Top five war movies

[Jeff Lebowski]

Is it easy to find? Do they have it at BlockBuster? Dubbed or subtitled?

[OhioBlue]

Originally Posted by Jeff Lebowski

Is it easy to find? Do they have it at BlockBuster? Dubbed or subtitled?

It's easy to find, yes. It is dubbed and/or subtitled, but don't even think of watching it with English dubbed in. Watch it with subtitles.

One other word for any with sensitivities about ratings: this one is a war movie and does not spare details. It is gory at times and NOT a family film. Thankfully, the level of realism is hardly the star of the movie; the story of the two brothers is what drives this film.

[UtahDan]

Originally Posted by UteStar

The Patriot is another one of those movies that could have been terrific but I hated the storyline. Mel Gibson was not really a patriot in that movie at all, he was fighting to save his son, not his country. If they would have taken that out of the storyline and have Gibson decide to fight because he loved his country, that would have been a much better story.

I totally forgot about Dr. Strangelove which was a genius movie, no question.

Hmm...you sort of got the point and missed it all at the same time on Patriot. I thought that the message was ultimately that family, home (literally where you dwell) and revenge are all motivations that can't easily be put in or taken out of the category of "Patriotism." It was subtle, but I thought at least part of the point of titling the movie that way was to allow you to think about what a Patriot is and realize it is a complex answer.

I liked the movie too, but it was not Gibsons best works, which to me are Brave Heart and We Were Soldiers (best Vietnam war movie IMO). The thing I like about Gibson is that he is not afraid to introduce "patriotic" themes that most of Hollywood would think were jingoistic or hokey. For example, one of the most touching scenes in We Were Soliders is early on when one young man lays dying and with his last breath says that he is proud to have given his life in the service of his country.

Most of Hollywood would think that obsurd, and of course we can debate about the utility of giving a life for any given cause, yet there are many great people in our armed forces who felt and feel that way and see nothing hokey about it. Props to Gibson for being willing to depict those sorts of things.

[UtahDan]

Originally Posted by OhioBlue

Every one of my top 5 has been mentioned several times over already in this thread, except #2:

Tae Guk Gi (aka The Brotherhood of War)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386064/

Seriously this Korean film impacted me in a way that only Saving Private Ryan duplicated. (That's my clear #1, whether or not it's a fake story). It's a story of two brothers fighting in the Korean War. Wonderful cinematography, compelling human element, emotionally powerful. If you like war movies, give this one a try--you won't be disappointed.

If you watch it, or have watched it, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. I think it's the best war movie that 99% of Americans have never seen.


A couple others that may not meet the definition of a typical 'war movie' but that were great movies about WWII:
Schindler's List
The Pianist

And some others that are good but didn't make my list:
Where Eagles Dare
Guns of Navarone
Force Ten from Navarone (all three by the Tom Clancy of yesteryear, Alistair MacLean. A fantastic author and quick reads)

And the best and original submarine movie--Das Boot.

Also, as for Ran, I'd say that it qualifies as a war movie based solely on the sheer scope of those battle scenes. Incredible, and no CGI there. Good story too, of course Shakespeare had something to do with that and Kurosawa put his stamp on it.

I'll have to check that one out on Netflix.

I'm surprised that no one has said Red Dawn. I'm always surprised to hear how campy people think that one is, but I (we) are at just the age where we are old enough to remember growing up during the cold war and I remember very distinctly being an elementary school child who would look up at the sky and see contrails and worry that maybe nuclear weapons had been launched, and worrying about what would happen to me (growing up near DC) if Russia attacked us.

Red Dawn came at a time that it perfectly captured what I was worried about and when I watch it it brings be right back to that age. People who are too young to remember living under that threat won't quite understand it, the same way my generation can only understand Vietnam intellectually but not emotionally. I liked Rocky 4 quite a bit for some of the same reasons.

[Surfah]

1. The Great Escape
2. Dirty Dozen
3. Band of Brothers
4. We Were Soldiers
5. Last Samurai (For Ken Watanabe's performance)

[UteStar]

I agree Dan with what you are saying...my problem with Patriot was that Gibson seemed to be pointing out that his fighting had nothing to do with his country, it was all because of his son. Yes, he was protecting his son, which in turn is protecting his home, which in turn is protecting his country. But it seemed like that wasn't the point Gibson was trying to make. It was like a clear distinction in that movie that he had no interest in being in a war to help his country but he was forced in it to save his son. He could have been living in Korea, Russia or Vietnam, he was going to fight on the side his son was to save him. Anyway, just my interpretation and a reason why that movie could have been great but in fact, was terrible to me.

Patriot is a complex term...I just think it got muddled in that movie when it didn't need to be. And I am probably wrong, but I think you give Gibson too much credit in what he was trying to accomplish with that movie and that title of the movie. But, probably like usual, I am wrong.

[Venkman]

Originally Posted by UteStar

I agree Dan with what you are saying...my problem with Patriot was that Gibson seemed to be pointing out that his fighting had nothing to do with his country, it was all because of his son. Yes, he was protecting his son, which in turn is protecting his home, which in turn is protecting his country. But it seemed like that wasn't the point Gibson was trying to make. It was like a clear distinction in that movie that he had no interest in being in a war to help his country but he was forced in it to save his son. He could have been living in Korea, Russia or Vietnam, he was going to fight on the side his son was to save him. Anyway, just my interpretation and a reason why that movie could have been great but in fact, was terrible to me.

Patriot is a complex term...I just think it got muddled in that movie when it didn't need to be. And I am probably wrong, but I think you give Gibson too much credit in what he was trying to accomplish with that movie and that title of the movie. But, probably like usual, I am wrong.

Did you see the ending? I thought it was pretty clear that Mel's character finally caught the vision of what the colonists were fighting for. There's the scene before the final battle where Mel comes riding up to the line carrying his deceased son's patched-up flag. And then during the battle, he briefly abandons his quest to kill evil British dude in order to rally the faltering American line. Even after the battle, after he had his revenge on evil British dude, he stayed on until the end of the war.

[The Borg]

Good ones and some for the classics:

1. Saving Private Ryan
2. Braveheart
3. Platoon
4. The Longest Day
5. Patton

...just missed...

Patriot
Battle of the Bulge (Nuts!)
Tora Tora Tora
Midway
Das Boot
Green Beret
Great Escape
Bridge over River Kwai

[SeattleUte]

The greatest war movie is Downfall. I saw it after this thread passed on. And I am a lover of war movies.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Originally Posted by SeattleUte

The greatest war movie is Downfall. I saw it after this thread passed on. And I am a lover of war movies.

Downfall is very good. Watching that mother kill all of her children is just as disturbing/chilling as any battle scene.