Movies Best Military Films, Ironic or Not, in any Language
- Thread starter Yinko
- Start date
Yinko
Well-known member
As a start, I'd say:
If you aren't willing to risk life and limb for your word and honor over a half-decade long quest then what the fuck are you even doing with your life?
Bit of a cliche, but I actually enjoyed parts of that one. Really shows the British "officers go first" additude.
Pre-Great War era gumption at its best. Better still, this was based on a story written before the land it was talking about was even discovered.
Too late to explain why so I'll just list them and milk my post count later if I remember. OFF the top of my sleep deprived head.
No particular order... maybe?
1. Glory
Movie about the "first" African-American Regiment that served in the American Civil War. Directed by Edward Zwick and starring Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington, Andre Braugher, Ferris Bueller and the Dread Pirate Wesley. Great movie. Great battle scenes. Wonderful characters. Beautiful movie. Very epic. Made me fall in love with military history and the American Civil War in particular.
Glory (1989) - IMDb
Glory: Directed by Edward Zwick. With Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, Morgan Freeman. Robert Gould Shaw leads the U.S. Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices from both his own Union Army, and the Confederates.
www.imdb.com
2. A Bridge Too Far
Just best single battle war movie ever and based off an amazing book of the same name by Cornelius Ryan. Amazing how a movie made then had such impressive and gritty battle and action scenes plus the huge sprawling story, ensemble cast, lots of drama and everything else. Blows the other contemporary war movies that came out prior to it out of the war with the pure grit IMHO. Talked about it a lot before.
A Bridge Too Far (1977) - IMDb
A Bridge Too Far: Directed by Richard Attenborough. With Siem Vroom, Marlies van Alcmaer, Erik van 't Wout, Wolfgang Preiss. Operation Market Garden, September 1944: The Allies attempt to capture several strategically important bridges in the Netherlands in the hope of breaking the German lines.
www.imdb.com
3. We Were Soldiers
Like the above, but more Vietnam. For some reason I just loved watching this movie over and over again as soon as I got it on DVD. Sadly it doesn't chronicle the story over a prolonged period of time in country do it's not quite as in depth in analysis and introspection as a Platoon or something, but I thought they did a fantastic job with the battle.
We Were Soldiers (2002) - IMDb
We Were Soldiers: Directed by Randall Wallace. With Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe, Greg Kinnear, Sam Elliott. The story of the first major battle of the American phase of the Vietnam War, and the soldiers on both sides that fought it, while their wives wait nervously and anxiously at home for the...
www.imdb.com
4. Gettysburg
I will always love watching Gettysburg. I love Civil War movies and this is the best one to watch. Big cast, broad scope, amazing moments, so epic and cinematic and dramatic. Amazing battle scenes. Love this movie.
Gettysburg (1993) - IMDb
Gettysburg: Directed by Ron Maxwell. With Tom Berenger, Martin Sheen, Stephen Lang, Richard Jordan. In 1863, the Northern and Southern forces fight at Gettysburg in the decisive battle of the American Civil War.
www.imdb.com
5. Patton
Almost as good as the General himself. Or maybe better... depending on your point of view.
Patton (1970) - IMDb
Patton: Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner. With George C. Scott, Karl Malden, Stephen Young, Michael Strong. The World War II phase of the career of controversial American general George S. Patton.
www.imdb.com
I'm also a fan of Glory and Gettysburg. To that, I think I'll also add:
Cliched, but it is a pretty good movie.
Also cliched, also good.
A true story about four Allied POWs who endure harsh treatment from their Japanese captors during World War II while being forced to build a railroad through the Burmese jungle. Ultimately they find true freedom by forgiving their enemies. Based on the true story of Ernest Gordon.
www.imdb.com
Fact-based war drama about an American battalion of over 500 men which gets trapped behind enemy lines in the Argonne Forest in October 1918 France during the closing weeks of World War I.
Huh, I just realized most of these were released in 2001.
The Lost Battalion (TV Movie 2001) - IMDb
The Lost Battalion: Directed by Russell Mulcahy. With Ricky Schroder, Phil McKee, Jamie Harris, Jay Rodan. Fact-based war drama about an American battalion of over 500 men which gets trapped behind enemy lines in the Argonne Forest in October 1918 France during the closing weeks of World War I.
www.imdb.com
Huh, I just realized most of these were released in 2001.
PsihoKekec
Swashbuckling Accountant
Das Boot - the best submarine movie/mini-series, when looking for which version to watch, the mini-series is the best
Stalingrad - best movie about the battle, period
Battle of Britain - probably the best air war movie
Zulu - Battle of Rorke's Drift, nuff said
Idi i smotri - movie about partisan warfare in Belorussia, very depressing
Army of Shadows - grim reality of the French resistance
The Battle of Algiers - a movie looking at both sides of Algerian war
No Man's Land - best movie for outsiders about war in Bosnia
The Front Line - brutal and depressing South Korean movie about the static phase of Korean war
Pork Chop Hill - American movie about the same phase
Hamburger Hill - fighting for fortified hills is brutal - Vietnam edition
All Quiet on the Western Front - I think black and white movie this is the best version of the three
Stalingrad - best movie about the battle, period
Battle of Britain - probably the best air war movie
Zulu - Battle of Rorke's Drift, nuff said
Idi i smotri - movie about partisan warfare in Belorussia, very depressing
Army of Shadows - grim reality of the French resistance
The Battle of Algiers - a movie looking at both sides of Algerian war
No Man's Land - best movie for outsiders about war in Bosnia
The Front Line - brutal and depressing South Korean movie about the static phase of Korean war
Pork Chop Hill - American movie about the same phase
Hamburger Hill - fighting for fortified hills is brutal - Vietnam edition
All Quiet on the Western Front - I think black and white movie this is the best version of the three
bintananth
behind a desk
Flat Top (1952) - WWII carrier air operations in the Pacific told in flashback form. Much of it was filmed aboard USS Princeton. Excellently edited.
Unlike Top Gun, the over eager hot head is not the hero. He gets grounded for doing something dumb by the main character before he appears on screen.
Unlike Top Gun, the over eager hot head is not the hero. He gets grounded for doing something dumb by the main character before he appears on screen.
49ersfootball
Well-known member
Favorite Military movies in no particular order:
The Tuskegee Airmen (1995)
Top Gun (1986)
Officer & a Gentleman (1982)
Val the Moofia Boss
Well-known member
- The Guns of Navarone (a small band of heroes go on a long journey behind enemy lines to blow up huge guns that prevent an invasion of Italy).
- Paths of Glory (an unusually good anti-war film that doesn't resort to showing lots of violence and the heroes making sad faces. Is instead about how the rank and file got screwed over for nothing by the politicking and ego of their generals).
- Shenandoah (Southern family gets visited by both armies and caught up in turmoil. Stars James Stewart).
- Go Tell the Spartans (A Vietnam movie. Stars Burt Lancaster).
- Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (movie builds up to a bombing raid during the early part of the war)
- Merry Christmas Mr. Lawerence (film set entirely in a Japanese POW camp, no breakout attempts are made).
Also seconding The Bridge on the River Kwai, Zulu, and Master and Commander.
edgeworthy
Well-known member
Cross of Iron (One of the few War Movies edgeworthy senior enjoyed) About the conflict between a bitter veteran Sergeant and a Glory Hunting Officer on the Eastern Front.
Away All Boats (Which is how you do a Flag-Waving exercise well. It is possible)
www.imdb.com
Away All Boats (Which is how you do a Flag-Waving exercise well. It is possible)
Away All Boats (1956) - IMDb
Away All Boats: Directed by Joseph Pevney. With Jeff Chandler, George Nader, Lex Barker, Julie Adams. The story of a U.S. Naval ship and its crew in the Pacific, from 1943 to 1945.
www.imdb.com
Lord Sovereign
The resident Britbong
Easily one of the greatest films, let alone war films, of all time. It was just cursed to come out alongside Return of the King, so it wasn’t as successful as it should have been.
Yup.If only they do not replaced americans with french....becouse in book they fough american pirate,not french.
Cross of Iron is great war entertainment. I forgot how philosophical the film actually was on a more recent review. It was clear the film had some ideas that it wanted to explore.Cross of Iron (One of the few War Movies edgeworthy senior enjoyed) About the conflict between a bitter veteran Sergeant and a Glory Hunting Officer on the Eastern Front.
Also Sam Peckinpah creates beautiful bloody action scenes comparable to the ones he had in arguably his most famous film, The Wild Bunch which isn't quite a war film though it has some of those elements in there.
Yinko
Well-known member
Where Eagles Dare (1968) - IMDb
Where Eagles Dare: Directed by Brian G. Hutton. With Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood, Mary Ure, Patrick Wymark. Allied agents stage a daring raid on a castle where the Nazis are holding American brigadier general George Carnaby prisoner, but that's not all that's really going on.
www.imdb.com
The Guns of Navarone (1961) - IMDb
The Guns of Navarone: Directed by J. Lee Thompson. With Gregory Peck, David Niven, Anthony Quinn, Stanley Baker. A team of Allied saboteurs are assigned an impossible mission: infiltrate an impregnable Nazi-held Greek island and destroy the two enormous long-range field guns that prevent the...
www.imdb.com
Lord Sovereign
The resident Britbong
It is a pity, I will agree.
For anyone who doesn't know, in the original Master and Commander book they were hunting an American privateer during the War of 1812. That ship was inspired by USS Constitution (old ironsides), and that bleeds over into the movie with the Acheron's ludicrously strong hull.
Alas, the film makers reckoned American audiences wouldn't react well to an American vessel getting the bejesus blasted out of it, so they moved the year to 1805 and had HMS Surprise fight the French.
Yinko
Well-known member
That was probably the right call. Though, given how little the nationality of their enemies matters to the film, they could have just made the other ship non-nationalized.
Lord Sovereign
The resident Britbong
No, no, no, it might be second best but I'm happy with Acheron being French. Kicking the snot out of the Frogs is a ancient tradition of England that I feel sentimental towards.
More Americans are probably familiar with the British fighting the French for some reason or another then the War of 1812 going on at the same time as the Napoleonic Wars. Introducing the context as related to the Napoleonic Wars as opposed to the War of 1812 is easier, more accessible and easier to comprehend.
IIRC in the film they mentioned the French privateer was built in America by the perfidious colonials.
IIRC in the film they mentioned the French privateer was built in America by the perfidious colonials.