch first. If you’re missing one of them, here’s how to get sorted.
Set Up Netflix, Max, and Prime Video on Firestick
5 stepsSearch for the App
From the Fire TV home screen, press the Search icon (magnifying glass) at the top. Type the name of the app you need — “Netflix,” “Max,” or “Prime Video.” Use the D-pad and on-screen keyboard to type.
Select and Download
When the app appears in results, select it. Choose Get or Download. The app installs automatically — typically takes under a minute on a decent connection.
Sign In
Open the app and sign in with your existing subscription account. Netflix, Max, and Prime Video all support sign-in via a code displayed on screen that you enter on a phone or computer — no need to type a long password with your remote.
Search for Your Film
Once inside the app, use the Search function to find the film by title. All six titles mentioned in this guide have dedicated pages with full details, ratings, and playback options.
Rent or Watch
For films included in your subscription (1917, Glory, All Quiet), just hit Play. For rentals like Saving Private Ryan or Black Hawk Down on Prime Video, select Rent and confirm through your Amazon account. The film starts immediately after purchase.
One More Thing: Buffering Ruins the Omaha Beach Scene
There’s nothing worse than Spielberg’s twenty-five-minute masterpiece freezing at the worst possible moment. If your Firestick starts buffering this weekend, the fix is almost always one of two things: clear the app’s cache (Settings → Applications → [App Name] → Clear Cache) or restart the device entirely. For a deeper fix, check our guide on why your Firestick keeps buffering and how to stop it.
If it’s a persistent issue across multiple apps, your ISP may be throttling streaming traffic during peak hours — that’s exactly what a VPN like Surfshark solves. Install it before your evening session and it encrypts your traffic end to end, so your ISP can’t throttle what they can’t see.
For a full setup walkthrough, our best VPNs for Firestick guide covers every option side by side.
More Firestick Streaming Guides
Looking to set up your Fire TV for the weekend beyond these six films? These are worth bookmarking:
- How to Watch Netflix on Firestick (Setup, 4K, and Troubleshooting)
- 22 Best Firestick Apps in 2026 (Free & Paid)
- How to Clear Cache on Firestick (Fix Buffering & Free Up Space)
Want More Than Movies This Weekend?
If you’re looking to go deeper on military history content — live news, documentary channels, and on-demand military programming — IPTV opens up a lot more than standard streaming apps. Unify IPTV is what I recommend for Fire TV users who want a reliable, well-organized live TV experience alongside their streaming setup.
Explore Unify IPTV for Fire TV
→Get Surfshark VPN — 86% Off
→This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission when you purchase through our links, at no extra cost to you.
Last updated: May 2026
