The "Actual" Greatest War Movie ever

[Danny Boy]

Two years later.....................

I can beat every single film that has been mentioned,...and yes...there have been some excellent choices, BUT, it's got to be Heartbreak Ridge. Superb performances from Eastwood and Van Peebles, backed up by a cast that includes the bad guy out of a James Bond film and a bunch of unheard ofs. Going to 'war' ha ha ha in Grenada.....Sorry guys just taking the Mick

Truthfully, I can't believe that out of all the posts on this subject no-one has mentioned 'Where Eagles Dare'. This definitely gets my vote. Action for 2 hours, some humour, great plot, busty bierkeller wenches, Clint, Burton, Anton Diffring (great German baddie...always), cablecars, tripwires et al. Superb!

Good Morning Vietnam IMO is not a war movie, it is a comedy drama with it's setting in Vietnam. Agreed it does highlight many a poignant subject to do with the futility of war and the idiosynchrasy of the armed forces, but a war film it isn't.

Cheers!

[pepek]

[&o][&o][&o][&o][&o][&o][&o][&o][&o][&o][&o][&o][&o][&o][&o][&o][&o]
where the eagles dare is the best wwII movie ever made.

all the others are good, very good or phantastic but the eagles are the best.

[Danny Boy]

Ha, Support on the flanks already!

Thanks Pipek.

Other films notable by their absence.....633 Squadron, The Young Lions, Tears of the Sun, Too Late the Hero, The Great Escape, Go Tell the Spartans, The Green Berets ('kill all stinking Cong'), Bataan, Big Red One, Bridge at Remagen, Von Ryans Express (great movie), Behind Enemy Lines, Dark of the Sun (AKA Mercenaries)....to name but a few.

I know that this thread is hideously old, but it's a good thread...any more takers?

Cheers!

[KG Erwin]

The greatest two war flms ever made are both miniseries. One is the German-TV version of "Das Boot", now available on DVD in the States. The other is one I've mentioned frequently, and that's "Band of Brothers". The reason I mention these two is that they focus on the men, and offer a view into the mindsets of the people involved in the greatest conflict in world history. I choose these two because they represent both sides, and the common thread is the basic truism that a man fights not only to protect himself, but protect his closest friends. "Das Boot" takes it a step further in that men who were vastly different from each other were banded together to protect their own survival. From this, I'd put "Das Boot" a close notch above "BoB".

[Dragoon 45]

I'm late coming in on this thread, but what about Humphry Bogart's Saraha and The Lighthorsemen. That Cavalry Charge in The Lighthorsemen is very hard to beat.

[Tigertracks]

It has to be a movie,i.e. theater release(excludes Band of Brothers).
It has to have high drama(excludes Kelly's Heroes).
It cannot be a biography(excludes Patton).
It has to have excellent battle scenes.(excludes Good Morning, Vietnam).
It should be based on a true story or at least a believable one.(separate category for unabashed fiction).
It has to be a movie I have seen(excludes Stalingrad).

A movie that fits all of my requirements is Glory.
Best fictional film is Dr. Strangelove.
Best war scenes are in The Longest Day.

Sorry if I broke the rules.[:)]

[Inuil]

I´m agree with Goblin... for me "Saving private Ryan" are the best, but many other are near.

[Alby]

1. The ALAMO, 2004 Version

2 THE ALAMO, John Wayne Version

also Luv Gettysburg, Gods and Generals and, of course Saving PVT Ryan, A Bridge too far and the Longest Day.

[steelpanther]

I guess my favorite is "The big red 1" historically somewhat accurate. But the Italy town fighting great.

I agree with "Saving private Ryan" as a good action movie and I did have to wipe my eyes at the end.

The longest day is good also, fairly accurate and a lot of action.

Hey I like war movies.

The worst war movie and I actually walked out of this one near the end was "Thin Red Line"

"Glory" was a really good civil war movie, and extremely historically accurate.

OK. Best BIG RED ONE [:)]

Worst Thin RED LINE [&:]

[Ironfist738]

Has anyone else seen the movie "Lost Battalion" ?[&:] I just saw it last week WW I. Good Movie. But I'm still sticking with Cross of Iron.

[StrictlyRockers]

Bridge Over the River Kwai

and just to break the rules I also have to include
M.A.S.H and Catch-22. two absolute favorites.

[Capt. White]

Soooooooooooooooooooooooo Difficult I mean Full metal jacket rocks and so does kelly's heroes Patton rocks (Wars ain't won by you dieing for your country, they're won by you making the other poor mislead B**tard die for his)
Nobody mentioned Three kings or black hawk down as far as i can see they are pretty good.

[Alby]

Damn I forgot Blackhawk Down!
add that to my list!

[parusski]

Cross Of Iron is superb.

Saving Private Ryan shows the true horror of war.

[steelpanther]

Alby, You cant have a "list". the rules state ONE and only ONE Greatest war movie.[:-]
Did you forget your meds AGAIN.[:'(]

[Alby]

ORIGINAL: steelpanther

Alby, You cant have a "list". the rules state ONE and only ONE Greatest war movie.[:-]
Did you forget your meds AGAIN.[:'(]

Ok then its THe Alamo 2004!
[:D]

[elcidce]

I like a bridge too far, and my favorite scene is when they send the Tommys across the Bridge led by an officer with his umbrella.

[Ironfist738]

Check this out, My favorite "B" movie of all times ; "The Mistfit Brigade" with Oliver Reed, David Carradine, Bruce Davison, and David Patrick Kelly star in the 27thSS Panzer Div of Prison volinteers. Talk about all the bad themes and stero typing.
Lord[:-] [X(]
One thing that does stand out is the tank battle with SU-100 as German Armor vs real Soviet T34-85's. Now that was Cool or should I quote the Tank gunner "Ahhh , Sweat, sweat Death !" it's worth seeing just for the armor,but the rest is very below standard. [8|]

[spmlawyer]

If we're talking WWII, my favorite is the British gem, Dambusters. It's about a British intelligence unit trying to figure out how to blow a German dam to flood the industrial heartland of Nazi Germany. They end up designing a spherial bomb, dropped at wavetop altitude which has to skip like a stone to hit the dam correctly just below the waterline.

Less so, but right up there, is Reach for the Sky, the movie about Great Britain's famous ace who flew a Spitfire as a double amputee.

WWII honorable mentions: Midway, Destination Tokyo, Tora Tora Tora, Guadalcanal Diary; Sands of Iwo Jima; The Longest Day and Saving Private Ryan (though the set for the DDay Invasion and the cinematography in the opening scene is bereathtaking).

But I'm a bit of a older War fan and recommend, as honorable mention: Check out Gallipoli (WWI), Breaker Morant (Anglo-Boer War); Zulu (Not Zulu Dawn); Khartoum; Charge of the Light Brigade (the remake); Waterloo; Glory (Civil War); and Gettysburg. I wish someone would do a great American Revoultion film. The Patriot, Revolution and Sweet Liberty (sort of).

It's surprising that of all the films whose subjects are war, there has never been a film about the American Revoultion that did it justice or portrayed Washington's brilliant generalcy. Come on, Hollywood!!

[KG Erwin]

Quickly, the best Vietnam movie (so far) is "We Were Soldiers". It focuses on the men, and their families, and doesn't have a political agenda. It is simply a tribute to the men who were there.