Top ten war movies

[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.