top100 war movies.

BlitzKrieg

Dunno how old it was. but that new channel 4 (More4) on digital just had 100 greatest war movies.


And to be honest i am quite disapointed that the general populace will vote saving private ryan as the greatest war movie ever.

I will give Saving Private Ryan kudos for inspiring every mention of war ever since (most notable in computer games)

but i wouldnt consider it the greatest war movie.


I found the list overall to be a bit of a miss.

-they had films like Braveheart, Dr Strangelove and Schindler's list in there which i wouldnt consider war films.
-personal gripe with Blackhawk down coming in at number 9, above far too many better films.



So in the spirit of war movies, lets hear your top 5?

the top 5 of the countdown was:

5. Full Metal Jacket
4. Schindler's list.
3. The Great Escape
2. Apocalypse Now
1. Saving Private Ryan


My personal top 5:

5. Kelly's Heroes
4. Downfall
3. Full Metal Jacket
2. Cross of Iron
1. Das Boot



and one vote for worse war movie:

Windtalkers.

Spider_Baby!

Do u have a list of the 100 chosen? Sorry if its too much to ask, but i kinda cant think of any other than yours i see, which i could put in my top 5...

BlitzKrieg

http://www.channel4.com/film/newsfeatures/microsites/W/greatest_warfilms/results/5-1.html

Chong

Watched The Great Escape today and its prolly the 20th time I have seen it but everytime I watch it, I love it more and more.

TerrorFirmer

My personal favourites in this order:

1. Platoon
2. Saving Private Ryan
3. Cross of Iron
4. Brotherhood
5. Stalingrad

Honorable mentions in my books to Saints and Soldiers, When Trumpets Fade, The Longest Day, We Were Soldiers, A Bridge too Far, Enemy at the Gates, Der Brucke, and many, many more.

Saving Private Ryan, although a tad lacking really when stripped of its visuals, is on my list for just that: Unequalled and breathtaking sequences with some amazing coordination and style. Definately the most visually impressive war movie I've ever seen.

I didn't read the full list, is Brotherhood on it? That is one hell of a seriously amazing film - almost on a par with SPR in terms of epic combat scenes.

There are also alot of films on that list I wouldn't exactly call war films as such - Braveheart, Gladiator? I don't think so....

And Windtalkers gets my vote for worst war film anyway. Well, within the ideal of relativity - for the budget it had, it was a huge mess. I've seen worse war films, but definately no high budget war movies that bad. Although Missing in Action, mind you, was almost as pathetic....:D

Spider_Baby!

Well, in no particular order (mainly because im not sure which i prefer more...):
Saving Private Ryan
Platoon
Cross of Iron
Black Hwak Down
Das Boot

All great movies, not one bad thing to say about them myself!

ObeyGiant

MobileInfantry wrote:

Saving Private Ryan, although a tad lacking really when stripped of its visuals, is on my list for just that: Unequalled and breathtaking sequences with some amazing coordination and style.

Black Hawk Down takes the opening sequence of Saving Private Ryan - that feeling of really being in the thick of things... really, really intense things - and shits all over it. Black Hawk Down is arguably more intense than the opening sequence of Saving Private Ryan, and what's more, it manages to maintain that intensity, and that same sense of being in the middle of things throughout an entire 2-hour movie.

Now, people can argue (and have) about the meaning behind the images. Is it propaganda? Is it porn for war nuts? Whatever. All I know is that Black Hawk Down had the balls to do what Saving Private Ryan wouldn't: make a war movie without some pointless sentimental plot to fill in the gaps.

Breathtaking? Sure. Unequalled? No.

Karl Hungus

That list really doesn't inspire at all.

Reading through it, I'm not sure how films like Master and Commander are rated at all. Now don't get me wrong, M&C is a film I very much like, but a great war film, ever mind top 100 material? Not in my books. Likewise, Enemy At The Gates being rated so highly. I'm also suprised to see Ran mentioned at all, but at the same time, it was far better a film than most that were mentioned.

I also agree with MobileInfantry about Brotherhood, which is certainly a film that equals Saving Private Ryan on the combat front, but I'd nearly say does one better than it by having a better story, and not filled with the whole patriotic angle. It wasn't featured at all in the list, (Unless I made a mistake) which is a shame, as it's a far better film than practically everything in the list.

I can understand Saving Private Ryan getting such a high place, as it was extremely influential, but I do consider it rather over-rated.

starn

The greatest War movie has got be Apocalypse Now. No question.

Denis Hopper hopped up on coke in sixteen speaker stereo sound, on a big, giant wide-screen TV, with sixteen speakers so you get the surround sound, and the big woofer on the ground that makes the floor shake. Not only a great film about war, but also man's inner turmoil.


I've never liked Saving Private Ryan, It just seems to be a poor man's Hot Shots: Part Duex

Tusky

Platoon - only seen this recently, brilliant.
Full Metal Jacket
Apocalypse Now
Black Hawk Down - as Obey said, I enjoy the intensity of the film, the feeling of actually being in a war. I dont care if its inaccurate as thats not what its about for me.

I watched The Deerhunter recently, really enjoted it but found it to be slightly over-rated.

Agree on Savin private ryan. Pioneering is the first hour but overall as a film not great.

I loved escape to victory gotta be in there - but maybe thats cause im a football fan too
I liked heaven and earth a lot giving a perspective from the vietnamese side
then theres the killing fields about cambodia
savior if you could call it a war film has left a mark on me that no other film has
The Dirty Dozen! quality stuff
casualties of war was pretty good, it was cheaply done but the content was very effective...

MobileInfantry

MobileInfantry wrote:

My personal favourites in this order:



And Windtalkers gets my vote for worst war film anyway. Well, within the ideal of relativity - for the budget it had, it was a huge mess. I've seen worse war films, but definately no high budget war movies that bad. Although Missing in Action, mind you, was almost as pathetic....:D

I hope your not talking about Missing in Action 3: Braddock ??!!! how could a film be bad that has a quote like this: Dont step on any toes out there Braddock.......... - "I dont step on toes, I step on necks"

Go on the chuck norris!

Big Nelly

Watched this yesterday, the list seemed a bit strange but then it was open to public vote so maybe thats why a bit off. Still was good TV for a few hours:D

TerrorFirmer

Deleted User wrote:

I hope your not talking about Missing in Action 3: Braddock ??!!! how could a film be bad that has a quote like this: Dont step on any toes out there Braddock.......... - "I dont step on toes, I step on necks"

Go on the chuck norris!

Ah yeah....the best part was the way the First two were serious (if you can call a war movie featuring Chuck Norris serious) Vietnam movies, and then third one, the amazing Braddock: Missing in Action 3 was some sort of low budget TV movie with an aging Chuck fighting Columbians or the like.

Love the quote though, classic.

Keyzer

Das Boot is a classic, but I love Saving Ryans Privates too

projectmayhem

like the list. pitty you can't include band of brothers, since technically it was a tv series (i think of it as a 10hour movie)

looking forward to jarhead with jake "donnie darko - also sex0red a cowboy" gyllenhaal and jamie foxx. looks great

Kingp35

In no particular order my top 5 would be:

The Great Escape
Black Hawke Down
Downfall
Full Metal Jacket
Apocolypse Now

gandalf

Hmm this has been done before but here is my current list

1. Paths Of Glory
2. Cross Of Iron
3. Apocalypse Now
4. Downfall
5. Lawrence Of Arabia

Honourable mentions to the following it was damn hard to leave em out of the top 5.
Memphis Belle
Glory
Catch 22
The Last Of The Mohicans
Kelly's Heroes
Where Eagles Dare
Das Boot
A Bridge Too Far
The Eagle Has Landed

KdjaCL

Longest day.
A bridge too far.
Band of Brothers (if watched in one sitting its a movie )
Das Boot original 45 hour german version.
Platoon
Full Metal Jacket
Apocalypse now.


Black Hawk down is okish from the point that it shows that war isnt pretty and US dont always win.
Private Ryan was great in that it showed the Omaha beach scene dragged on ab it towards the end.
Enemy at the gates had Bob Hoskins doing a cockney accent and meant it



kdjac

gandalf

Hmmm they have changed a bit since 2004 alright lol

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=143530&highlight=cross+of+iron

adox

BlitzKrieg wrote:

-they had films like Braveheart, Dr Strangelove and Schindler's list in there which i wouldnt consider war films.

Schindlers List not a war film?

I was very surprised to see Saving Private Ryan at number 1.The opening scenes are really quite breath taking and spell binding at the same time,but most of the rest of it is run of the mill,boardering on boring.

Number 1 for me will always be Apocalypse Now.Just brilliant from start to end.
Having said that the Redux version released a couple a years ago is far far inferior to the original cut.

I have yet to see Downfall,although have heard nothing but good things about it.I must buy a copy soon:)

gandalf

adox wrote:

Having said that the Redux version released a couple a years ago is far far inferior to the original cut.

Mmmmmkay I'm going to have to go ahead and ammm disagree with you there.

The Redux version imho is superior to the original I think it added to the story more. (OK I will agree it numbed your arse more!!).

adox

gandalf wrote:

Mmmmmkay I'm going to have to go ahead and ammm disagree with you there.

The Redux version imho is superior to the original I think it added to the story more. (OK I will agree it numbed your arse more!!).

I just found that the whole plantation scene seemed really unneccessary and totally spoiled the flow and pacing of the film.

I had seen the original at least a dozen times before watching redux so maybe that was an influence,and I havent watched redux again.

Having said that I still much prefer the original cut so we`ll agree to disagree

mike65

Great Escape
Where Eagles Dare
A Bridge too Far (underated methinks)
Tora Tora Tora - no wonder it cost 30 million in 1970! Watching it also means you wont have to sit through Pearl Harbor
Battleship Potemkin (well if that list can include Love and Death)

Mike.

OfflerCrocGod

Tusky wrote:

I watched The Deerhunter recently, really enjoted it but found it to be slightly over-rated.

Except for the revolver and prisoner scenes that film BORED me to TEARS. The revolver scenes were brilliant though; especially in the prison hut - wow Anyway fav war film would be be Das Boot followed by All Quiet On The Western Front and of course Paths Of Glory.

Litcagral

The Big Parade
The Best Years of Our Lives
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (orig ver)
Battleship Potemkin
The Guns of Navarone
Breaker Morant
Patton
The Great Escape
Sergeant York
A Farewell to Arms (orig ver)

Pugsley

Tae Gu Gi or Das Untergang should have been well up there imo, as Id rate both of them as better than some of the top 10 films by a stretch.

StonedParadoX

mine would be

1.We Were Soldiers
2.Black Hawk Down
3.Platoon
4.Saving Private Ryan
5.Apoclypse now

ObeyGiant

Pugsley wrote:

Tae Gu Gi or Das Untergang should have been well up there imo

Tae Guk Gi and Der Untergang.
Sorry for being a stickler, but if you're going to insist on using the foreign names, at least use the correct gender. Otherwise, why bother?

Capt'n Midnight

mike65 wrote:

Tora Tora Tora - no wonder it cost 30 million in 1970! Watching it also means you wont have to sit through Pearl Harbor

Might have been even better if only they had allowed Kurosawa to finish the Japanese bits.

Das Boot

Gone with the Wind - I haven't sat through it but rating it by bums on seats or any index linked metric would make it number one (let's not forget there were far fewer bums back them too so a greater % have seen this one)

Some others

Wings / All quiet on the Western front - Haven't seen (on the to do list)

Paths of Glory - the singing at the end

Is Casablanca a war film ?
or Duck Soup /Mister Roberts / The Manchurian Candidate (original of course)

Really bad when you consider when it was made - The Green Berets
now compare to
Ivan the Terrible - how did Eisenstein think he'd get away with it !
Shows the difference between Hollywood and taking risks

http://www.filmsite.org/warfilms6.html

Sully

I enjoyed "Saints & Soldiers" myself..

Cant remember any other movies war related, tho id like to see Black Hawk Down again

lodgepole

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

Might have been even better if only they had allowed Kurosawa to finish the Japanese bits.

How much work had he done before he left the project? It wasn't a question of him being allowed, he got himself fired when he found out that David Lean wasn't involved as he'd been told.

Imagine the film had it been Lean and Kurosawa...

Sully

Another good movie I watched recently:: Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence