Best War Movies

[gulfcoastliberal]

Poll question: Best War Movies

What's your fave movie regarding the horrors of war?

[Droopy]

1. It was a tie

between Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket. I flipped a coin and it came up for the former.

[gulfcoastliberal]

2. I know the feeling

I'm watching Apocalypse Now on the History channel and love Martin Sheen and Robert Duvall. Yet Platoon was great with Charlie Sheen and Willem Dafoe. Tough choice.

[Nikia]

3. Black Hawk Down

Was the best actual war movies as far as a movie that was really about the horrors of battle. As far as movies more about the human side of war, I liked Tears of the Sun. I also liked Good Morning Vietnam.

[gulfcoastliberal]

5. How could I forget that one? I'll add it to the poll if I can.

Although it pales in comparison to what must be going on in Iraqnam.

[General Zod]

4. The Deer Hunter

The Russian Roulette scene still disturbs me to this day.

[Droopy]

9. I thought that was a very disturbing scene

and it was a good movie. But it doesn't rank up there with the best for me. But Deer Hunter brought up the very tragic idea that an innocent kid could be turned into a killing machine and totally lose his marbles when his "usefullness" was over.

[Sandpiper]

6. Full Metal Jacket is the total package

An extended look at the dehumanizing process that prepares recruits for war, followed by the depravity of war itself.

Plus it gave us the cinematic icon, Gunnery Sergeant Hartman.

One of Kubrick's finest.

[HamstersFromHell]

7. Das Boot (Director's Cut)

n/t

[Withywindle]

10. Oh hell yes.

I voted for Apocalypse Now of the choices on the poll, but Das Boot is amazing.


The claustrophobia! :scared:

[democracyindanger]

8. Band of Brothers

Has it all. Pro-military, anti-war...it's the whole package.

[jpgray]

11. Das Boot was great, but I really liked Zulu as a kid

The action scenes are more than a little cheese nowadays, but the buildup to the battle was great cinema.

[freethought]

12. I will choose two

"Saving Private Ryan" and "Platoon". I like "Apocalypse Now" , but it seems to surreal.

[punpirate]

13. I'd say it would have to be "Apocalypse Now"...

... simply because it's a visually stunning movie, with two classic themes woven into it.

But, worthy of mention is an older movie that doesn't get much play these days--"Soldier of Orange." It's a Dutch movie with a fairly young Rutger Hauer playing the lead, who's a rather callow law student in the Netherlands when Germany invades. He and his friends try to be part of the underground with not much success and he becomes such a liability to the others that they ferret him off to England. Full of mistakes, miscues, treachery, divided loyalties, some humor. Try to find the Dutch-language version with subtitles. The English dubbed version is a bit choppy and is edited some.

[gulfcoastliberal]

14. Thanks for the suggestion. Ever see "Miracle Mile"?

More of an "end of the world" than war movie per se, but still a great movie that was buried under the bloodlust of Gulf War 1. Anthony Edwards stars and a great soundtrack by Tangerine Dream.

[drfresh]

15. Glory

would have gotten my vote.

[Jamison]

16. Band of Brothers

I have that box set on DVD & it's awesome.

[Swede]

17. The Bridge was pretty good antiwar movie.

I saw it again recently and it hasn't lost anything over the years. Young German soldiers (boys really) futiley guard a bridge at the end of the war.

http://www.ihffilm.com/512-es.html

[JackDragna]

18. The best one, and one you should be shamed for leaving off..

"All Quiet on the Western Front." But I still love you anyway. :) If you haven't seen this movie, folks (the old black and white one is still best), it does an excellent job of touching base with everything horrible about war..the fear, the destruction of nations, jingoism and fanaticism. It is sublime in its horror.

[Lori Price CLG]

19. Jacob's Ladder n/t

[AwakeAtLast]

20. OMG! I thought I was the only one who ever saw that movie!

That one made me lie awake at night and think. It also doesn't hurt that I love anything Tim Robbins does :loveya: !

[MrSandman]

21. Paths of Glory

[A HERETIC I AM]

22. "Patton" and "Battle of the Bulge" with Henry Fonda......

There is a great scene in Battle of the Bulge where the German Tank commander offers a piece of cake to his superior that was taken from an American prisoner that morning. He says something to the effect "try it! it is quite good. Do you realize what this means? The Americans have NO concept of defeat. They have enough fuel and airplanes to fly CAKE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC"

It is powerful commentary on how the American war machine had virtual limitless capability and how this German Officer realized it and also realized the 3rd Reich had no hope of winning against such an enemy


Honorable mentions have to go to
"Apocalypse Now"
"The Deer Hunter"
"Full Metal Jacket"
"The Big Red One" (I think one of Lee Marvin's greatest works)

on edit to add that one of the best truly reflecting the horrors of war has to be "The Killing Fields"