Sit long enough through any movie involving men at war and you’re bound to see one of the characters chomping on a cigar. The staple of sophisticated generals and gruff sergeants alike, the cigar has become as iconic to the classic cinema image of the American war machine as the M1 Garand or the Huey helicopter.
Here are five iconic examples of military movies with cigar-smoking men of action.
5. Black Hawk Down: “Miami is not Cuba”
In the 2001 Academy Award-winning film, US Special Operations troops capture a Somali faction leader -named Osman Ali Atto- who is assisting the antagonist faction that made life difficult for peacekeepers in the region. In this scene, General William Garrison tries to tactically question Atto while chatting over cigars.