Top ten war movies

[skypilot]

Seems like I have always enjoyed watching war movies since I was a young kid. Now don't get me wrong I'm not a war hawk or anything, but a good war flick stirs something inside of me...here are my picks, feel free to comment.

1.) Saving Private Ryan (1998)...should be shown uncut on tv every Veterans Day.
2.) Das Boot (1981)....get the directors cut, my favorite foreign war movie.
3.) Twelve O'Clock High (1949)...actual war footage ties in..Peck at his best.
4.) They Were Expendable (1945)...John Fords underrated classic.
5.) Patton (1970)...George C. Scott's role of a lifetime..better on the big screen.
6.) Stalingrad (1993)...gritty, one of the best about the Eastern Front.
7.) Mr. Roberts (1955)..a great study of human character and endurance.
8.) All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)...the war to end all wars..classic to watch.
9.) Gettysburg (1993)...best Civil War movie period..part one of a trilogy.
10.)The Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)...the Marines and John Wayne a natural fit.

few honorable mentionables...Cross of Iron, Gallopli, Stalag 17 and the Blue Max.

[Shwamdoo]

few honorable mentionables...Cross of Iron, Gallopli, Stalag 17 and the Blue Max.

Did you mean Gallipoli? If so, yeah your right. It wasn't a great war movie. To its credit, it was fairly historically accurate.

Patton was a great movie, the American flag sceen is amazing on a big screen.

Saving Private Ryan is simply in a league of its own.

All Quiet On The Western Front is timeless. It is not as entertaining as many war films but it provides insight and much of the footage is real.

The Lost Battalion was a made for TV movie that aired on A&E in 2001. It is one of my favorite war movies and it is extremly factual.

[eisforelectronic]

Blackhawk Down, Full Metal Jacket

[Wireworm5]

My ten in no particularr order. Some have lost their appeal cause I seen them too many times but still worthy of mention.
1. Saving Private Ryan
2. The Lost Battlelion
3. Cross of Iron
4. Stalingrad
5.The Battle of Britain
6. A Bridge too Far
7.The Bridge at Remagen
8.Raid on Rommel
9. Battle of Neretva
10. Pork Chop Hill

[topspeed]

Man, you guys are serious about your war movies! I dunno, I think a "war" flick doesn't necessarily have to be about the war itself but can be set with a war as the backdrop. With that in mind, in no particular order:

1) Band of Brothers (mini-series yes, but still the best war movie ever made, IMO)
2) Saving Private Ryan
3) Shindler's List
4) The Dirty Dozen
5) Midway
6) Kelly's Heros
7) Mash
8) Platoon (I can't believe this hasn't been mentioned yet)
9) Das Boot
10) Glory

Honorable mention to Apocalypse Now, Force 10 From Navarone, Good Morning Vietnam, & Memphis Belle.

[20to20K]

1. All Quiet on the Western Front
2. Glory
3. Paths of Glory
4. Brave Heart
5. Bridge over the River Kwai
6. Saving Private Ryan
7. Gone With the Wind
8. Courage under fire
9. Deer Hunter
10.Casualties of War

[risabet]

No order

1. The Big Red 1
2. A Bridge too Far
3. Saving Private Ryan
4. Patton
5. The Guns of Navarone
6. Midway
7. All Quiet on the Western Front
8. Das Boot
9. U-571 for sound mostly
10. Platoon

[Kam]

everyone's pretty much listed the good ones, so i'll pitch in with just a few others not already mentioned:

7 Year Itch, The Graduate, The Lady Eve, Amelie, Princess Bride, and An Affair to Remember.

Hey, love is war, right?

hehe
peace
k2

[eqm]

Nobody mentioned...?

Ran (Akira Kurosawa)--absolutely BEAUTIFUL samurai battles
Tora! Tora! Tora!--if they only had cell phones in the 40s!
The Great Escape--all star cast!

[dean_martin]

everyone's pretty much listed the good ones, so i'll pitch in with just a few others not already mentioned:

7 Year Itch, The Graduate, The Lady Eve, Amelie, Princess Bride, and An Affair to Remember.

Hey, love is war, right?

hehe
peace
k2

All's fair in both!

[skypilot]

Hey some great picks...sounds like a great theme here. here are another ten I "dug up" that hasn't been mentioned yet...

Sailor of the King
The Desert Rats
Zulu
Objective Burma
The Sand Pebbles
Run Silent, Run Deep
Sink the Bismark
The Windtalkers
When Trumpets Fade
Lawrence Of Arabia

[topspeed]

Does "The Last Samurai" count? Is this a war movie? Either way, I thought this movie was absolutely terrific :D!

[Wireworm5]

Does "The Last Samurai" count? Is this a war movie? Either way, I thought this movie was absolutely terrific :D!

When you think about it, human history is pretty much one war after another. Therefore most films made could be classed as a war movie, like Troy, Commando, Rambo, etc.. But specifically these are military war movies. So Last Samuri would be classed as Action.
And another thing, a pet peeve of mine, I hope I don't offend you Americans but U-571 made me sick cause this movie is actually based on a British operation in WWII and this movie gives credit where it doesn't belong and I think its an insult to the British.

[eisforelectronic]

When you think about it, human history is pretty much one war after another. Therefore most films made could be classed as a war movie, like Troy, Commando, Rambo, etc.. But specifically these are military war movies. So Last Samuri would be classed as Action.
And another thing, a pet peeve of mine, I hope I don't offend you Americans but U-571 made me sick cause this movie is actually based on a British operation in WWII and this movie gives credit where it doesn't belong and I think its an insult to the British.

I thought "U-571" was very clearly fictional and the end dedications mentioned very few Americans.

[20to20K]

...that took place in Austrailia?

American forces are awaiting whether a nulear war has commenced. I think Anthony Perkins is in it and maybe Kirk Douglas. In the end they all just wait for the nuclear
cloud to come and wipe them out.

No battle scenes or anything but I thought the atmosphere and tension really portrayed the climate of a world at war.

[20to20K]

Just googled it. It was "On the Beach" It did not have Douglas but Gregory Peck. It also had
Fred Astaire and Eva Gardner. Good flick!

[Smokey]

Here are few more...

Caine Mutiny with Humphrey Bogart (1954):
<img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0767809688.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg">

Enemy Below with Robert Mitchem (1957):
<img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0001NBMH6.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg">

Southern Comfort with Keith Carradine (1981):
<img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000059TGE.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg">

And the war going nuclear, Fail-Safe (1964):
<img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00004XPPE.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg">

[paul_pci]

One of my favorite war movies I don't think was listed yet was A Midnight Clear. And as dedicated 80s fan, I must also mention Red Dawn. A great "post" Vietnam War movie, if anyone's interested, is Jacknife with De Niro and Ed Harris.

[Worf101]

very leetle!!! Just joking. I used to say that to Smokey every week....

1. "They Were Expendable" - John Ford at his finest in a sensitve and stirring film that shows just how dark the early days were.

2. "Air Force" - Same as above cept Howard Hawks covers the same period from the air. Fake battle at the end sure.. but marvelous anyhow.

3. "Glory" - How often can a film educate (yes we Blacks fought for our own freedom in the Civil War) and move people emotionally with equal aplomb?

4. "Battle of the Bulge" - The end is pure pap but but man what acting. Robert Shaw as Hessler, Bronson as Maj. Wollinski and Fonda.... as Fonda!!!!! Great!

5. "Fort Apache" - Ford and Wayne with Fonda doing his best imitation of Custer. Great film even though in Black and White.

6. "Enemy at the Gates" - Story long overdue, long ignored. If the valiant, long suffering Russian Soldier's hadn't withstood murderous enemies in front and behind them...

7. "Sahara" - Early war Bogart film with a multiracial and multicultural cast that shows the war in the desert in all it's dry, hot and bloody glory.

8. "In Harms Way" - Preminger does WWII but with toy models... how sad.

9. "Sink the Bismark" - Amazing film but again with toy models... but you cared anyway.

10. "The Story of G.I. Joe" - Real soldiers play themselves in a film made while the war was still raging. Some of them went back into action and died after filming was complete.

11. "Tora Tora Tora" - Wow... just plain WOW!!!!

I know it's Eleven so sue me.

Da Worfster :o

[Smokey]

Pheh..... you all know a leetle about war movies....

....very leetle!!! Just joking. I used to say that to Smokey every week....

You used to say alot of things to Smokey every week, including Philistine :D

I forgot all about Sahara movie you mentioned. Not only this movie tackle horrors of war emotionally, but psychologically also :)

[20to20K]

One of my favorite war movies I don't think was listed yet was A Midnight Clear. And as dedicated 80s fan, I must also mention Red Dawn. A great "post" Vietnam War movie, if anyone's interested, is Jacknife with De Niro and Ed Harris.

That WAS an excellent "under the radar" WW2 movie. A very unique story and very well acted. It was the first movie I recall seeing Peter Berg in who, IMO, is a very underrated actor. He was also excellent in "The Last Seduction".

You guys check out " A Midnight Clear" if you haven't seen it. Well worth it!

[skypilot]

More great picks..Midnight Clear very underrated flick. I could list about 50 more but decided to narrown it down to some that get overlooked...

Lifeboat...Hitchcock directed.
The Best Years of Our Lives..post war reality.
By Dawns Early Light..Powers Booth at his best.
Tigerland..Colin Farrell should of won something for his performance
Aces High...British version of the Blue Max..hard to find
Fixed Bayonets..James Dean in Korea
The Beast.. Soviet tank crew on the run in Afghanistan.
The Bedford Incident...excellant Cold War flick..boy what an ending.
Breaker Morant...only movie I can think of dealing with the Boar War.
The Train..best on a true story about stolen art by the nazis.
The Man Who Never Was...again based on a true story..fooled Hitler.

[eisforelectronic]

6. "Enemy at the Gates" - Story long overdue, long ignored. If the valiant, long suffering Russian Soldier's hadn't withstood murderous enemies in front and behind them...


Loved it!!!

[jimmymagick]

Missed "Battleground," an absolute classic 1949 film about the Battle of the Bulge with just about every great stock actor MGM had under contract at the time.

And I really liked "We Were Soldiers." Lord, I was drained at the end of that film.

[wfontenot]

No one mentioned Apocalypse Now - that is a classic!

Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers - tied for the best war movie.

[20to20K]

No one mentioned Apocalypse Now - that is a classic!

Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers - tied for the best war movie.

Apocalypse is VERY high on my list...don't know how I forgot it. This is a very polarizing film. I've found that people either love it (like me) or hated it...kind of like Tarrentino movies. I'm sure not everyone on this thread is in the hate it category so it looks like I'm not the only one who forgot it.

I just remembered another great foreign war film. "Bullet in the Head" by (then) Hong Kong director John Woo. Kind of a Hong Kong version of Deer Hunter. Very realistic and distrubing...and educational. I didn't realize Hong Kong played such a significant role in the Vietnam War. Of course it was still just a movie...

[Defshep]

I'm glad someone finally mentioned We Were Soldiers. A war movie with lots of heart. Doesn't really take sides. Kinda shows how both sides were fighting for what they thought was right. By the way, what the soldier fights for is not always the same reason as the government's. Did that make sense? Great film.

[20to20K]

I'm glad someone finally mentioned We Were Soldiers. A war movie with lots of heart. Doesn't really take sides. Kinda shows how both sides were fighting for what they thought was right. By the way, what the soldier fights for is not always the same reason as the government's. Did that make sense? Great film.

Great war movie without politics or social commentary. Brilliant battle scenes, great acting, and real emotion both on the battle field and on the bases were the woman were anxiously waiting.

Powerful stuff.

Now that I've added Apocalypse to my list to push Casualties of War off (no brainer) it's hard for me to remove any of the others (like Deer Hunter) to replace it. I guess it's #11 for me.

Another one that hasn't gotten a mention (perhaps because it's not thought of as a war movie) is "Dances with Wolves". I know that there are a lot of Costner bashers out there and that may have something to do with it too, but that is a great film and should garner some consideration.

[paul_pci]

Great war movie without politics or social commentary. Brilliant battle scenes, great acting, and real emotion both on the battle field and on the bases were the woman were anxiously waiting.

Powerful stuff.

Now that I've added Apocalypse to my list to push Casualties of War off (no brainer) it's hard for me to remove any of the others (like Deer Hunter) to replace it. I guess it's #11 for me.

Another one that hasn't gotten a mention (perhaps because it's not thought of as a war movie) is "Dances with Wolves". I know that there are a lot of Costner bashers out there and that may have something to do with it too, but that is a great film and should garner some consideration.

I like Dances with Wolves too, but perhaps off of everyone's radar because it's a movie that seeks strategies for getting along and forging cooperation rather than creating confict. This is why it's important that Costner's character is a soldier: here's a man accustomed to war and conflict, but yet, can learn an alternate method for interaction with another culture tha does not include violence.

[20to20K]

I like Dances with Wolves too, but perhaps off of everyone's radar because it's a movie that seeks strategies for getting along and forging cooperation rather than creating confict. This is why it's important that Costner's character is a soldier: here's a man accustomed to war and conflict, but yet, can learn an alternate method for interaction with another culture tha does not include violence.

Perhaps the most telling line Costner has in the film is(paraphrasing):

"Everything I've been taught to believe about these people is wrong...."

That pretty much sums up any conflict who's foundation is based on ignorance, mistrust, and fear.

[skypilot]

A friend of mine recommended these two movies, each have similar themes but set in different wars...ended up buying both.

Deathwatch..lost Brits stumble upon an German trench full of surprises..creepy WWI flick.

The Bunker... retreating Wehrmacht soldiers face the unknown in '44.

Combat! season 3 is now available on DVD.

[jack70]

Perhaps the most telling line Costner has in the film is(paraphrasing):
"Everything I've been taught to believe about these people is wrong...."
That pretty much sums up any conflict who's foundation is based on ignorance, mistrust, and fear.That's all true... and well & good. But the movie was largely so embraced by Hollywood because it was so politically correct, I'm sad to say. Go out & see The Black Robe, which won a Canadian oscar for best picture. It shows a much more accurate view of Indian life. It's so easy to sit back & judge the past seeing just what we want to. I'm not saying Wolves doesn't have some merit, but it's full of lousy acting, often 2'nd rate, and often borders on satire. And the way it "preaches" it's message is so heavy-handed, it ruins a lot of the good things in it. Just my opinion.. LOL.

Lots of good choices above. Quite a few I need to check out (Enemy at the Gates, When Trumpets Fade, Battle of Neretva, Pork Chop Hill, Cross of Iron, The Beast, Battleground, etc).
My own top choices (today) would probably be... in no particular order:

1- PATTON (saw it again recently... forgot just how good it was)
2- SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (pays homage to all the great classic 40's WW2 action films, but with a modern view and more soul)
3- LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (scary echoes of today's history, with views of the enigma of the Arab mind)
4- BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI
5- THE SAND PEBBLES
6- THE GREAT ESCAPE
7- THE DEER HUNTER
8- PATHS OF GLORY
9- APOCALYPSE NOW
10- BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES- Postwar film, but well done.

Gee, looking at that list, most are all pretty serious Dramas rather than action-adventure type war films. But I still love Kellys Heroes, The Dirty Dozen, Where Eagles Dare, The Guns of Navarone, etc.

Here's a few lesser known... some not yet mentioned, and some that were, that all deserve a note:

CATCH 22-
(not as good as the book, and maybe not as great as the others up here, but is artistically still a very tightly done film)

RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP-
Not as good as the book, but is one of the best early films about Subs. I happen to live in the submarine capitol of the world. Many of friend's dad's were skippers when I was a kid. I even had a birthday party on the George Washington in cub scouts... LOL.

THE TRAIN-
Burt Lancaster film about the French Resistance. Also of note because it's one of Jeanne Moreau's few English films, and she's only one of my top 3 or 4 fave actresses of all time!

LA GRANDE ILLUSION (38)-
A great anti-war film in the tradition of All Quiet On The Western Front & Paths of Glory (both faves). Banned by the Nazi's because of it's message.

SGT YORK-
Gary Cooper in true story of pacifist who becomes our biggest WW1 hero... dir Howard Hawks.

BEAU GESTE ('39)-
Another Gary Cooper classic.... 20'th century version of the 3 musketeers.

30 SECONDS OVER TOKYO-
True story of Doolittle raid. I mention it because there's an aniversary/ public group meeting here next week... and it's well sold out. Won an oscar for special effects (44).

SPARTACUS-
w/ Kirk Douglas & Sir L Olvier. I'm just realizing that with this, Kubrick has 4 films in this thread already... and we haven't even mentioned Barry Lyndon (that's 5!). wow.

KING RAT-
Japaneese prisoner of war camp with a young George Segal. Played with dark intense drama (lord of the flies), as opposed to the upbeat "action & suspense" that The Great Escape or Stalag 17 used.

KHARTOUM-
With C Heston & Sir L Olvier... historical account of General Gordon's defeat by the Mahdi (Arabs). Actually, it's 2'nd rate action-wise, but as a big history buff, I've always liked it.

TORA TORA TORA-
Saw this recently on TV, and it's not as bad as I remembered (it was way long for theaters). More valuable as history than drama, but still really good.

VON RYANS EXPRESS -
Quite entertaining WW2 drama w/Sinatra. Actually as good as The Great Escape in many ways.

SOLDIER OF ORANGE-
Superior Paul Verhoven Dutch film (79) about what happens to some normal teens when the Germans occupy their country in WW2.

5 GRAVES TO CAIRO (43)-
Suspenseful Billy Wilder film w/ von Stoheim as Rommel. Great suspenseful script.

MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD-
One of the few recent films I've seen. It's the best historically accurate film I've ever seen for that period of military history.

THE TUSKEEGEE AIRMEN-
When it comes to pilot films, 12 OCLOCK HIGH is very good, but MEMPHIS BELLE is much more realistic. Most of the pilots (in WW2) were in their teens, not nearly as old as Geezer Peck. Even many wing commanders were only in their early 20's. So Memphis Belle is historically much more accurate.

My dad was a pilot who flew out of Italy. He never talked about the war at all until well into his 60's. I guess it takes that long to accept certain things. But I've since learned a lot of incredible stuff. Anyway, he once mentioned the squadron of Black pilots that was there during that same time. They flew P-51's, which is what he'd always wanted to fly, but was simply too tall (they made a one-size seat, not like jets today LOL). He had high praise for that group of pilots. And I'd never even heard of 'em before.

A few years later the movie comes out, and some time after that, I saw 3 of the orig Tuskeegee pilots on C-SPAN's Washington Journal (live call in show). They were all quite old, but incredibly smart & sharp. I've met a lot of military officers in my day, but these guys were as worthy of praise as any... true heroes... but they were as humble as you could imagine. They were on for an hour, but it went by like that. They were all much more impressive than in the movie. One of those pilots also wrote an amazing book about his life. If I had my way, I'd make the tape of that C-SPAN show mandatory for every kid's high school history class. Both black & white kids could learn a whole lot, about a lot of things.

Finally...
I've read BAT-21, but yet to see the film. I've also never seen Breaker Morant, with Edward Woodward (Boer War).
Quick reviews anyone?

[SlumpBuster]

Someone finally mentioned "Bridge on the River Kwai" and "Sgt. York." Good stuff.

"84 Charlie Mopic" An overlooked vietnam war movie from 1989. Shot from the perspective of a news cameraman cinema verite style. Written and directed by a recon veteran. Think "Blair Witch" but in Vietnam. Good stuff.

Also, I'll admit it if no one else will; I'm a sucker for "Pearl Harbor." Yeah, yeah, I know. Even my wife make fun of me about that one.

[skypilot]

Seems like everybody has their favorites and more...all great picks. I'll take this theme a little further and ask if you were a movie producer with enough money say like Bill Gates, what kind of war movie would you make???...myself my first choice would be Operation Barbarossa, Germany's invasion of Russia in 1941. Would be filmed on location in the Ukraine, with extra cast in the tens of thousands. Lights...camera...tanks!

[jimmymagick]

Someone mentioning "King Rat" reminded me of another great--let's call it army because it's really not a war film: "The Hill."

I seem to remember that Sean Connery was trying to break his typecasting as James Bond and made a film very much akin to "Paths of Glory."

Highly recommended.

[skypilot]

Someone mentioning "King Rat" reminded me of another great--let's call it army because it's really not a war film: "The Hill."

I seem to remember that Sean Connery was trying to break his typecasting as James Bond and made a film very much akin to "Paths of Glory."

Highly recommended.

Connery also had a bit part in The Longest Day, right around the time of his first Bond movie Dr. No. Before SPR the Longest Day was thee D-Day movie..I always thought it was a bit drawn out and top heavy casted but for it's time a good movie. Surprised it hasn't been mention yet.