Best war films

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i couldnt find a thread for this, so i was wondering what people's favourite war movies were? i like, full metal jacket, apocolaypse now, saving private ryan, we were soldiers, red dawn, black hawk down.



There are two existing threads, HERE and HERE.


Tops for me is still Kubrick's Paths of Glory (1957).
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Saving Private Ryan, of course...
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all quiet on the western front (1930). best then, still the best. i'm also fond of all sorts of wartime propaganda: particularly frank cappra's 'why we fight' series.
not that it fully counts as a war film, but a fun film none the less: 'the king of hearts' (1966).
been too long since i've seen the others to comment, except that i think 'saving private ryan' is overrated. 'the thin red line', which came out at the same time is totally superior as anything other than a spectacle.



I love Ryan more for its ground breaking realism than any other reason. The story itself is not what I would call spectacular. There are three characters (Ribisi's, Pepper's and Hank's) in Ryan that I am really drawn to, so I guess that might be another reason why I am so attached to it.
As far as The Thin Red Line is concerned, it is a very good movie, but I don't think its superior to Ryan. With the exception of some of the acting, in particular, Penn and Nolte. I think that the antogonistic relationship that they had was very realistic and utterly believable.
BTW, I'm still upset that Shakespeare in Love won best picture against Ryan.
Anyhoo, good post linespalsy, it'll be nice to have another admirer of older movies in this forum...



hey, thanks for the welcome, er, lord slayton! now if only i could get my 'top ten' list up...
as for ryan, i actually agree with the realism, but think that the cinematic realism coupled with the fact that it's an otherwise textbook example of wwII films in the audie murphey tradition amounts it to nothing more than a spectacle. it succeeds as a nifty trophypiece of americana, but even there it fails when put up against old propaganda films (and from what i've seen and heard, pearl harbor). i just cant bring myself to like this film, and it always gets to me when i hear what a definitive portrait of war it is (though here i could just be a spielberg hating elitist.)
as for the thin red line, i agree with you again on all those counts, but would take a step further to point out that it's about as far from the traditional american wwII film as a movie gets. that is, i cant really think of any other legitimate WWII films that dont just propound hero-warship. for it's general qaulity, and for these brave differances, i think it's a superior film.
re: the academy awards. what can you expect from those facile dweebs? i actually would have voted for 'mr. death: the rise, and fall, or fred a leuchter jr.' for that year ('99, right?).



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Here's a list of my top 10 war movies:

1. Saving Private Ryan
2. Platoon
3. Apocalypse Now
4. Full Metal Jacket
5. Braveheart
6. The Great Escape
7. Patton
8. The Bridge on the River Kwai
9. Stalag 17
10. The Guns of Navarone

As was already said, Saving Private Ryan's realism is what makes it such a stunning achievement. I remember sitting in the theater and being shocked at what I was seeing. Several older gentleman next to me actually got up and left they were so disturbed by what they saw. Now I've never fought in a war, but after watching a movie like Saving Private Ryan I can certainly say I have a new found respect for anyone who as.

On a side note, my grandfather was about 20 minutes away from being shipped to Normandy... pretty scary thought after seeing the movie.

I recently watched The Thin Red Line for the first time and while I did enjoy it, I couldn't justify placing it in my top 10 list. The two performances mentioned above were terrific, but it was the amazing cinematography that really stood out IMHO. I am now on a mission to find Malick's other films and doubt I'll be disappointed. One observation though... From what I've read Malick is really an acquired taste so if you didn't enjoy Thin Red Line the first time I would recommend seeing it at least one other time



of the other two movies malick has directed, i'd strongly recomend 'badlands.' sissy spacek and martin sheene are both excellent in it, and i actually prefer it to 'the thin red line.'



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For some reason I seem to remember that Ebert mentioned Malick's two earlier films were two of his favorite movie going experiences in his review of Thin Red Line.

Now I normally don't put much stock in what he has to say, but those are strong words from a well-respected critic, not to mention all of the people on various boards who have vouched for the films.

Definitely added to my list of stuff to see!



Originally posted by linespalsy
of the other two movies malick has directed, i'd strongly recomend 'badlands.' sissy spacek and martin sheene are both excellent in it, and i actually prefer it to 'the thin red line.'
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