Favorite Military Movies

The Washington Times ^ | Oct. 10, 2003 | John McCaslin, Inside the Beltway

[EdJay]

 Our item on retired and active military members being asked by USAA Magazine to rank their all-time favorite military movies (the most popular, in order, were "Twelve O'Clock High," The Bridge on the River Kwai," "The Longest Day," "Patton," "The Deer Hunter," "Saving Private Ryan" and "We Were Soldiers") generated considerable response from within the ranks.

 "I saw that article ... and wondered how they came up with those movies. Then I saw the writer was a retired Air Force officer. Well, no wonder," writes retired Army officer Bob Thomas of Guthrie, Okla.

 "Soldiers would choose a different set of favorite war movies, as would sailors and Marines. I can't believe no one mentioned 'Black Hawk Down,' 'Flight of the Intruder,' 'Gettysburg,' 'Memphis Belle,' or 'Full Metal Jacket.' "

[lizma]

Dirty Dozen

YES! I was sitting here racking my brain and just could not remember this movie's name. Thank you. I can sleep tonight.

[Poohbah]

Poohbah's Top Ten Military Movies (in no particular order, sole criterion is that I enjoyed watching them):

Final Countdown
Full Metal Jacket
A Bridge Too Far
We Were Soldiers
Interceptor
By Dawn's Early Light
Patton
Tora Tora Tora
Flight of the Intruder
Gray Lady Down

[schu]

Patton is the all time best.

I thought A Bridge Too Far was excellent, great cast.

We Were Soldiers Once and Private Ryan are good.

While the entire Enemies at the Gate was not great, the opening scenes about crossing the Volga into the city are accurate and priceless.

[dr_who_2]

That one popped into my mind, too. I remember seeing a bit of it on TV recently and thinking that they ought to do a remake with the same characters but make it more serious historical film and not such a "us versus the Nazi goons" adventure film, although those are good, too (Where Eagles Dare doesn't count though).

[dfwgator]

Das Boot
Gallipoli
Breaker Morant

[Oorang]

I too liked Glory.
I would have to add to this freeper list Apocalypse Now, despite Martin Sheen.

[Pro-Bush]

Das Boot was excellent.

[John H K]

Thin Red Line, while having some beautiful cinematography, was a disaster.

By the time I saw the 6th or 7th lingering shot of a parrot in a tree, I was laughing.

With the possible exception of "The Natural" I've never seen a movie that LESS caught the spirit of the book.

Movies, of course, can't exactly match the plot of a novel, and consolidation of characters is to be expected, but the Thin Red Line movie was an abomination; not once in the book did the soldiers sit around musing about the philosophical relation of man and nature.

The main character in the movie, Witt, is a gentle backwoods philosopher; in the book, he's a brawling racist.

[Joe_October]

Dirty Dozen was on last night after I saw the list mentioned here. Great movie.

Hollywood would never make such a movie today.

[LearnsFromMistakes]

Some good ones listed, but one of my all-time favs is 'Where Eagles Dare'. Don't get to see it very often, and there is nothing fantastic about it. But I like it. Same with Stalag 17. I taught my cockatiel to whistle the bridge over river kwai marching song...but he always threw a wolf-whistle in at the end...

[mseltzer]

Do you mean Casualties Of War?

[donmeaker]

I hated U-571, because the real story of the capture of the ULTRA was so much better than the movie.


But then, my all time favorite is (sheepish) Kelly's Heroes.

it warms the capitalist in me.

[AgentEcho]

1. The Great Escape
2. Mr. Roberts
3. The Big Red One
4. HBO's Band of Brothers
5. Kelly's Heros
6. Bridge Over The River Kwai
7. Platoon
8. If the book Chickenhawk were made into a movie I'd put it here
9. Father Goose - I will offer no excuses, I love this movie
10. Ken Burns - 'Civil War'

I know I'm missing huge amounts of great movies but this is a quick selection.

Æ

[dr_who_2]

Enemies at the Gate was a bit disappointing (mainly because of the script), but there's always Stalingrad. Hopelessly grim, but there's probably no other way of doing a movie about that battle like that one.

[knarf]

Guadal Canal Diary.

[Calvin Locke]

"A Bridge Too Far," A movie too long, imo.
However, you can see Cliff Clavin in the movie.

I liked "The Beast", "Dogs of War", "The Wild Geese".

[oyez]

Battleground with James Whitmore and Van Johnson.

[dr_who_2]

Kelly's Heroes rocks, true.