NA -- What is your favorite war movie?

Sac Arrow said:
Apocalypse Now, by a wide margin. Second in line is U571. But I like all war movies.
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Didn't like U571 for 2 reasons. 1) Couldn't accept Mathew McConaughey as the captain, he just wasn't very convincing. 2) They made it an action movie and I couldn't take that either because submarine movies always work better when done as a suspense story.
 
For sub movies "The Enemy Below" and "The Bedford Incident" are pretty good.
 
Sink the Bismark for a non-action war movie. Dana Wynter must have been a hottie for that generation.

The Americanization of Emily for another non-action war movie with James Garner.


Garner was also very good in Darby's Rangers.


To be added for more mainstream:

Kelly's Heroes
Great Escape
Eagles Nest
Dirty Dozen
Big Red One


Anything with Bronson or Lee Marvin.
 
The Crossing, John Paul Jones, The Patriot (well you didn't say which war).
 
mscard88 said:
Read Jablonsky's book not long ago, and a few more about those Bomber Wings. Amazing what those crews endured. Yup Vietnam was a goat rope (FUBAR) and that's why the first Gulf War was a success. Bush Sr allowed the military to run it. Vietnam Johnson and McNamara ran it like a ****ing board game and got thousands killed, and they're responsible for it.
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Totally different war and enemy in first gulf war which was fought in the desert by an inferior enemy. Vietnam was fought in the jungle by very determined enemy who was willing to fight ten more years if necessary. We were in over our heads. We had no business going there. Same with Iraq. A terrible blunder.
 
Jimmy cooper said:
Totally different war and enemy in first gulf war which was fought in the desert by an inferior enemy. Vietnam was fought in the jungle by very determined enemy who was willing to fight ten more years if necessary. We were in over our heads. We had no business going there. Same with Iraq. A terrible blunder.
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I would agree with that. From our standpoint, the war was never about Vietnam, it was about stopping Soviet progression in Southeast Asia. In the end, that never played out since Vietnam actually had no interest in having a direct Soviet presence within the country, and the Soviets at the time were more focused on Western Europe, not Southeast Asia. One could make the argument that our support of the South Vietnamese was humanitarian in nature. Vietnam was, and to some extent still is, almost two separate countries with respect to the North and the South. The Southern Vietnamese were keenly interested in having our support to prevent the North from taking them over, cutting off their artistic and cultural presence, which is what happened for about a twenty year period until the government opened up the country again. Ironically, however, Ho Chi Minh, who was a southerner, opted to side with the North in the very early years of the conflict as he felt the North was most effective way to oust the French.

Sitting here today, Vietnam has mostly disposed of its government held corporate assets to private investors, and is less socialist than we are. They are also starting to compete with China for industrial exports. Neither Karl Marx nor Bernie Sanders would approve of their implementation of communism.
 
Jimmy cooper said:
12 o'clock high was taken from actual happenings that occurred when the " bloody 100th " based in England, flew missions against Germany. They suffered tremendous losses . The book B17 by Edward jablonsky , tells in detail , a lot of what occurred , the pilots, POWS, etc. great book. This movie has been my favorite as it seems they tried to really explain what happened to these 19-25 year old crews.
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While the story of the Bloody 100th is perfectly true, Twelve O'clock High was actually based on events in another unit...the 306th, where a Savage-like new commander came in to rehabilitate a broken unit. Bartlett and Lay tripled the Group's number to get the 918th for the book.

Twelve O'clock High is yet another war movie that alters the ending of the source material to make a "punchier" ending. In the book, Savage's breakdown has primarily physical impacts...his mind won't let him climb into the airplane, but doesn't have the mental confusion and near-catatonia that Peck shows in the movie. This was a deliberate decision by the film-makers, and I can't argue that it doesn't make the film more powerful. The book actually ends with Savage driving peacefully away, to a new assignment.

The Blue Max departs from the source material even further, with the Staffel commander, not Bruno Stachel, dying in the new monoplane. The book ends with him being blackmailed by the Countess to be her toy (and who, sadly, is no Ursula Andress).

C.S Forester never wrote a happy ending his life, hence, war movies based on his books almost always changed at the end. You can just see the producers say, "No, no, the audience expects something else...." They had to combine three Hornblower books to come up with one with a happy ending (and the third book ends with Hornblower learning his wife is dead), "Brown on Resolution" (aka "Sailor of the King") ended with the titular sailor actually living, "The Pride and The Passion" (aka, "The Gun") actually had to add a character so one of the main characters was actually LIVING at the end.

And I can just imaging John Huston at a script conference for "The African Queen." "***** no, they're going to SINK that Hun gunboat!"

Ron Wanttaja
 
A lot of people forget the speech at the end of "The Caine Mutiny". Pretty good scene, too.

 
I used to watch The Rat Patrol.

I think I even had a Rat Patrol lunch box.
 
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wanttaja said:
While the story of the Bloody 100th is perfectly true, Twelve O'clock High was actually based on events in another unit...the 306th, where a Savage-like new commander came in to rehabilitate a broken unit. Bartlett and Lay tripled the Group's number to get the 918th for the book.

Twelve O'clock High is yet another war movie that alters the ending of the source material to make a "punchier" ending. In the book, Savage's breakdown has primarily physical impacts...his mind won't let him climb into the airplane, but doesn't have the mental confusion and near-catatonia that Peck shows in the movie. This was a deliberate decision by the film-makers, and I can't argue that it doesn't make the film more powerful. The book actually ends with Savage driving peacefully away, to a new assignment.

The Blue Max departs from the source material even further, with the Staffel commander, not Bruno Stachel, dying in the new monoplane. The book ends with him being blackmailed by the Countess to be her toy (and who, sadly, is no Ursula Andress).

C.S Forester never wrote a happy ending his life, hence, war movies based on his books almost always changed at the end. You can just see the producers say, "No, no, the audience expects something else...." They had to combine three Hornblower books to come up with one with a happy ending (and the third book ends with Hornblower learning his wife is dead), "Brown on Resolution" (aka "Sailor of the King") ended with the titular sailor actually living, "The Pride and The Passion" (aka, "The Gun") actually had to add a character so one of the main characters was actually LIVING at the end.

And I can just imaging John Huston at a script conference for "The African Queen." "***** no, they're going to SINK that Hun gunboat!"

Ron Wanttaja
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I'll stand by what I reported. The 100th and others had many Gregory peck types, one belonged to a friend. His father a west point grad flew in the 100th , 25 missions, married a British girl, was sent home due to bad missions and mental brake down. He was then 24. Sat at home and stared out the window. Never right again, cried a lot. Died ten years go. (She came home with him and took care of him )
 
For me, Midway, Kelly's Heroes, Apocalypse Now, and Twelve O'Clock High.

Bierne Lay's account of a raid on Regensburg, which has appeared in several history books, is riveting. He describes the incessant attacks of German fighter aircraft, and seeing the horrifying sight of a man tucked into a ball, spinning past the wing of his aircraft and through the formation.

A shining silver rectangle of metal sailed past over our right wing. I recognized it as main-exit door. Seconds later, a black lump came hurtling through the formation, barely missing several propellers. It was a man, clasping his knees to his head, revolving like a diver in a triple somersault, shooting by us so close that I saw a piece of paper blow out of his leather jacket. He was evidently making a delayed jump, for I didn’t see his parachute open.
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The Caine Mutiny is probably my favorite book. I first read it when I was about fifteen, and I reread it every five years or so. Herman Wouk is a great author.

The Winds of War and War and Remembrance are both excellent books. Wouk spent almost fifteen years writing them. He seamlessly weaved factual events of history with his fictional characters.
 
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Matthew said:
I used to watch The Rat Patrol.

I think I even had a Rat Patrol lunch box.
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Pffft. Lunch Box.
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Ron Wanttaja
 
Platoon
Saving Private Ryan
Patton

Honorable Mention; Band of Brothers. Would be at the top if it wasn't a t.v. mini-series. Absolutely my favorite war time theatrical production.
 
Matthew said:
I used to watch The Rat Patrol.

I think I even had a Rat Patrol lunch box.
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A few years back, my wife found me a "Fireball XL5" lunch box, just like I had as a kid.

More the realm of war comic books than war movies, I found an "Enemy Ace" action figure a couple years back and picked it up.

Ron Wanttaja
 
German 3-part mini-series "Generation War" is outstanding (if you can deal with subtitles). It's as good as any I've seen - I HIGHLY recommend it!
 
Schlachthof-fünf

Sort of a dark comedy satire science fiction war movie. And book.
 
Capt.Crash'n'Burn said:
Didn't like U571 for 2 reasons. 1) Couldn't accept Mathew McConaughey as the captain, he just wasn't very convincing. 2) They made it an action movie and I couldn't take that either because submarine movies always work better when done as a suspense story.
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Actually, I thought McConaughey was great for the role (he was the XO, not the captain) and he depicted a green, inexperienced Lieutenant. And I'm kind of partial to action, myself. Certainly it's a different type of submarine movie than Crimson Tide and Hunt for Red October.
 
Matthew said:
I used to watch The Rat Patrol.

I think I even had a Rat Patrol lunch box.
Click to expand...

Oh, man - "The Rat Patrol" was must-see for me as a little kid - I'd get upset if I missed an episode! I was reminded of this show just last week when I read a review of a book about the British SAS in N. Africa in WWII, which featured the photo (below). I thought, "Dang, those guys look like The Rat Patrol."
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ETres said:
Oh, man - "The Rat Patrol" was must-see for me as a little kid - I'd get upset if I missed an episode! I was reminded of this show just last week when I read a review of a book about the British SAS in N. Africa in WWII, which featured the photo (below). I thought, "Dang, those guys look like The Rat Patrol."
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You might enjoy the sequel to "Piece of Cake," "A Good Clean Fight." Hornet Squadron, still commanded by Fanny Barton, is flying P-40s in North Africa. But half the book is about a SAS team working to destroy German planes at their bases.

Doubt they'll make a mini-series of it, though...too many anti-heroes.

Ron Wanttaja
 
Grew up watching all the classics: Blacksheep, Midway, Air Force, Apocalypse Now, etc...

Black Hawk Down, Band Of Brothers, and Act of Valor.
 
Can't believe no one mentioned "Where Eagles Dare".

"Broadsword calling Danny-Boy!"
 
Do cold war movies count as war movies? Toss in "Strategic Air Command" with Jimmy Stewart.
 
Triumph des Willens (Prelude to war)

To be or not to be (Ernst Lubitsch at his finest)
 
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