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Best & Worst War Movie's

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I'd recommend seeing Sam Fuller's war films, especially THE BIG RED ONE and STEEL HELMET. He memorably said he'd like to shoot a machine gun in the theatre over the audience so that the viewers would really feel the hell of war (since any film can not simulate the terror of it).
 
Saving Private Ryan - first 20 mins absolutely stunning
Band of Brothers
The Pacific
Black Hawk Down
The War - Excellent documentary on WW2 by Ken Burns
Tora! Tora! Tora!
The Deer Hunter
Patton
Full Metal Jacket - (A lot of folks I know joined USMC because of this movie)
Midway
We were soldiers
The longest day
 
If there ever was an avatar fitting a thread ;) I also agree with most of the choices, I recently re-watched the 'thin red line' which is flawed in places , but pretty good overall. Cheers to none of us HAVING to go to war, wherever it may be.
 
Great list Ron. I would love to get the cap the commander wore in Crimson Tide. I do have one little secret. I actually thought Starship Troopers was a pretty good little popcorn movie. :-) I also thought the battle scenes in Braveheart were very well done. Might be my "Celtic" heritage although as an American I don't actually know anybody in my living family from Europe but Braveheart was really (imo) well done.
 
tyder001 said:
Might be my "Celtic" heritage although as an American I don't actually know anybody in my living family from Europe but Braveheart was really (imo) well done.
Click to expand...

Hi tyder I dont know if this documentary is available where you are but I highly reccomend watching it if you can its called "A History of Celtic Britain"*(BBC)

* it maybe available via youtube
 
1) Lord of the Rings trilogy ---

2) Black hawk down

3) Braveheart

4) Micheal Collins.

5) Zulu

6) Enemy at the Gates

7) Gallipoli

8) King David

9) Kingdom of Heaven

10) Saving Private Ryan.

These ten war films, i enjoyed a lot watching over the year's. Oh before I forget Spartacus with Kirk Douglas great war film.

For everyone who has not seen the Hollywood version of the Micheal Collins story. Some background. Micheal Collins was considered a Terrorist by the British in 1916, but to the Irish people today, he is regarded as a great patriot, and was the commander of the resistance against British rule here in 1916. This movie is set between the years 1916-1922..

There is lot of action so fans of war movies will not be disappointed by this film. Here is part 1 from YouTube, the rest you have to click yourself, if your interested?

[video]http://youtu.be/Aq7bcY9tuao[/video]
 
Has Master and Commander been mentioned yet?

How about this: great scenes in not-great movies:

1) Alexander, battle of Guagamela

2) Enemy at the Gates, Stalingrad, general sniping awesomeness

3) The Eagle, rescuing the captives in the beginning

4) Kingdom of Heaven, Siege of Jerusalem

That's all I can think of right now...
 
I liked "Restrepo". I thought it was a good slice-of-life documentary. You empathize with these soldiers and their struggle. But in the end, they can't hold that territory -- just like every other army that has tried to invade Afghanistan.

I watch "Band of Brothers" every time it it comes on TV. It's probably my all-time favorite war movie. The stories and characterizations are just so good.

And I can't leave out "Combat", even though it was a TV series. Probably not very realistic -- but it was the coolest show on TV when I was a kid. I've seen several episodes recently and it still seems like good drama. Where else can you see Spock as a WWII soldier?

Oh, and no one has mentioned "Das Boot". Be sure to see it subtitled not dubbed.
 
more war related films or docs not yet mentioned that I think are worth watching:

Films:

born on the fourth of july
Yip man



Documentary (traditional):

the world at war (WWII 90+ hours of footage and interviews with survivors)
the Civil War (US) Ken Burns

Documentary (dramatised)

Operation Mincemeat (BBC)
Ocean of Fear (uss indianapolis tragedy)
the untold Battle of Trafalgar (channel 4 UK)
the untold Battle of Britain (channel 4 UK)



and here are some films I would not reccomend:

Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War
Gettysburg (Ronald F. Maxwell 1993)
 
Seeing your post of "Red Dawn" as one of the worst (which I would agree with) reminded me of a documentary that I watched on public broadcasting about 12 years ago. It was about a congressional race between two North Carolinian candidates. The Democratic challenger had just given a speech in her the western edge of her prospective district. A man came up to her afterwards to learn more about her opinion on gun ownership. He then asked her if she had ever watched "Red Dawn". She said "no". He then told her that in the movie the communists invaders used the forms required by the government to find those people who owned guns and then arrest them. "It could happen".

Generally, good picks for your "best list" and the creation of your new category. I'd probably add The Great Santini to that one.

Adios.
 
Growing up, I loved the intro to Combat. And they always seemed to be on patrol in the south of France, er, LA?

And since you asked about Spock in an ostensibly rhetorical question: 8)


"just like every other army that has tried to invade Afghanistan." And Vietnam.

Good post, btw.

---------- Post added at 11:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:33 PM ----------

Master and Commander? Absolutetly should be added! Good call.
 
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