Top 10 War Movies of all Time

Am Shooting Journal ^ | 10/31/2017 | J Hines

[w1n1]

What’s your top 10 war movies that would make you binge watch all day? This list ranks the best movies about war, battles, and military conflicts. These films recreate some of the most significant events in world history from a variety of perspectives and with a variety of purposes and intentions. Some top war films attempt to recreate as realistically as possible the events that they depict, either from an omniscient perspective permitted by historical study or from the point of view of the soldiers and civilians involved in the conflict itself. Ridley Scott’s Black Hawk Down, for example, was both praised in its time and heavily criticized for bringing a “you are there” sense of realism – and little outside or cultural perspective – to a recreation of the Battle of Mogadishu. The best war movies of all time differ widely in their handling of the subject matter, but they all strike a chord with viewers now and in the time when they came out.

Some of the greatest war films use war as a backdrop to look at larger issues – such as man’s inhumanity to man or the crippling impact of post-traumatic stress – or just as a meditation on war itself. Still other films like Glory and Band of Brothers examine the personal drama of a few individuals, and mine it for larger insights about the meaning of war and the impact that violence has on individual human lives.

Finally, some war films – particularly those made during the classic Hollywood era – are simply adventure films with war providing a compelling setting and situation. The Great Escape, for example, remains a classic not because of its grand ideas about the nature of war, but because it is a ceaselessly entertaining spectacle. No matter what type of film, there’s no denying that these are certainly the best war movies ever.

Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 American epic drama war film set during the Invasion of Normandy in World War II. Directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat, the film is notable for its graphic and realistic portrayal of war, and for the intensity of its opening 27 minutes, which depict the Omaha Beach assault of June 6, 1944. It follows United States Army Rangers Captain John H. Miller and a squad as they search for a paratrooper, Private First Cl…

Full Metal Jacket

Full Metal Jacket is a 1987 war film directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick. The screenplay by Kubrick, Michael Herr, and Gustav Hasford was based on Hasford’s novel The Short-Timers. The film stars Matthew Modine, Adam Baldwin, Vincent D’Onofrio, R. Lee Ermey, Dorian Harewood, Arliss Howard, Kevyn Major Howard, and Ed O’Ross, and its storyline follows a platoon of U.S. Marines through their training and the experiences of two of the platoon’s Marines..

Apocalypse Now

Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American epic adventure war film set during the Vietnam War. Produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, and Robert Duvall. The film follows the central character, U.S. Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard, of MACV-SOG, on a mission to kill the renegade and presumed insane U.S. Army Special Forces Colonel Walter E. Kurtz. The screenplay by John Milius and Coppola..

Platoon

Platoon is a 1986 American war film written and directed by Oliver Stone and starring Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe and Charlie Sheen. It is the first film of a trilogy of Vietnam War films by Stone. Stone wrote the story based upon his experiences as a U.S. infantryman in Vietnam to counter the vision of the war portrayed in John Wayne’s The Green Berets. It was the first Hollywood film to be written and directed by a veteran of the Vietnam War. See the rest of the top 10 war movies of all time list here. What's your favorite?

[freefdny]

Zulu is great. This is one of my favorite scenes.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DQLXY51uWLg

[DFG]

"Battle of Britain" and "Tora, Tora, Tora" Love the flying sequences in both of these movies. One of the Spanish built CASA2111E (HE-111) aircraft in "Battle of Britain" is based at Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison TX (north side of Addison airport). https://www.cavflight.org/ https://stearman.org/covfefe/2010/05/10/casa-2111eheinkel-he-111/

[tet68]

Did you know that there were two books in the
All Quiet on the western front?

The second, “the road back” follows the hero
after the war ends.
It was also made into a movie.
Seldom mentioned.

Interesting in that all the symptoms of ptsd are
portrayed in the characters, even in the war dog.

[rlmorel]

My all-time favorite, which some might not see as a war movie (though I do) is “The Best Years of Our Lives” which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1946.

The themes are timeless...and it is a powerful movie with great acting.

“Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo”. First book I ever checked out from the library and read as a kid, which launched me on about a decade of building B-25 models.

Next, I have always loved “The Caine Mutiny”, tied with “12 O’Clock High”.

Other war movies I regard highly are: “Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison”, “The Boat” (”Das Boot”), “Band of Brothers”, “The Pacific”, “Saving Private Ryan”, “The Gallant Hours”, “Blackhawk Down”, “The Steel Helment”, “War and Remembrance”, “In Harm’s Way”, “Downfall”, “The Enemy Below”, “We Were Soldiers”, “Turn”, and “The Bedford Incident”.

Interestingly, I have always liked watching “The Deer Hunter” not for the battle scenes, but for the part of the movie that people profess to really hate and think it is too long...The half of the movie BEFORE they go into the Army. There is something completely gritty and authentic from the 1970’s to me in that.

I would have really, REALLY enjoyed “The Crossing”, but I could never get around Jeff Daniels as Gen. Washington. He did a fine job, and I do think he is a good actor, but...all I saw was “Dumber and Dumber”!

For Guilty Pleasure, I have always enjoyed the somewhat ridiculous “The Final Countdown”, but...I was a former carrier guy versed on WWII, so...I admit to that. I include the silly “Top Gun” there for similar reasons. And the head shaking “Apocalypse Now” as well.

And I liked “The Longest Day” even with all of its drawbacks.

[Chainmail]

I am a combat veteran of the Vietnam War, so movies are not realistic to me and it's difficult to watch them.

Worse most of the movies about my war are just propaganda and cartoons: I hate Apocalypse Now and The Deer Hunter and Platoon and Full Metal Jacket because the combat parts aren't at all realistic and all of those movies are loaded with leftist slant. Even good-intentioned movies like We Were Soldiers Once and Young are unrealistic to me because Hollywood insists on bunching people together, using inaccurate sound effects and in that case use California as a surrogate for Vietnam. Not even close.

That said, I have some movies that I recommend:

- The Bridges at Toko Ri William Holden, Grace Kelly. Not your average airplane movie.

- Wooden Crosses. A French WW I film with excellent effects

- Pork Chop Hill - Not bad, really liked the depiction of that young man who lost his rifle; gives you real feel for how great the troops are.

[dfwgator]

It’s a shame that “Downfall” is better known for its’ Hitler parodies, but it is a great movie.

[originalbuckeye]

The Guns of Navarone......

[Political Junkie Too]

Hell in the Pacific.

Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune stranded on a Pacific island.

-PJ

[tet68]

Just watched “The Admiral”, excellent!!!

[freedumb2003]

The ones you listed I have seen I have to 100% agree with.

>>And I liked “The Longest Day” even with all of its drawbacks.<<

You mean “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad War?” ;)

[Bringbackthedraft]

“Come and See.” ................................... You would also enjoy “Bomber” as the series, not the cut down version. Loved the female major in it, she did great. It was on Youtube with lots of other Russian WW II movies and series. Free Youtube.

[BartMan1]

Zulu with Michael Caine.

Never bring a spear and a shield to a gunfight...

[BeadCounter]

“From here to eternity” and though it is modern, “Pearl” is excellent to me.

[dfwgator]

A lot of good foreign films not on the list. Stalingrad.

Which one? The German one or the recent Russian one?

And guess which actor was in both? (Hint: He's in almost every movie involving Nazis)

[rlmorel]

LOL...there were just too many big names, they seemed to want to cram as many as they could in there. Once I got past that, I did enjoy it...:)

[gunnyg]

Yep!
Great post!
ThankYa!
Dick Gaines aka: Gunny G
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[eaglestar]

Rescue Dawn

[dfwgator]

I would also recommend “The Dawns Here are Quiet”.

[rlmorel]

Thanks, GunnyG! Some good movies on this thread...:)

[tet68]

Wooden Crosses. Will have to look that one up.

A very long engagement. French with eng sub
interesting plot and great battle scenes.