The Best War Movies Ever Made

Freepers who know their war flicks | June 25, 2002 | wimpycat

[wimpycat]

As a companion to http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/705904/posts' The Worst War Movies Ever Made thread, I offer you the best war movies ever made, and I wanted to get mine in first. Here's my list, in no particular order.

1. Battleground (love James Whitmore in this!)

2. Full Metal Jacket (love the DI, R. Lee Ermey. "Hard core, man! F***ing Hard core!")

3. Glory (even though it's not quite historically accurate and it's about Yankees, it's a very moving film, IMHO. Great musical score, too.)

4. The Boys in Company C (same DI as in Full Metal Jacket. Made very soon after Vietnam, but it's still pretty good.)

5. Tora! Tora! Tora! (forget Pearl Harbor, the movie, this is the definitive Pearl Harbor movie)

6. Das Boot (definitely one of the all time great war films--great camera work, great sound effects, it makes you feel claustrophobic. Best viewed on DVD with SurroundSound system. Make sure you watch it in German, with the subtitles, not dubbed! Awesome!)

[Saturnalia]

As do I. The "Working on the Railroad" scene is a true classic,
as is the arrival of Oddball's "support" crew. :D

[DoughtyOne]

[Reaganwuzthebest]

What war were those movies about?

None. I thought at first the thread was about the best movies ever made. My fault for not reading. But...Dirty Harry could be considered an urban warfare movie I suppose. It's a great flick.

[max61]

"The Lost Battalion" was an awfully acted, poorly directed, low budget, ridiculous piece of trash.

Hmmmm. With "war" movies I am typically more interested in the event and it's accuracy more so that the acting, as long as it is not to bad. IMO, for an actor to attempt upstage the event would be heresy and insulting to those who perished.

---max

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

• Platoon
  
• Full metal jacket
  
• Fire base gloria
  
• Where Eagles Dare
  
• The Green Bere`
  
• Flying leathernecks
  
• The Patriot
  
• When johnny comes marching home
  
• The Alamo

[Saturnalia]

Considering what he did on that tank destroyer, I would believe anything that man did.

[clintonh8r]

Yes, Breaker Morant is one of my favorite movies of any genre. I never tire of seeing it. Perfection in writing, acting, directing, and cinematography.

[Rifleman]

I havn't seen my favorite listed. _A Town Like Alice_ . War movie, love movie, great characters and evens....but ssssslllloooowwwwww.

[Sword_of_Gideon]

Far & away, my favorite is Full Metal Jacket.

[Tailback]

Under your criteria the movie would be OK then. It could have been a classic though. I can still enjoy Sgt York even though its 70 some years old. That's what can happen with a good story AND good acting, writing, and directing.

[xkaydet65]

You and I think alike, but A Walk in the Sun is at the top of my list. It's been there since I saw it on WPIX ch 11 when I was six or seven.

Add Sink the Bismarck and Pursuit of the Graf Spee to the naval list. And for period pieces John Ford' She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, IMHO the best of his cavalry trilogy.

BTW did anyone mention the Steel Helmet with Gene Evans and help me with the name, another Korean War flick with Bob Ryan and Aldo Ray.

[thescourged1]

The 'Horse Soldiers' is one of my oldie faves.
'Tobruk' and 'Raid on Rommel' were fun too. Fun in the sense that there was only a smidgin' of fact in them.

[max61]

I can still enjoy Sgt York even though its 70 some years old.

Ahhh. Sgt. York is a definite classic, not so much a "war movie" as it is a biography though IMO. Do have it on DVD as well.

Along that same vain, I never really considered From Here To Eternity a "war movie" either, but it is certainly a classic and one of Frank Sinatra's best IMO, I also think Burt Lancaster played an excellent role as well.

---max

[blau993]

Lord, I come across a post like this and a 170 reply thread, and there can never be peace or accord. It is what FR is all about. I love you folks.

OK, that stuff out of the way. In no uncertain order:

PATTON

BREAKER MORANT

THE BIG RED ONE

A BRIDGE TOO FAR

SANDS OF IWO JIMA

BLACKHAWK DOWN

Obviously, except for the last, a generation gap at work on this post. However, as a member of the Vietnam generation, I have to say I have yet to see a war film about that era that I could stand to watch. (Haven't yet seen "We Were Soldiers . . . ."

IMHO, of course.

[tophat9000]

Where Eagles Dare lost all credibilty for me when I saw that scene of a German helicopter landing. What dopey technical advisor did that film hire?

Well yes and no "Where Eagles Dare" had a Bell helicopter..wrong...but

Little know fact the Germans did have helicopters in service in WW2

[mamelukesabre]

I got a copy of seargent york on VHS. It is a good one. When I was a kid, that was my favorite movie, right behind close encounters of the third kind.

[Rockiesrider]

Cross between two. Best combat scenes Platoon (way too much cowboy antics in the story though) Vietnam was violent in the field but very controlled at a company level. Best Bootcamp scenes: definately Full Metal Jacket. Everytime I see that part I takes me there. Only difference was I was in quanset huts not barracks." If I die on the russian front, bury me with a russian C..."

[blau993]

DAMN, How could I ever forget to include:

ZULU

All those VCs awarded. And Frau Blau will always let me watch it because of a young Michael Caine.

[Rockiesrider]

Deere Hunter was an entertaining movie but so inaccurate. Who ever heard of anybody going back to Vietnam at his leasure to find an old buddy. Neva happen G.I.

[Roni Dowd]

I AGREE - but I would add "The Patriot". The libs hated it, and gave it bad reviews. Is Bridge...the one with William Holden and Mickey Rooney? Maybe THE greatest. I Loved it.