The Top Twenty War Movies You Love and Hate

[Pong]

Quite simple thread actually, list the ten war movies you thought seemed really excellent and list ten that made you throw up in your mouth!

10. Tora! Tora! Tora!
The only movie about the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that is spot-on.

9. Kelly's Heroes
Not exactly a movie based on real events, but Clint Eastwood is awesome, and is still awesome.

8. Saving Private Ryan
Spielberg's last (I think) war movie and I'm waiting for more from him.

7. The Hurt Locker
Tense scenes and excellent cinematography make this one of my favorites of the year.

6. Bridge Too Far
A bit long though certainly one worth watching.

5. Battle of Britain
Who can ever make another film about the Battle that can match the set of this?
Quite lengthy, but I love the exquisite dogfight scenes.

4. Letters from Iwo Jima
Eastwood's last film about the Marines on Iwo was good, but this one is even better.

3. The Train
A hour and a half of awesomeness in black and white.

2. Battleground
A gem I found on TCM, and a surprisingly accurate!

And I'll leave the number one spot blank, since for me there is no definitive war movie. I still have to keep searching and waiting for more!

And for the worse, I think I'll name the top three I don't really appreciate.

3. Enemy at the Gates
A couple of cheesy romantic scenes kept me from writing this on the Favorite list. A couple of excellent scenes (Especially the one with Ed Harris in the factory), but I don't really like Jude Law.

2. Thin Red Line
Somehow, I don't like this film. Great actors, great story, but I don't like it.

1. Pearl Harbor
PH is the worst of the worse. Ben Affleck is presumed dead, and then comes back, Alec Baldwin is the haired version of Jimmy Doolittle, and B-25s take off from a nuclear carrier. And the romantic scenes were the ones that blew me off the film. I bet they got a time machine from Marty McFly and helped out Doolittle with his hair problem, brought Affleck back from the Channel and helped them get a nuclear carrier. How realistic.

​

So, post the war films you love and hate if you have the time!

-Arlo

 

[Njaco]

You hit all the marks. "Pearl Harbour" and "Thin Red Line" were HORRIBLE! I would add "Stalingrad" to the list of Great movies - great storyline, and very realistic. Other personal favorites would be "Sahara" with Bogey and "12 O'Clock High" with Peck.

 

[RabidAlien]

I'd agree with all of the above, except that I'd move "Enemy at the Gates" up to the "favorites" list (not top, but its on there). The romance scenes I was able to stomach because Zaitzev and Chernova did apparently have a love-affair during the war, but he never went and found her afterwards. The shooting was excellent, and I still get a laugh out of the scene during the big tractor-factory fight when Z is making his way to his shooting position, you can see the two smokestacks in the background, with two figures wearing BRIGHT ORANGE slowly climbing up the side of the chimneys...in broad daylight. Soon thereafter, the two smokestacks blow up. Hello, set crew!

Sahara with Bogey is probably one of my all-time favorites of the classics, and recently found "Pride of the Marines" on TCM that is taking its place on my list. I will also put "Schindler's List" up at the top of my favorites.

 

[michaelmaltby]

Cross of Iron - Sam Peckinpaw's eastern front effort. Cheesy romance but some great action. Loved the book - loved the film.

MM

 

[Colin1]

I don't really have a particular order, so forget the numbers, I'm just serialising

1. Ice-cold in Alex
2. Tora Tora Tora
3. Battle of Britain
4. D-Day 6th June - The Longest Day
5. Hell in the Pacific
6. Heroes of Telemark
7. Platoon
8. Where Eagles Dare
9. The Battle of the Bulge
10. The Desert Rats

Some fictions in there so no need to define authenticity obviously but the factual-based ones were mentioned for being entertaining and watchable, rather than meticulously accurate

1. Pearl Harbour
2. 300

Both spectacular howlers, both with previous attempts that far outclassed the remakes. The 300 Spartans more closely resembled 300 Roman Centurions in attire but it was a far more worthy attempt than the slop served up by 300.

 

[syscom3]

The following four are among the best movies (of all genres) ever made:
Das Boot (in origional German).
All Quiet on the Western Front.
Patton
The bridge Over the River Kwaii

These five are well worth watching:
The Dam Busters
Stalag 17
Where Eagles Dare
Merrils Maurauders
From Here to Eternity

Rubbish:
Pearl Harbor

Overrated:
Schindlers List

Has anyone seen this?
Merry Christams Mister Lawrence
Action in the North Atlantic

 

[evangilder]

Patton and MacArthur were both great. 12 O'clock High and Command Decision were great ones too.

For bad, I would definitely agree that Pearl Harbor was a piece of $hit.

 

[B-17engineer]

1.Memphis Belle
2. Saving Private Ryan
3 Tora Tora Tora
4 Black Hawk Down
5 The Hurt Locker
6Flags of our Fathers
7Letters from iwo Jima
8 Stalingrad
9 Kelly's Heroes
10. A bridge to Far

Pearl Harbor is the only one I saw and really hated.

 

[BikerBabe]

Love - in no particular order:
Kelly's Heroes.
Battle of Britain.
Napola.
The Eagle Has Landed.
Das Boot.
Enemy At The Gates.
Stalingrad.
Flammen og Citronen. (Flame and Citron)
Der Untergang.
Full Metal Jacket.
Dr. Strangelove - or does that count as an anti-war movie?

Booooriiiiiinnnnng:
Pearl Harbour. Hopeless plot.
The Flying Leathernecks. Hopeless.
Valkyrie. Just as bereft of humour as the entire Nazi ideology.

 

[tonyb]

Good thread.8)
My favourites in no particular order are -

Memphis Belle - it has B-17's in it so what's not to like?
Where Eagles Dare - Burton and Eastwood = magic
Downfall - don't normally go for subtitled movies but this was just awesome!
Battle of Britain - wonderful action sequences,excellent for it's time.
Saving Private Ryan - the first 20 minutes are some of the best (and sad) action scenes I've ever seen
Enemy at the Gates - don't know what it is about it but I just like it
Flags of Our Fathers - very moving and beautifully filmed
Tora Tora Tora - What Pearl Harbor should have been
633 Squadron - who can resist Mossies in action?
Windtalkers - yes it got canned by most critics but I like it.

Worst movies imho -

Pearl Harbor - Ben Affleck,what more do I need to say?
Thin Red Line - I fell asleep to this snorefest...zzzz
U571 - oh dear.....

Cheers,
Tony.

 

[vikingBerserker]

I'd have to add "All Quiet on the Western Front" to the favorites. You guys have hit all my other ones.

 

[Njaco]

"Sink the Bismark" and "Pursuit of the Graf Spee (Battle of the River Platt)" were both good movies in my opinion.

Forgot about "Windtalkers" - how they could ruin such an important part of the war is beyond me!

 

[Pong]

I should add this two, so the list will turn to eleven.

Pure awesomeness.

Does anyone else hate the film Flyboys? I didn't like it.

 

[Wildcat]

Nice thread Pong. I agree with "The train" - fantastic movie!! here are some of my favourites;

Too late the hero - one of my all time favourite films

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl6LHhzmlHA

Between heaven and hell - great little flick

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY7ziEyQDlE

Hell to Eternity - the story of Guy Gabaldon with the great Jeffery Hunter!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ4o1Uj5OAQ

Merrill's Marauders - A childhood favourite

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QwVESiCAfg

Away all boats - Another great film from the 50's

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agjn0q6nOxE

Hamburger Hill - probably my favourite Vietnam war movie

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1DLINtHYis

Platoon - we've all seen it, great movie and Tom Berenger was awesome

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPi8EQzJ2Bg

ANZACS - Actually a mini series, but one the the best depictions of Aussies at war. No trailer, but here's a clip.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uYOXnVn8Zw

The dirty dozen - You can't go wrong with this great cast!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=377De8wshjk

Kelly's Heroes - who doesn't like this movie?

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beAQVm1j56w

The eagle has landed - another good movie with a great cast

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD9soYn4tQA

As for the war movies I dislike - Pearl Harbor, The thin red line, U-571, Hellcats of the Navy and windtalkers are all up there.

 

[Timppa]

My favourites:

1. Lewis Milestone: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
2. Stanley Kubrick: Full Metal Jacket (1987)
3. Edvin Laine: Tuntematon Sotilas ("Unknown Soldier") (1955)
4. Bernhard Wicki: Die Brücke (" The Bridge") (1959)
5. Fyodor Bondarchuk: 9 Рота ( "The 9th Company") (2005)
6. Brian De Palma: Casualties of War (1989)
7. Steven Spielberg: Saving Private Ryan (1998 )
8. Stanley Kubrick: Paths of Glory (1957)
9. Terrence Malick: The Thin Red Line (1998 )
10. Mark Robson: The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954 )

These films are not very entertaining though, as everyone of them gives at least a glimpse of what war is really about. Also none of them has a happy ending.

Edit: I have not seen Eastwoods' two Iwo Jima films nor Elem Klimov's Idi i smotri ("Come and See"). The would have most likely removed Malick's film from the top 10, as it was indeed too long.

 

[Vassili Zaitzev]

Pretty much hit all of my favorites. I agree with Pearl Harbor, U-571, and Windtalkers being a piece of crap. BB, would've to rate Valkyrie higher then what you put it at. Not the be all end all movies, but I was suprised how accurate Hollywood made it, only spinning up a few details for drama.

 

[renrich]

In no particular order and with eleven:
Zulu
Sahara
Battleground
Saving Private Ryan
Task Force (Gary Cooper and Walter Brennan)
12 O'Clock High
Black Hawk Down
We Were Soldiers
Battle of Britain
Gettysburg
Pursuit of the Graf Spee

 

[BombTaxi]

In no particular order, I really rate:

Zulu
Zulu Dawn
Thin Red Line
Hamburger Hill
Memphis Belle
Full Metal Jacket
Downfall
Tora Tora Tora
Das Boot


I find both Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down vastly overrated, and the Iwo Jima films are actually sat here in front of me waiting to be watched. Hurt Locker is on my must-buy list

 

[RabidAlien]

Has anybody seen "The Red Baron" or "Max Manus" (I think that's the movie title, about the Dutch resistance fighter, Max Manus)? Red Baron's always rented out when I try to find it here, and nobody seems to have heard of Max Manus.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1029235/

 

[BikerBabe]

Has anybody seen "The Red Baron" or "Max Manus" (I think that's the movie title, about the Dutch resistance fighter, Max Manus)? Red Baron's always rented out when I try to find it here, and nobody seems to have heard of Max Manus.

Max Manus (2008)

Red Baron: Yup, it's okay for a sunday afternoon's worth of entertainment, even though the flying scenes are pretty cheesy. You can tell in most cases that it's faked.
Never heard of the other one....erm, well...as you say. *giggle*