Favorite War Movies

[TopHatter]

Thought I'd start a thread on our favorite war movies. I'd like to hear from everybody
Some of my all-time favorites are:

Conspiracy - An HBO Original Movie depicting the Wannsee Conference where 15 SS and Nazi party officials laid out the plans for "The Final Solution of the Jewish Question".
This movie can only be described as chilling and horrifying.

The Beast - During the early years of the Soviet invasion of Afgahanistan, a Russian tank is seperated from it's platoon and is lost in the wastelands, pursued by a vengeful band of Mujahadeen.

Saving Private Ryan - Everybody's seen it, right? D-Day never looked so real.

We Were Soldiers - The Air Cav goes into battle for the first time in Vietnam and is pinned down in the Ia Drang Valley by thousands of NVA.

The Final Countdown - A flawed but still entertaining science fiction movie. The USS Nimitz is steaming off Pearl Harbor on December 6 1981 and is drawn into a bizarre electrical storm. The crew later realizes that they are now steaming off Pearl Harbor on December 6 1941.

I've been thinking about writing my own objective reviews for these movies for the Internet Movie DataBase, but I think I'll post them here instead (one of these days)

[Officer of Engineers]

The Longest Day (better than Saving Pvt Ryan - shows you the enormity of what they were trying to do and how little guys made all the difference)
All's Quiet on the Western Front (it's a movie to be survived)
Black Hawk Down (1st time I saw discipline fire and how you stop flinching after 10, 20 rounds)
Waterloo (unbelivable extras)
The Battleship Potemkin (what causes men to break and then regroup)
Stalingrad (in the original German with English subtitles - you have to survive this movie)
A Bridge Too Far (teaches you the side with the fewest mistakes and a matter of luck determines victor and loser).

There's this Russian film about the Teutonic Invasion of Russia but can't recall the details but the knights fell through the ice.

[bigross86]

I know the name of the movie but it slipped my memory. I'll post it tomorrow.

I like:

Hunt for Red October

Behind Enemy Lines

Kelly's Heroes

And a couple others...

[Lunatock]

Blackhawk Down (Still need to see the special edition's commentary & deleted/alternate scenes)

We Were Soldiers

Dirty Dozen

Kelly's Hero's

Saving Private Ryan (Got to see it in the theatres when it came out. Youngest person in the theatre. If that would of happened nowadays. I wouldn't of passed up trying to have a convo w/ any of the possible WW2 Vets that flocked to see it.)

Behind Enemy Lines (Very Hollywoodized. But one of the better ones to be such.)

The Lost Battalion (It was an A & E Movie. but it was still a good one.

All Quiet On The Western Front. (not top notch like BHD or WWS. But it sure as hell wasn't Windtalkers of The Thin Red Line.)

[Ray]

Bridge on the River Kwai.
The Longest Day
A Bridge too Far
The Battle of the River Plate [scuttling of the Graf Spee].

[bigross86]

U-571, Apocalypse Now was also pretty cool.

[Ziska]

Zulu starring Michael Caine would have to be my favourite. The sight of 4000 authentic Zulu extras chanting war cries before charging Rorke's Drift is one of the most emotional scenes in film, especially when the Welsh reply with 'Men of Harlech".

I liked Saving Private Ryan, and Starship Troopers.

Black Hawk Down and We Were Soldiers were ok, a little... American I guess.

Another good one to catch is 300 Spartans. The combat is a bit tacky, and the special effects barely deserving of the name, but the last stand of the Spartans again is a stirring moment.

Oh, and I can't forget Braveheart, even if the shocking historical inaccuaracies grate.

[Praxus]

Stop *****ing about America.

What has Tasmania done in the last 9000 years???

[Ziska]

Err, I just thought that Black Hawk Down was a bit... shallow perhaps. Characterisation wasn't really there. It focused only on the one engagement, and I prefer larger picture films generally.

And We Were Soldiers was too nice and simple. It presented both sides as brave warriors, especially Mel Gibsons character. You know, the whole speech he gave before they set off for 'nam was crappy. A lot of Hollywood film sanitize things too much.

And Tasmania hasn't done much the last 9000 years, but the Welsh and English have

I don't hate America, but I don't really think much of their films (as in, Hollywood). Compare We Were Soldiers with Saving Private Ryan. Both were american films, one presented the conflict in a more accurate light, IMO.

Again, how could you say I bicth about America when 4 of my favourite films (out of the 5 I mentioned) are American?

[Praxus]

In another thread you claimed we could not defeat North Korea. Now you claim a made up story(Saving Private Ryan) portrayed war more acuratly then a mostly true story(We Were Soldiers).

[Lunatock]

Originally posted by Ziska
Zulu starring Michael Caine would have to be my favourite. The sight of 4000 authentic Zulu extras chanting war cries before charging Rorke's Drift is one of the most emotional scenes in film, especially when the Welsh reply with 'Men of Harlech".

Another good one to catch is 300 Spartans. The combat is a bit tacky, and the special effects barely deserving of the name, but the last stand of the Spartans again is a stirring moment.

Oh, and I can't forget Braveheart, even if the shocking historical inaccuaracies grate.

Straying from the norm are we? Does this mean that I can add LOTR: Two Towers? The Battle of Helms Deep kicked ass.

Way off in the realm of fantasy. But a huge battle is a huge battle.

[Praxus]

Yah that battle was sweet as hell. The one in the third movie will be even bigger. Where thoose 10,000 Orcs are just a section in their Army.

The Battle in the beginning of the first movie was awsome as hell.

[Ironduke]

Saving Private Ryan

Enemy at the Gates

Platoon

Full Metal Jacket (does this count?)

Zulu

[bigross86]

Does "The Last Castle" fit in?

[ChrisF202]

Zulu
Saving Private Ryan
We Were Soldiers
Black Hawk Down
The Patriot (yes, extreamly unrealtistic but still fun to watch)