Top Ten War Movies

[Jem'hadar]

So I was thinking about what my top 10 war movies would be. Here they are in no particular order:

1) A Bridge Too Far

2) The Longest Day

3) Zulu

4) Waterloo

5) The Great Escape

6) Gettysburg

7) All Quiet on the Western Front (original b/w version)

8) Pork Chop Hill

9) Platoon

10) Tora, Tora, Tora!

Of course, I've lots of favorite war movies, but if I had to boil it down to 10, these are what I would pick.

What are your top 10 favorite war movies?

[Liquidator Queeg]

For me there's Apocalypse Now ...

... and all the rest.

Seriously though, I'd have to pick

1- Apocalypse Now
2- Full Metal Jacket
3- Band of Brothers (I know it's a series, but it gets my vote)
4- Tora Tora Tora
5- The Bridge on the River Kwai
6- All Quiet on the Western Front (b&w)
7- The Great Escape
8- Platoon
9- Dieppe
10- Kelly's Heroes (just for fun!)

I've probably missed a few really good ones but these are what I can recall right now.

[Sea Tyger]

Hmmm....

1. Zulu
2. Tora! Tora! Tora!
3. Patton
4. Enemy at the Gates
5. Blue Max
6. The Longest Day
7. The Dirty Dozen
8. Glory
9. Gettysburg
10. Platoon

Honorable Mention (in no particular order):
Operation: Petticoat
Flyboys
Midway
Kelly's Heroes
Saving Private Ryan (for the opening sequence alone)
The Guns of Navarone

[The Tatterdemalion King]

No love for Deer Hunter?

[Eric R.]

This one is ruff . . . in no order

We Were Soldiers
Flags of Our Fathers & Letters from Iwo Jima
Hamburger Hill
All Quit on the Western Front (Actually like both Original and "John Boy" versons)
Waterloo
Gettysburg
To Hell and Back
Full Metal Jacket
Private Ryan
Stalingrad (93 verson)

[RaconteurX]

In no particular order, my favorites (yes, I know there are more than ten):

• Glory
• Platoon
• Catch 22
• M*A*S*H
• Crimson Tide
• The Civil War
• Paths of Glory
• Kelly's Heroes
• Apocalypse Now
• The Dirty Dozen
• Band of Brothers
• The Caine Mutiny
• Saving Private Ryan
• The Guns of Navarone
• The Hunt for Red October

Two are multi-part series rather than films, per se, but that is just because few would want to watch ten-plus hours of programming in a single sitting.

[JALU3]

In no particular order:

• The Hunt for Red October
• Fort Apache
• Midway
• Black Hawk Down
• Saving Private Ryan
• By Dawns Early Light
• Full Metal Jacket
• Go for Broke!
• Lawrence of Arabia
• MacArthur
• Operation Petticoat
• Memphis Belle
• Crimson Tide
• Rules of Engagement
• We Were Soldiers
• Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
• Apocalypse Now
• The Bridge on the River Kwai
• Glory
• Good Morning, Vietnam
• The Longest Day
• Patton
• The Great Raid
• She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
• They Were Expendable
• Gettysburg
• Bataan
• Battle of the Bulge
• The Green Berets
• Hamburger Hill

[The Tatterdemalion King]

Titus.

[Evan van Eyk]

I am wondering what makes a good war movie? Considering that few people would declare war to be something good I think a good war movie shows to people a certain glimpse of what war means. It's comradship, cruelty, loosing one's own humanity or at least endangering it and of course death, I think.

1) Saving Private Ryan: My number one probably because of the invasion of France depicted at the beginning. It was the most brutal and realistic movie I have seen up to then and taking the emotions into account there, probably still is. While it is only the slightest glimpse of what it probably was like to storm those beaches I think it still bears a powerful message.

2) Band of Brothers: What I found so fascinating about this series was that one became quite familiar with the figures in it and soon it no longer were US paratroopers but the people behind it - very well done in that series. There were many powerful episodes where the cruelty of war on both sides were shown, yet being German the most emotional scenes for me were the liberation of the concentration camp. For a moment I really felt ashamed for what happened in that episode and back then and those were only pictures, no real people have been harmed in that movie... How horrible has it been for the real inmates?

3) A German movie called "The Bridge" ( 1959 ), of which I am not sure whether it was ever translated into another language. The only reason this one is not number 1 is simply that it has been a long time since I have seen it and I only have vague memories left. However in this movie a group of youths is drafted into war during the very last days of WWII. Fanatism, misplaced ideology and senselessness of war are depictd very powerful.

4) The Lost Battallion: Based upon true occurances as well, this movie intrestingly depicts a Joe Average becoming a formidable and honorable officer.

5) Deathwatch: Nor solely a war movie but also borering to the horror and fantasy genre, this movie bears some interesting allegories and ideas. I liked especially "Gollum's" performance, which was again outstanding.

6) We were Soldiers: Strangely translated as "We were Heroes" in Germany this movie is interesting, because of a more modern setting. I like the depiction of Gibson, who does what he has to do and can do best, yet not necessarily likes it.

7) Space: Above and Beyound: Its one of the best TV-shows of its time and surprisingly unconventional and critical for a TV show. Paired with drama and action this show mixed entertainment with critical thinking. I really liked it.

Can't think of any more movies...

[black campbellq]

#1 by far, for me: Das Boot
Master & Commander
Zulu
Glory
Gettysburg
Bridge Over the River Kwai
Gallipoli
Lawrence of Arabia
Black Hawk Down
Breaker Morant

[Liquidator Queeg]

Thanks BC! How could I have forgotten Das Boot! Great movie.

[Eric R.]

True . . . and I still crack up each time i remember the reference inside of "Beerfest" that was class and what was even better it was one of those times where you are the only the person laughing in the whole damn theater. . . hve had a lot of those over the years

Some other films which i forgot about and have yet to be mentioned:

Rough Riders - 1998, TNT
Big Red One - 1980 Original and 2005 Extended
Tumble Down - ? only Falklands movie I know of
Fort Apache - 1946 and the other two filmes in the Triolgy Rio Grand and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
Go Tell the Spartans - 1977
Enemy at the Gates - 2001

There was another movie i can't remember the name of that i liked, it was a BBC film (not a Documenrty) on Bosinia and British particapation in Peacekepping, any help?

[Hirogen Alpha]

Apocalypse Now and all the rest is a good list. It's definitely my number one.

Beyond that there are some great ones, of course, but it's hard to pick just ten, or to order ten.

Platoon is on of the better war films made. All Quiet on the Western Front is also a classic.

A Very Long Engagement, which not everyone here might have seen, was a fantastic film mostly about world war one that came out a few years ago.

The others have really been said.

[Ramage]

Glory
Breaker Morant
Gallipoli
Apocalypse Now
The Battle of Algiers
Bridge on the River Kwai
Zulu
Platoon
Full Metal Jacket
Lawrence of Arabia

and in a weird way

Jacob's Ladder

[Jem'hadar]

All good selections from the group so far. Many of the movies you all listed but I did not were also some of my favorites. It was difficult to narrow it down to just 10.

I deliberately left out made for TV movies or made for cable/TV series. Otherwise I would have included Band of Brothers.

I also didn't include sci-fi movies w/ a war theme. Otherwise I probably would have included Aliens which is basically a war movie in a futuristic setting. I kept my list to movies that were based (even loosely) in some historical conflict.

I'm not sure what makes a good war movie. Story & good acting obviously play a part. Having interesting major characters (both protagonists & antagonists) is another important thing. Another thing for me is some attempt at historical accuracy. I'm a military history buff so sometimes if a war movie is really bad on things like uniforms, equipment, tactics etc., I tend not to enjoy it as much; unless it's quite obvious the movie is not attempting to portray a battle or war w/ historic accuracy, but just dramatically.

I guess that's why I enjoyed The 300 even though it's filled w/ numerous historical inaccuracies.