Movie: The Draft

Top 4 Billed Cast

Campbell Scott
Campbell Scott

Self - Narrator (voice)

Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld

Self

Dan Rather
Dan Rather

Self

Tom Hayden
Tom Hayden

Self

  • HomePage

    The Draft

  • Overview

    Historians, veterans, politicians, and anti-war leaders discuss the history of the military draft in the United States through the Vietnam War, and examine the consequences of its replacement with an all-volunteer professional force currently comprising less than one-half of one percent of the population.

  • Release Date

    2015-04-27

  • Average

    8

  • Rating:

    4.0 starts
  • Tagline

    Race, class, culture — the draft in the 1960s and 1970s was a lightning rod that lit up every schism in American society.

  • Genres

  • Languages:

    English
  • Keywords

Recommendations Movies

Why We Fight: Prelude to War
65%

Why We Fight: Prelude to War(en)

1942-05-27

Prelude to War was the first film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight propaganda film series, commissioned by the Pentagon and George C. Marshall. It was made to convince American troops of the necessity of combating the Axis Powers during World War II. This film examines the differences between democratic and fascist states.

Father Soldier Son
65%

Father Soldier Son(en)

2020-04-15

When Sgt. First Class Brian Eisch is critically wounded in Afghanistan, it sets him and his sons on a journey of love, loss, redemption and legacy.

Go Tell the Spartans
62%

Go Tell the Spartans(en)

1978-07-12

A unit of American military advisors in Vietnam prior to the major U.S. involvement finds similarities between their helpless struggle against the Viet Cong and the doomed actions of a French unit at the same site a decade before.

The Untold History Of The United States
82%

The Untold History Of The United States(en)

2012-11-12

Oliver Stone charts the history of the United States from the Second World War to the present.

Korengal
66%

Korengal(en)

2014-05-30

Korengal picks up where Restrepo left off; the same men, the same valley, the same commanders, but a very different look at the experience of war.

The Fog of War
77%

The Fog of War(en)

2003-10-26

Using archival footage, cabinet conversation recordings, and an interview of the 85-year-old Robert McNamara, The Fog of War depicts his life, from working as a WWII whiz-kid military officer, to being the Ford Motor Company's president, to managing the Vietnam War as defense secretary for presidents Kennedy and Johnson.

2000 Meters to Andriivka
81%

2000 Meters to Andriivka(en)

2025-07-23

Amid the failing counteroffensive, a journalist follows a Ukrainian platoon on their mission to traverse one mile of heavily fortified forest and liberate a strategic village from Russian occupation. But the farther they advance through their destroyed homeland, the more they realize that this war may never end.

The War on Democracy
75%

The War on Democracy(en)

2007-06-15

Set both in Latin America and the United States, the film explores the historic and current relationship of Washington with countries such as Venezuela, Bolivia and Chile. Pilger says that the film "...tells a universal story... analysing and revealing, through vivid testimony, the story of great power behind its venerable myths. It allows us to understand the true nature of the so-called "war on terror". According to Pilger, the film’s message is that the greed and power of empire is not invincible and that people power is always the "seed beneath the snow".

Hearts and Minds
77%

Hearts and Minds(en)

1974-12-20

Many times during his presidency, Lyndon B. Johnson said that ultimate victory in the Vietnam War depended upon the U.S. military winning the "hearts and minds" of the Vietnamese people. Filmmaker Peter Davis uses Johnson's phrase in an ironic context in this anti-war documentary, filmed and released while the Vietnam War was still under way, juxtaposing interviews with military figures like U.S. Army Chief of Staff William C. Westmoreland with shocking scenes of violence and brutality.

They Shall Not Grow Old
78%

They Shall Not Grow Old(en)

2018-11-09

A documentary about World War I with never-before-seen footage to commemorate the centennial of Armistice Day, and the end of the war.

Nazi Concentration Camps
77%

Nazi Concentration Camps(en)

1945-11-29

Produced and presented as evidence at the Nuremberg war crimes trial of Hermann Göring and twenty other Nazi leaders, this film consists primarily of dead and surviving prisoners and of facilities used to kill and torture during the World War II.

The Battle of San Pietro
61%

The Battle of San Pietro(en)

1945-05-03

This documentary movie is about the battle of San Pietro, a small village in Italy. Over 1,100 US soldiers were killed while trying to take this location, that blocked the way for the Allied forces from the Germans. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2005.

City of Ghosts
72%

City of Ghosts(en)

2017-07-14

With unprecedented access, this documentary follows the extraordinary journey of “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently”—a group of anonymous citizen journalists who banded together after their homeland was overtaken by ISIS—as they risk their lives to stand up against one of the greatest evils in the world today.

Let There Be Light
73%

Let There Be Light(en)

1946-12-16

The final entry in a trilogy of films produced for the U.S. government by John Huston. Some returning combat veterans suffer scars that are more psychological than physical. This film follows patients and staff during their treatment. It deals with what would now be called PTSD, but at the time was categorised as psychoneurosis or shell-shock. Government officials deemed this 1946 film counterproductive to postwar efforts; it was not shown publicly until 1981.

The Codes of War
62%

The Codes of War(en)

2025-03-20

War stories about family, ethics and honor include the true story of two U.S. Marines who in a span of six seconds, must stand their ground to stop a suicide truck bomb, a Navy Corpsman who attempts to hold on to his humanity, and a WW2 soldier who gets separated from his squad and is forced to re-evaluate his code.

The Bloody Hundredth
72%

The Bloody Hundredth(en)

2024-03-14

Meet the real-life airmen who inspired Masters of the Air as they share the harrowing and transformative events of the 100th Bomb Group.

In Search of the Last Action Heroes
70%

In Search of the Last Action Heroes(en)

2019-09-01

The most comprehensive retrospective of the '80s action film genre ever made.

Wolf Hound
65%

Wolf Hound(en)

2022-06-03

Inspired by the real-life German special operations unit KG 200 that shot down, repaired, and flew Allied aircraft as Trojan horses, "Wolf Hound" takes place in 1944 German-occupied France and follows the daring exploits of Jewish-American fighter pilot Captain David Holden. Ambushed behind enemy lines, Holden must rescue a captured B-17 Flying Fortress crew, evade a ruthless enemy stalking him at every turn, and foil a plot that could completely alter the outcome of World War II.

Five Came Back
79%

Five Came Back(en)

2017-03-31

The extraordinary story of how Hollywood changed World War II – and how World War II changed Hollywood, through the interwoven experiences of five legendary filmmakers who went to war to serve their country and bring the truth to the American people: John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens. Based on Mark Harris’ best-selling book, “Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War.”

Why We Fight
75%

Why We Fight(en)

2005-01-20

Is American foreign policy dominated by the idea of military supremacy? Has the military become too important in American life? Jarecki's shrewd and intelligent polemic would seem to give an affirmative answer to each of these questions.

Similar Movies

One of Our Own
0%

One of Our Own(en)

2021-12-17

An old Vietnam war veteran struggles with his past when his granddaughter leaves for the military.

Birdy
71%

Birdy(en)

1984-12-14

Two young men are seriously affected by the Vietnam War. One of them has always been obsessed with birds - but now believes he really is a bird, and has been sent to a mental hospital. Can his friend help him pull through?

Friendly Fire
75%

Friendly Fire(en)

1980-11-09

In March 1970, a U.S. Army officer arrived at the Iowa farm of Peg and Gene Mullen and informed them that their son Michael had been killed in Vietnam by "friendly fire." Their determined attempts to learn more about the circumstances of their son's death are the subject of this true account film.

The Deer Hunter
80%

The Deer Hunter(en)

1978-12-08

Three steelworkers enlist in the army and are sent to Vietnam, one leaving behind a rushed marriage, the others a shared love. What they encounter during the war changes their lives forever.

Green Sleeves
0%

Green Sleeves(ko)

1991-08-31

A Korean man fights in the Vietnam War and becomes a P.O.W. His experience turns his views around on the war.

Bullet in the Head
76%

Bullet in the Head(cn)

1990-08-17

Three childhood friends from the slums of Hong Kong flee to war-time Saigon after accidentally murdering a gang leader, but their troubles only escalate.

Good Kill
60%

Good Kill(en)

2015-04-09

In the shadowy world of drone warfare, combat unfolds like a video game–only with real lives at stake. After six tours of duty, Air Force pilot Tom Egan now fights the Taliban from an air-conditioned bunker in the Nevada desert. But as he yearns to get back in the cockpit of a real plane and becomes increasingly troubled by the collateral damage he causes each time he pushes a button, Egan’s nerves—and his relationship with his wife—begin to unravel.

Missing in Action 2: The Beginning
58%

Missing in Action 2: The Beginning(en)

1985-03-01

Prequel to the first Missing In Action, set in the early 1980s it shows the capture of Colonel Braddock during the Vietnam war in the 1970s, and his captivity with other American POWs in a brutal prison camp, and his plans to escape.

Platoon
77%

Platoon(en)

1986-12-19

As a young and naive recruit in Vietnam, Chris Taylor faces a moral crisis when confronted with the horrors of war and the duality of man.

Full Metal Jacket
81%

Full Metal Jacket(en)

1987-06-26

A pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the U.S.-Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue.

Born on the Fourth of July
70%

Born on the Fourth of July(en)

1989-12-20

Paralyzed in the Vietnam war, Ron Kovic becomes an anti-war and pro-human rights political activist after feeling betrayed by the country he fought for.

Black Hawk Down
74%

Black Hawk Down(en)

2001-12-28

When U.S. Rangers and an elite Delta Force team attempt to kidnap two underlings of a Somali warlord, their Black Hawk helicopters are shot down, and the Americans suffer heavy casualties, facing intense fighting from the militia on the ground.

First Blood
75%

First Blood(en)

1982-10-22

When former Green Beret John Rambo is harassed by local law enforcement and arrested for vagrancy, he is forced to flee into the mountains and wage an escalating one-man war against his pursuers.

Rambo: First Blood Part II
67%

Rambo: First Blood Part II(en)

1985-05-21

John Rambo is released from prison by the government for a top-secret covert mission to the last place on Earth he'd want to return - the jungles of Vietnam.

Good Morning, Vietnam
73%

Good Morning, Vietnam(en)

1987-12-23

A disk jockey goes to Vietnam to work for the Armed Forces Radio Service. While he becomes popular among the troops, his superiors disapprove of his humor.

Mururoa 1973
0%

Mururoa 1973(en)

1973-10-08

In 1973 Alister Barry joined the crew of a protest boat (The Fri) to Mururoa Atoll, where the French Government were testing nuclear weapons. Barry records the assembly of the crew, the long journey from Northland, and their reception in the test zone; when The Fri was boarded and impounded by French military he had to hide his camera in a barrel of oranges.

G.I. Jane
65%

G.I. Jane(en)

1997-08-19

In response to political pressure from Senator Lillian DeHaven, the U.S. Navy begins a program that would allow for the eventual integration of women into its combat services. The program begins with a single trial candidate, Lieutenant Jordan O'Neil, who is chosen specifically for her femininity. O'Neil enters the grueling Navy SEAL training program under the command of Master Chief John James Urgayle, who unfairly pushes O'Neil until her determination wins his respect.

A Bright Shining Lie
57%

A Bright Shining Lie(en)

1998-05-30

Something in his past keeps career Army man John Paul Vann from advancing past colonel. He views being sent to Vietnam as part of the US military advisory force a stepping stone to promotion. However, he disagrees vocally (and on the record) with the way the war is being run and is forced to leave the military. Returning to Vietnam as a civilian working with the Army, he comes to despise some South Vietnamese officers while he takes charge of some of the U.S. forces and continues his liaisons with Vietnamese women.

Brothers in Blood
70%

Brothers in Blood(en)

1987-05-12

War is Hell... especially NAM. A group of battle weary soldiers in Vietnam are trapped behind enemy lines. There is no way back. No help on the way. It's only a matter of time and these guys intend to "Die Fighting". Bo Svenson and Peter Hooten together again (Inglorious Bastards) join the Late, great Werner Porchat (as a part-time drag queen commando) in this explosive Italian commando film.

Faith of My Fathers
62%

Faith of My Fathers(en)

2005-05-30

Faith of My Fathers is based on the story of Lieutenant Commander John McCain's experiences as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for five and a half years during the Vietnam War, interleaved with his memories of growing up in a heritage rich with military service.