Best war movie

7914 Views 93 Replies 65 Participants Last post by Big Andy1966, Sep 17, 2017

Apok

Discussion Starter · Mar 31, 2017

I like war movies and I'm betting one or two of those here maybe partial to them too.

War movies can be good on many levels. Some focus on the horrors of war, others on the the brotherhoods formed under fire. Themes vary from celebrating the courage and valour of the men involved to the moral dilemmas faced by those forced to kill in defence of their nation to PTSD to spectacular battle scenes and outright heroism in the face of incredible odds.

My favourites are:

Seven Samurai (1954) - An Akira Kurosawa black and white film about 7 masterless samurai who decide to defend a small village against a bandit army. The inspiration for the Magnicent Seven and an epic classic of cinema. My favourite movie of all time. I love how the film portrays the best of the warrior ethos. Honour and courage to protect the weak.

Zulu (1964) - An account of the Battle for Rorkes Drift where 150 British troops successfully fought off 4000 screaming Zulu warriors. 11 Victoria crosses were awarded to those who took part. I'm born English and love how this, now politically incorrect, film celebrates the best of the soldiers of what was the British Empire.

Flesh & Blood (1985) - A fictional story about mercenaries in the middle ages starring Rutger Hauer & Jennifer Jason Lee & directed by Paul Verhoven. A gory, lustful guilty pleasure that has dated over the years, but was one of the first movies I saw that portrayed the ugliness of medieval warfare. I loved it.

Black Hawk Down (2001) - Directed by Ridley Scott with a stellar international cast tells the true story of US troops caught in the middle of a hostile city. BHD managed to portray the heroism of the modern professional soldier fighting in a morally & tactically complicated situation without resorting to the grandiose dramatics of earlier films. I was in basic training when this was released so it was very influential to me.

300 (2006) - The highly stylised retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae based on a comic by Frank Miller (Sin City). 300 Spartan warriors (and some lame Greeks) face off against an army of 100000 Persians. Full of macho warrior BS which I love. Violent, heroic and tragic. The best.

What's your favourite war movie and why?

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hardcalibres

· #2 · Mar 31, 2017

My favorites:

Act of Valor
Zero Dark Thirty
Cross of Iron
Apocalypse Now
Hamburger Hill
Jar Head
Zulu
The Wild Geese
The Dogs of War

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gotjunk

· #3 · Mar 31, 2017

I'll put a nod in for Hacksaw Ridge, even though it's a recent production. There is very little fakery or acting involving death scenes. The story is based on a real person and his actions. The theme is an interesting change from the norm.

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Stinky

· #4 · Mar 31, 2017

Bravo 2 Zero

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GentWoodfield

· #5 · Mar 31, 2017

12 O'clock High.
Das Boot.
Hacksaw Ridge.
Zulu

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nkawtg

· #6 · Mar 31, 2017

A Bridge Too Far
Patton
The Longest Day
The Wings of Eagles
In Harms Way
Midway
Saving Private Ryan

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IamZeke

· #7 · Mar 31, 2017

Wrong forum. I recommend you self report the thread. No penalty or punishment will result.

That said I'll play the game. I like to think I have every half-assed decent war movie since the 50's.

For a complete movie with plot, drama, civilian ramifications, acting, and an ending that isn't cliche then I'm going with Sand Pebbles. Steve McQueen doesn't do cliche, the director mixed in enough human drama, and they were pretty good about detailing a very obscure war that had a lot of future implications.

For a total war drama I'll give Tom Hanks his due. Saving Private Ryan excelled on so many different levels but since everyone has seen it it doesn't help your hunt.

I'll just give you a list of more obscure movies that are worth watching.

March or Die
Khartoum
Pork Cop Hill
Blood Diamond
Kornegal
Three Kings
Lone Survivor
Hamburger Hill
Boys in Company C
Gallipoli
War Horse
Cross of Iron
Das Boot
Enemy at the Gates
Devils Brigade
Windtalkers
Tora Tora Tora
We were Soldiers
Sahara 1995

I could give you 50 more that are entertaining enough, but I held myself to lesser known gems. I'm sitting on hundreds of war movies as it stands. The last one is amusing because it has Jim Belushi in a serious role at a tank sergeant commander in a remake of a good 1943 war movie in its own right. He plays a full serious role and pulls it off with flying colors. It's really a kickass serious war movie that has a comedian playing a stellar straight performance.

Moving away from movies the best television war series was Tour of Duty in the late 1980's. It will completely suck you in. No movie or TV series can rattle your cage like that one does.

A close second is Generation Kill about Iraq.

In documentaries the Battlefield Vietnam series is blistering expose of what really happened. The segments relating to Hue and Khe Sanh will leave you simply amazed at what the American grunt on the ground can endure.

Sadly the best stories are likely going to be found in a few print books on the Korean War. A forgotten war like no other that sent the Western world into the meat grinder. Incredible brutality in every facet and yet largely ignored by Hollywood and even print media. MASH was a complete joke trying to relate that war, but that's how America remembers it 70 years later.

And if you buy one war book in your life then let it be A Bright Shining Lie.

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JBHK1976

· #8 · Mar 31, 2017

March or Die
Hamburger Hill
The fighting SeaBees
Guns of Navarrone
Thin Red Line

Agree on Tour of Duty, watched it with my father every week.

Foreign Legion movies and documentaries are my thing at the moment, those dudes went through hell and back

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gungatim

· #9 · Mar 31, 2017

not a movie but my favorite is Band of Brothers...

also really enjoy Saving Private Ryan, and most any WWII and Vietnam movies.

how about the WORST war movie? The Thin Red Line...one of only 2 movies in my entire life I actually got up and walked out of the theatre on...

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IamZeke

· #10 · Mar 31, 2017

gungatim said:
not a movie but my favorite is Band of Brothers...

also really enjoy Saving Private Ryan, and most any WWII and Vietnam movies.

how about the WORST war movie? The Thin Red Line...one of only 2 movies in my entire life I actually got up and walked out of the theatre on...

Which version? 1964 or 1998?

12vman

· #11 · Mar 31, 2017

gungatim said:
not a

how about the WORST war movie? The Thin Red Line...one of only 2 movies in my entire life I actually got up and walked out of the theatre on...

I did the exact same thing.......horrible movie

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

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Alaskajohn

· #12 · Mar 31, 2017

All based on true events:

We were Soldiers Once (both film and book are excellent)
Black Hawk Down (both film and book are excellent)

For fictional and just for ****s and grins I've also liked Kelly's Heros

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America's Patriot

· #13 · Mar 31, 2017

Can't believe that you movie buffs left out "The Deer Hunter" or didn't mention "Band of Brothers" even though it's a series.

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Bearack

· #14 · Mar 31, 2017

Dirty Dozen
Big red 1
Saving Private Ryan
Sands of Iwo Jima
Brave Heart
the last mohican
The Patriot
Apocalypse now

↑ And as mentioned, the dear hunter and Band of Brothers. Band of Brothers was a brilliant series.

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strvger

· #15 · Mar 31, 2017

Patton
PT109
and all of them that had John Wayne in them.

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nkawtg

· #16 · Mar 31, 2017

I'm adding:
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
The Dam Busters
And I second any war movie done by John Wayne

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Norse Lord

· #17 · Mar 31, 2017

Platoon.

The first war movie that showed 'Fragging".

Platoon.

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Harriman

· #18 · Mar 31, 2017

The Siege of Firebase Gloria
BAT 21
Heartbreak Ridge
Full Metal Jacket
Tora, Tora, Tora
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
Dirty Dozen
Kelly's Hero's
The Great Escape

There are really so many good ones that make up for the crapfest that is Pearl Harbor:taped::taped:

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kayakjohn

· #19 · Mar 31, 2017

some of my favorite

Apocalypse Now
Saving Private Ryan
Lone Survivor
American Sniper
The Gallant Hours
The Patriot
Glory
Gettysburg (1993)
The Guns of Navarone
Force Ten From Navarone
We were Soldiers Once

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Jojo

· #20 · Mar 31, 2017

Where Eagles Dare
A Bridge Too Far
Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence
The Deer Hunter
The Last Samurai
Catch 22

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