The Best War Movies Ever Made

Freepers who know their war flicks | June 25, 2002 | wimpycat

[wimpycat]

As a companion to http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/705904/posts' The Worst War Movies Ever Made thread, I offer you the best war movies ever made, and I wanted to get mine in first. Here's my list, in no particular order.

1. Battleground (love James Whitmore in this!)

2. Full Metal Jacket (love the DI, R. Lee Ermey. "Hard core, man! F***ing Hard core!")

3. Glory (even though it's not quite historically accurate and it's about Yankees, it's a very moving film, IMHO. Great musical score, too.)

4. The Boys in Company C (same DI as in Full Metal Jacket. Made very soon after Vietnam, but it's still pretty good.)

5. Tora! Tora! Tora! (forget Pearl Harbor, the movie, this is the definitive Pearl Harbor movie)

6. Das Boot (definitely one of the all time great war films--great camera work, great sound effects, it makes you feel claustrophobic. Best viewed on DVD with SurroundSound system. Make sure you watch it in German, with the subtitles, not dubbed! Awesome!)

[Knight Templar]

I still have a fond place for

The Dirty Dozen...

[mc5cents]

What Did You Do In The War, Daddy?

Ohmygod. One of the funniest movies ever! I had almost forgotten about that one. The scenes with, oh, what's his name the guy who played the col. in M*A*S*H on tv, when he gets lost in the catacombs under the town and goes slowly crazy, are hysterical. Just a funny movie. If you have never seen it, rent it and watch it, you won't be disapointed.

[uncbob]

To HELL AND BACK with audie Murphy

An accurate protral of a true story with the main character playing himself If that ain't unique nothing is

[Charles Henrickson]

My favorite war movies are WWII movies from the '50s and '60s, several of them starring William Holden, several of them more specifically prison camp movies:

The Counterfeit Traitor
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Stalag 17
The Great Escape
Von Ryan's Express
The Guns of Navarone
The Dirty Dozen

[Alberta's Child]

This thread, along with the "worst war movies" thread, are great, but I've noticed something peculiar -- the number of movies that have shown up on both lists!

Reminds me of a poll that Hockey Digest did of their female readers a few years ago. They were asked to name the most attractive and least attractive players in the National Hockey League, and Jaromir Jagr made the top five on both lists!

[tophat9000]

I think its called "Go for Broke" but I could be wrong

[clintonh8r]

Best foreign war movie: Soldiers of Orange (must see!)

[SunStar]

What about Blackhawk Down? It is fantastic, and not P.C. about presenting a factual account of the 1993 Somalia disaster.

[SCHROLL]

Patton
Apocalypse Now
In Harm's Way
The Battle of the Bulge
Where Eagles Dare
The Great Escape
The Longest Day
The Patriot

Honorable Mention-both set in the Civil War
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Outlaw Josey Wales

[Reaganwuzthebest]

Gettysburg, although it starred that fictional left wing president...

Jeff Daniels was good as Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.
Probably the best actor in that movie I'd say.

[wimpycat]

Go For Broke! (1951) That's the movie about the Japanese-American soldiers, starring Van Johnson.

[surely_you_jest]

That's it. My bad.

[Dante3]

Not a war movie but a crime movie I just saw in DVD which we all liked is "Brigham City."

[wimpycat]

Operation Petticoat is the funniest war movie I've ever seen. Cary Grant. Hubba-hubba!

[Cool_V]

Jeff Daniels was good as Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. Probably the best actor in that movie I'd say.

He's got good range, watch Gettysburg then Dumb and Dumber...

[buffyt]

I found an excellent website about war movies...http://classicfilm.about.com/library/weekly/aa041998.htm All the war movies you ever saw are listed there. Great site. Short paragraph about each movie, too. This is fun.

There was a movie that was written about my dear friend's group in WWI. He was the Late Bill Abbey. Wonderful man and patriot. My daughter interviewed him about his military experience in WWII. His group was featured in TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH and he was interviewed for the movie. When my daughter interviewed him, I was on the other line on the phone. She asked if he minded talking about his war experience. He said, "Not at all, no one seems to want to hear about this anymore, I love to talk about it." He was just the nicest man in the world!!!!

[Burr5]

God, a lot of movies that aren't WAR movies at all here, and a lot of LIBERAL bilge and propaganda. Where is "Saving Private Ryan" for God's sake? "Glory" is a great pick. I should add "Memphis Belle", the color remake from the 1990s.

[buffyt]

I liked Catch 22, the book and the movie. Shows you just how twisted I really am!!!!

[MatthewViti]

Stalag 17!!!!!

[buffyt]

Twelve O'Clock High, indeed!!!!