OT: Your top five war films
We at MGoBlog love lists.
I wanted to start a discussion on your favorite war films. There are so many good ones, but if you had to narrow it down to a top five, what would that list look like?
For me, it was a struggle. Here's my five:
1. "Patton." It has one of my favorite opening scenes in film ever, and George C. Scott gives such a memorable performance.
2. "Saving Private Ryan". The D-Day scene alone gives me chills and the editing is fantastic.
3. "The Longest Day." Great cast.
4. "Downfall." Bruno Ganz is very believable as Hitler. He captures Hitler's mannerisms and little tendencies so well that it is almost scary. I felt like I was actually watching real footage of the man.
5. "All Quiet on the Western Front." I'm a sucker for the black and white pictures.
Other notables: "Platoon," "Full Metal Jacket," "Kelly's Heroes," "Letters from Iwo Jima" and "Apocalypse Now."
Bridge on the River Kwai
Saving Private Ryan
Longest Day, probably my #1
Glory
Midway (cast of millions - "holy shit - that's Erik Estrada!!!)
Band of Brothers (mini-series)
also had a young Tom Selick...very briefly, one line i think
There is only one, Independance Day. I keed, I keed.
1. Blackhawk Down.
2. Saving Priv. Ryan
3. Band of Brothers, not a movie I know, but my favorite.
4. Full Metal Jacket.
5. Anything with Navy jets.
I'd also throw in The Great Escape, The Big Red One, The Dirty Dozen, and The Battle of the Bulge. VonRyan Express isn't bad either.
Patton and Saving Private Ryan probably top 2. Great Escape 3, Dirty Dozen 4th, and Batlle of the Bulge 5th.
1) Kelly's Hero's
2) Dirty Dozen
3) The Great Escape
4) Stalag 17
5) Tora, Tora, Tora.
Love Kelly's Heroes, unbelievable cast. Grew up watching it all the time with my Dad, but didn't truly appreciate it until I got older. Telly Savalas steals the show in this movie in my opinion, but Clint, Sutherland and Rickles all shine as well. Best part of the movie is when they realize where they're going to have their 3 day leave, or when Kelly tells Big Joe about how many Tiger tanks are guarding the bank.
Not Pearl Harbor.
But the Ben Affleck/Matt Damon love story is epic!
I saw that with a girlfriend and was laughing out loud at the dialogue. Worst movie I've seen in theaters after Waterworld and the new Punisher.
Ben Affleck/Josh Hartnett
that aren't already named here, but i had a coworker once who was absolutely insane for Stalag 17, though I'm not positive it counts in quite the same way.
phenomenal movie.
I'm also a huge fan of Stalag 17. Just an iconic performance from William Holden.
It is funny
Glory, Braveheart, Saving Private Ryan, The Pacific (can I do that?), and Full Metal Jacket.
I need to check out hurt locker. The only person I've met so far who didn't like it actually is an EOD tech, but since I don't fit that bill, I think I'll be OK.
Not a movie, but great enough to be included in the discussion. anyone who didn't see it this past spring on HBO needs to go rent/buy it as soon as it is available. HBO scores again. I can't imagine the number of awards this one will win.
I rarely see movies in theatres but we actually took the time to track down on that had Hurt Locker when it came out.
1. Passchendale
2. Gallipoli
3. Bridge over the river Kwai
4. Andersonville
5. Ken Burns Civil War
1. Platoon
2. Glory
3. Patton
4. Saving Private Ryan
5. Letters from Iwo Jima
ALSO: If it counted, Ken Burns' "The War" and "The Civil War" would be my top two, ahead of everything else, and they'd be 1 and 1a.
I could sit and listen to Shelby Foote tell stories all day.
Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down, and Tropic Thunder.
The Three Kings.
1) Midway
2) TORA! TORA! TORA!
3) Where Eagles Dare
4) The Guns of Navarone
5)Force 10 from Navarone
All classic war flicks
Edit: Honorable Mention: Battle of Britain, Dirty Dozen
when someone would say Tora Tora Tora. Great movie.
I think it's right in there with Midway. Midway's hard to beat, though.
Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers are the only two war movies/series that I look forward to watching over and over again despite knowing I'll come to tears when I do.
Beyond those, Behind Enemy Lines, Black Hawk Down, and of course... Top Gun. :)
how is The Great Escape not on this list? or is that not "war" ish enough for the list? i guess i could see that and do a "war is the backdrop of the movie" list for myself...
1. Deer Hunter
2. M*A*S*H*
3. The Great Escape
4. The Quiet American
5. Terminator (lol)
... probably the greatest movie in the English language not named Godfather. Walken's performance is insanely good (no pun intented).
...WWII Navy films:
- Mister Roberts
- The Caine Mutiny
- The Enemy Below
- They Were Expendable
- Run Silent, Run Deep
Matthew McConnoghey was totally believeable...
...the sarcasm, but no, not even close.
Normally I would agree about McConaughey, but he was fantastic in this great, suspense filled movie. You also gotta love it because Smalls (sandlot) is in it. Other than that he was really only good in Dazed and Confused, A time to Kill and Tropic Thunder.
5. Apocalypse Now
4. Platoon
3. Private Ryan
2. Braveheart
1. Band of Brothers
Band of Brothers is a miniseries, but it works as a (long) movie. Great. great story, and the fact that it is very historically accurate makes it even better.
I love history of the American Revolution, so besides the ones already named, "The Patriot" is a good one.
Downfall is such an amazing film, i know most people know it for the spoofs, but the film is one of the few portrayals of Hitler's final days. Maybe it is because i study the Nazis/Holocaust, but this is one of my favorite films ever.
To finish out my top five: "Band of Brothers (specifically the episode titled "Why We Fight")," "Patton," "Defiance," and "Full Metal Jacket."
A lot of speechifying and a little long but still a pretty cool epic. All the others mentioned are great as well. I love Midway, if nothing else to watch Chuck Heston die AGAIN.
all the other movies listed too ...
but gettysburg captures the heart of the civil war ... i also like the 2 follow ups that are done (it was a 3 part series) even if they were all long winded ... the second one (the name escapes me) captures stonewall amazingly
...WWII European theater films:
- A Bridge Too Far
- Schindler's List
- Saving Private Ryan
- Enemy at the Gates
- Au Revoir, Les Enfants
on Enemy. Damned fine movie.
Well heck, that's gotta go at the top, then. Fantastic movie. Just such an important movie.
Also, I know a lot of it is at least somewhat wrong, regarding navigation and so on, but you've gotta love The Hunt for Red October.
'Shoe, no Navy movies??
a few posts
Thanks. That's what happens when you scroll through quickly late, after a long day on the lake.
I need to re-see this movie, I haven't seen it since 10th grade French, but I've been coming across a lot of mentions of it lately.
C'etait un film triste, elle m'a fait pleurer.
In English:
Me Too!
It was a sad film, it made me cry.
il t'a fait pleurer, oui?
c'est un film.
Elle = son amie, peut-être?
Definitely have to throw in The Hurt Locker, outstanding film.
5) Platoon
4) Tears of the Sun (Not really a war, but guns were involved. So... yeah.)
3) Saving Private Ryan
2) The Last of the Mohicans
1) Glory
Honorable Mention: Band of Brothers (Since it's not a movie.)