The Best 25 War Movies

[noexpert]

Attack and Retreat w/ Peter Falk and Arthur Kennedy about Italian troops on the Eastern Front.

 

Paths of Glory w/ Kirk Douglas.

 

The Story of G. I. Joe w/ Burgess Meredith and Robert Mitchum. Every WWII Infantryman I ever knew swore this was the best of all WWII movies and came the closest to "telling it like it was."

[Gregory]

The "Darby's Rangers" movie is mentioned here. No wonder that the US Army did not want to support that movie industry's symphony of absurdity.

 

I like American war movies but this one is unique in negative context. I really may tolerate in these movies almost all things -- the postwar tanks playing the Shermans or enemy's AFVs, the C-123 planes playing C-47s, etc., etc., etc. What the producers of "Darby's Rangers" did however against my intelligence is record-breaking and unacceptable for me.

 

The question is for whom this movie is? For the children, or maybe for psychologists, psychiatrists, historians of lifestyle? According to this movie -- what a beautiful world was for the US soldiers in 1940s. The world then was full of 20 y/o single women who were not the prostitutes, but their profession and social status were undefined. They had time and money to live without their parents, they had their flats, they were much more liberated singles in the 1940s than today's liberated single women are. Very funny.

 

The question also is what this movie is? A comedy, tragicomedy, pastiche, moving caricature? I have never seen a movie that shows so many so stupid women. Maybe director and screenwriter of this movie were the misogynists? They are lucky guys that they did not produce this movie today -- the feminists would kill them. The 40+ British married housewife within five seconds falls in love with US soldier who could be her son -- in the 1940s era social circumstances! Today… OK, but then?! The Italian young single woman invites US soldier (after two-minute familiarity) to her flat but later on she is aggressive and furious because -- to her surprise -- she is pregnant. Etc., etc. Very funny.

 

What the Germans are in this movie is separate thread for ROTFL. Grotesque Germans wearing WW1 M16 helmets are really unforgotten. Seeing it I waited for WW1 German Pickelhaubes on the German heads.

 

The fog machines also performed in this movie their record-breaking job. The Rangers sink in tons of glycol-based artificial fog like at Ypres during WW1 or worse. Only a few minutes of the Rangers training are worth to see of entire this strange movie.

[RustyCanteen]

"Five for Hell"

 

Best example of a "spaghetti" war film I have ever seen.

[kjones5452]

In Darbys Rangers, if you look close, you'll see para helmets on those Germans behind the machine gun that fires

across the fogged in field. Nice touch, didn't have to be done cause nobody would have really noticed back in the

60s but it's there anyway. The old Warner Bros. war pictures and also their westerns which were done back then

weren't all that bad when that's all you had.

[gdunk]

Defiance, Miracle at St.Anna, and memphis belle good movies that should be on the list

[Garandomatic]

Man, Miracle at St. Anna wouldn't even make it in my trash can. I really wanted to like it, given that there aren't many WWII African American movies, but dang. A lot of stuff was just off, but the ending of it made me as mad as if SPike Lee hit me in the face. Shawshank Redemption called and wanted its ending back, I thought. The movie just didn't do African American soldiers justice in my opinion.

 

Defiance, Miracle at St.Anna, and memphis belle good movies that should be on the list

[shrapnel]

I have to agree with some of you,Das Boot, was one of my favourites......reason my late Father was an able seaman on an armed merchantmen and part time orlikan gunner.....on the atlantic runs....and although they feared the U boat they had respect for the men that sailed them........At the end of the war my dads ship sailed into La Rochele....where he illegally nipped over the barb wire and went into the U boat pens and helped himself to documents etc.....i dont condone such action....ye right!

[Ronnie]

Objective Burma is my favorite classic WWII movie

 

it's based on a true story during the CBI theater

 

they even have some nice scenes showing the men having K rations and one guy memorizes evrything that comes inside a K-ration.

 

also the uniforms and gear all look correct complete with paratrooper M1 helmets and uniforms

 

I never get tired of watching this movie

No paratrooper helmets in Objective Burma...they did have para liners in the early scenes. The helmets were standard M1's. The uniforms were studio wardrobe items...not real M42's.

[ken88]

Enemy @ the gates and We Were Soldiers is sooooo missing in that list...

 

+ I'd personally add Dark Blue World and Memphis Bell

[a6skin9]

One of my favourites is "A Midnight Clear"

[arron88]

Well, I've watched "Saving Private Ryan" for several times. Good movie, I have to say!

[Jack's Son]

"The incredible Mr. Limpet".........with Don Knotts !

[Navybean]

I agree battleground has to be one of the most accurate I have seen, right uniforms and even tanks are correct for period.

Also loved bridge to far.

 

A Bridge too far

Battleground Bastogne

Stalingrad (NOT the one with the 2 snipers going after each other)

Tora Tora Tora

Kelly's Heroes

 

Erwin

[f16chief]

I have a couple that i think were missed. If you want to see a good one about GI's coming back from WWII and having to go back to civilia life, try The Best Years of Our Lives. Also another one is Decision at Dawn, its about a German POW going back behind the German lines to get info for US intel officers. Richard Basehart is in this one. And of course for TV you cant go wrong with Vic Morrow and COMBAT!

[ge999]

Zulu while mostly staying on track with the real history of Rorke's drift is a classic, one of the best fought single battles of all time.

Cross of Iron is great, enhanced even more by its cast.

Enemy at the Gates - read the book instead

Stalingrad (the German film) - quite good, portrays well the heavy lingering feelings of eventual defeat

Passchendale - Skipping the love story, the trench scenes are very well done and portray the heavy feelings of despair. I especially love how the recruiting Major is dealt with.

[ETN]

Decision before Dawn and The Victor's

[tomlegg]

If I had to choose my personal 'Best 25 War Movies' I'd probably go with the following (in no particular order)...

 

1. Das Boot

2. Glory

3. Downfall

4. Saving Private Ryan

5. Never So Few

6. Battle of Britain

7. A Bridege too Far

8. The Devils Brigade

9. We Were Soldiers

10. Platoon

11. Go Tell The Spartans

12. Sahara (1943 version)

13. 633 Squadron

14. Bravo Two Zero

15. Schindlers List

16. The Pianist

17. We Dive at Dawn

18. Dunkirk

19. Battleground

20. Went the Day Well?

21. Patton

22. Black Hawk Down

23. Hamburger Hill

24. Zulu

25. Gallipoli

 

I guess I've chosen most of these based on how well they entertained me. Yes having accurate kit and vehicles is a plus for me and yes being historically accurate goes a long way, but I find that even if the most inaccurate story is being told well, then I'm on board

 

Cheers all,

 

Tom

[patches]

Moviefone rated the 25 best war movies here:

 

http://movies.aol.com/movie-photo/best-war-movies

 

According to them, they are:

 

1. Apocalypse Now (1979)

 

2. Platoon (1986)

 

3. Saving Private Ryan (1999)

 

4. Schindler's List (1993)

 

5. Full Metal Jacket (1987)

 

6. Das Boot (1981)

 

7. Paths of Glory (1957)

 

8. The Great Escape (1963)

 

9. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

 

10. Braveheart (1995)

 

11. The Deer Hunter (1978)

 

12. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

 

13. Glory (1989)

 

14. The Longest Day (1962)

 

15. Three Kings (1999)

 

16. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

 

17. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

 

18. Patton (1970)

 

19. Downfall (2005)

 

20. M*A*S*H (1970)

 

21. The African Queen (1951)

 

22. The Thin Red Line (1998)

 

23. Stalag 17 (1953)

 

24. Sergeant York (1941)

 

25. The Pianist (2002)

 

I don't know about you, but they left out some of my favorites and listed some that I definitely do not agree with. For example, they left out:

 

From Here to Eternity, To Hell and Back, The Bridges at Toko-Ri, Pork Chop Hill and We Were Soldiers...and Young.

 

I'm sure members from overseas will also have a number of war movies to talk about that we are not familiar with.

 

What do you say?

 

 

Thought I would have some fun in listing the movies and series that I like, in each case they are in the catogory of one that to a great degree will be historically accurate as possible whether based on real events and real persons or are historical period fictional movies, accurate as possible in both uniforms and equipment, good story lines with good charactors with those actors who are portraying them doing a very good job, in some case excellent, these are some of the ones I can think off the top of my head. I want to stress that these are in no particular order, going down from the earliest historical time periods that I can think of.

 

The Last of the Mohicans. ( the 1971 BBC series )

 

The Horse Soldiers.

 

Gettysburg.

 

Gods and Generals.

 

Glory.

 

The Red Badge of Courage ( The 1975 Richard Thomas Version )

 

Fort Apache.

 

She Wore A Yellow Ribbon.

 

Son of the morning star.

 

Khartoum.

 

The Four Feathers ( the 1939 version)

 

Beau Gest ( not the Marty feldman version, LOL )

 

Gunga Din.

 

The Real Glory.

 

All Quite on the Western Front

 

Paths of Glory.

 

Lawance Of Arabia.

 

Dawn Patrol ( 1938 version )

 

The Blue Max.

 

TORA TORA TORA.

 

They Where Expendable.

 

In Which We Serve

 

The Story of GI JOE ( If off on units that Ernie Pyle wrote about )

 

A Walk In The Sun.

 

Battle Ground.

 

Twelve O'Clock High.

 

Das Boot.

 

Battle of Britain.

 

The Longest Day.

 

A Bridge To Far.

 

Bridges at Toko Ri

 

Pork Chop Hill.

 

Ah I went over 25 did'nt I, There is some more of course, some I hav'nt seen or am even aware of yet.

[KVSkelton]

Not sure if this one has been mentioned. A personal favorite of mine is Breaker Morant from 1979/80. For those of you who have not seen it, it's about 3 Australian officers who are on trial for shooting prisoners during the Boer War. It is not just one of my favorite war movies but close to being my favorite movie of all time.

 

When asked if they had observed King's Regulations by having a court martial before shooting prisoners (Boer commandos), Harry "Breaker" Morant replied to the court:

 

"Was it like this? No; it was not quite so handsome. As to rules and regulations, we had no Red Book, and knew nothing about them. We were out fighting the Boers, not sitting comfortably behind barb-wire entanglements; we got them and shot them under Rule 303."

[38Driver]

For all the helmet collectors here, "Battleground" would have to be the movie. Apparently some of the actors were wearing vet return 101st stuff. Nice job on the helmets and stencils.

 

I don't know how you define a 'best' war movie. I would think it would depend on the angle you are trying to tell the story from.

 

"Best Years of our Lives" always has stood out as top of the list to me, yet it's really not a 'war' movie but it sure seemed to address the cost.

 

I'd put "Battleground" right up there. Certainly as powerful as Band of Brothers, or SPR without being able to over power the audience with special effects

[Sabrejet]

How long before "The War Horse" is added to this list? (apart from this addition, of course!)

[Gregory]

"When Trumpets Fade" was pretty good. A movie about the slaughter that was the Hurtgen Forest.

I agree.

 

In my opinion -- of the US-produced war movies -- When Trumpets Fade is the best film ever made. No other American movie shows in such a form entire stupidity, brutality and dehumanisation of the war.