THE WORST WAR FILMS

[TexasLt]

OKay, and now the worst or most historically inaccurate war films? Mine would be:

The Enemy Below
Midway
Windtalkers

[gunnergoz]

Battle of the Bulge. Yuk. M-47's vs M-24's. Doubleyuk.
The Thin Red Line (recent version). WW2 in the neurotic ward.

[cpt_Venomous]

enemy at the gates and iron cross were a joke, both were a crude cliche flops

[jnier]

ORIGINAL: gunnergoz

Battle of the Bulge. Yuk. M-47's vs M-24's. Doubleyuk.
The Thin Red Line (recent version). WW2 in the neurotic ward.

IMHO Thin Red Line belongs in BEST war movie thread - not worst.

[Fallschirmjager]

Thin Red line takes alot of flak. Its not your typical war movie. But I liked it alot. The camara work, colors and visuals were amazing throughout the whole movie.

[brisd]

I thought Enemy at the Gates had its problems but it captured the thrill of sniper warfare, the desperation of the Russians. Definitely not a worst film on my list. Battle of the Bulge is a guilty pleasure, again it captured the feel of the battle and overall situation well. Now where were they going to find German Panzers when they made that movie?

Two of the worst IMHO were Gods and Generals (I walked out it was so one-sided and poorly written) and the recent Pearl Harbor. The producers went through all that expense to create a digital version of battleship row and then they ruined it by showing modern US Navy vessels under attack.

[Mike Scholl]

ORIGINAL: Fallschirmjager

Thin Red line takes alot of flak. Its not your typical war movie. But I liked it alot. The camara work, colors and visuals were amazing throughout the whole movie.

BARRY LINDEN had some amazingly good "combat footage" and was filmed beautifully.
But the movie still sucked. As does THIN RED LINE.

[gunnergoz]

I enjoyed Enemy at the Gates, possibly because my wife is a native Ukrainian and she and her Mom also thought it was pretty good (and her Mom was around back then, though not in Stalingrad.)

As to Battle of the Bulge and phony panzers, I guess the same could be said for Pearl Harbor...the excuse is, "they used what was available."

The only problem with that is that we've all seen Hollywood epics that were shamed by foreign films that had a quarter of the budget. I'd rather they spend money on a few simulated tin-clad panzers (like SPR) than treating us to scads of repainted Bundeswher tanks. As it was, BOB spent most of it's money on cast salaries IIRC.

[Jorm]

Yes
the second pearl harbour was a dud, nice graphics but a truly awful film

[cpt_Venomous]

as far as enemy at the gates go rus vets laughed once they saw it most felt it was a joke and lot thought it was an usult.

[yamaslob]

I would have to second that B of the bulge was the all time worst. The tank thingy was bad but did everyone who got shot have to throw their arms up in the air? sigh. And were was all the snow? Worst winter in 50 years and just a dusting in the movie. Terrible!

yamaslob

[gunnergoz]

I LOVED the part in BOB where the US tankers have the entire upper turret and roof supposedly blown off their M-24 by a Tiger and they are driving around in this semi-convertible, all the while ranting on the radio...

[Copper]

I'd have to say worst movie is Stalingrad, completely one sided in the opinion of the Russians, even though the director is German, and the story is German.

Best movie goes to Bridge over the river Kwai or Dr. Strangelove.

[rlc27]

IMHO Thin Red Line was a close to a masterpiece. Not as a conventional war flick, but as a psychological tour de force. Didn't like how they only had 1 transport available though. My main problem was that it was overly interpretive from the book; all that Buddhist stuff was added in, while the book plays it pretty straight. And it's a lot funnier.

[GameTester]

Gods and Generals - talk about dull and boring... is the Battle of Fredericksburg over yet? [8|]

Windtalkers - not believable at all...

Pearl Harbor - Ben Affleck, need more be said... [>:]

[rlc27]

Two of my favorite "underdog" war movies, both of which I think might have been made for HBO, are

"When Trumpets Fade." About the battle of Huertgen forest. Has that guy that played the state trooper in house of sand and fog (semi-chick flick but has Jennifer Connely [:D] ) Very authentic equipment. On both the soldiers and Ms. Connely.

"A Midnight Clear." A "Lite" war movie, more like a parable, but I loved the BOB atmosphere. Gary Sinise is always good in a military role. Evoked the Christmas truces of WWI and is a really good "Christmas War Movie."

[gunnergoz]

And don't forget that recent yuppie flick about the Huertgen Forest...I forget the name. I just recall all the characters walking around with their wool "jeep" caps on backwards...so "cool" y'know? Actually, I've seen thousands of WW2 photos and never once saw one of those worn backwards. I had one, a long time ago, recall wearing it some, and it just wasn't comfy worn backwards. I'll bet that movie set was full of cast and crew wearing their ballcaps backwards, as well...[8|]

[afspret]

Pearl Harbor
Midway
Battle of the Bulge

I have yet to see God and Generals, but if I ever do, it will have to be pretty bad, in my opinion, to replace any of the above.

[ZOOMIE1980]

ORIGINAL: gunnergoz

I enjoyed Enemy at the Gates, possibly because my wife is a native Ukrainian and she and her Mom also thought it was pretty good (and her Mom was around back then, though not in Stalingrad.)

As to Battle of the Bulge and phony panzers, I guess the same could be said for Pearl Harbor...the excuse is, "they used what was available."

The only problem with that is that we've all seen Hollywood epics that were shamed by foreign films that had a quarter of the budget. I'd rather they spend money on a few simulated tin-clad panzers (like SPR) than treating us to scads of repainted Bundeswher tanks. As it was, BOB spent most of it's money on cast salaries IIRC.

The Eastern Front is a very under produced theater in Hollowood. There is so much good material from that part of the War that has not had Hollywood resources tossed at it. Enemy at the Gates did a good job of capturing just how desperate the Soviets were in 1942. The TV series, World At War, captured some of that early Russian hopelessness when they touched on the situation in Lenningrad in early 1942. The 1970's move Iron Cross with James Coburn covered that theater as well.

But this is an area of WWII that still has some great undone stories for Hollywood to cover. Kursk, siege of Lenningrad, Hitler retaking Karkhov, the near collapse of the Soviet government in Moscow in Nov of 1941....lots of good stuff.

[cpt_Venomous]

ORIGINAL: ZOOMIE1980

ORIGINAL: gunnergoz

I enjoyed Enemy at the Gates, possibly because my wife is a native Ukrainian and she and her Mom also thought it was pretty good (and her Mom was around back then, though not in Stalingrad.)

As to Battle of the Bulge and phony panzers, I guess the same could be said for Pearl Harbor...the excuse is, "they used what was available."

The only problem with that is that we've all seen Hollywood epics that were shamed by foreign films that had a quarter of the budget. I'd rather they spend money on a few simulated tin-clad panzers (like SPR) than treating us to scads of repainted Bundeswher tanks. As it was, BOB spent most of it's money on cast salaries IIRC.

The Eastern Front is a very under produced theater in Hollowood. There is so much good material from that part of the War that has not had Hollywood resources tossed at it. Enemy at the Gates did a good job of capturing just how desperate the Soviets were in 1942. The TV series, World At War, captured some of that early Russian hopelessness when they touched on the situation in Lenningrad in early 1942. The 1970's move Iron Cross with James Coburn covered that theater as well.

But this is an area of WWII that still has some great undone stories for Hollywood to cover. Kursk, siege of Lenningrad, Hitler retaking Karkhov, the near collapse of the Soviet government in Moscow in Nov of 1941....lots of good stuff.

If germans captured Moscow that wouldnt give em an automatic victory, soviet government wasnt near collapse at all, all the movies made by Hollywodd about Russian front or even Russia and russians are extremely thickly exaggerated, crude and cliche actually, best if they dont make them at all, things portrayed in those movies are as alien to me as they're to you (im native Great Russian)would help if one of those directors at least spent a year living in Russia before even atempting one of those films. Russia is different its neither west or east but its own unique culture and worldview.