Great War Movies

[E4 No More]

Not so much a movie but an amazing book and TV series. Band of Brothers.

Too bad the sister series about the Marine Corps in the Pacific absolutely sucked!

[MacGyver]

Too bad the sister series about the Marine Corps in the Pacific absolutely sucked!

I actually really enjoyed The Pacific. 

 

I went in with different expectations, and will say that it was very different than Band of Brothers since they didn't have one central story.  But, I thought they did a pretty good job of showing how different war in the Pacific was from the European theater.  They might as well have been different wars.

[gregintenn]

"1941" is always a classic. :D

[peejman]

 +1  one of, if not the best "Nam movie made.

 

Check out Hamburger Hill.

 

And speaking of 'nam movies...   Here's an old school game for any college students listening in...   Watch Full Metal Jacket with friends and booze.  Level 1:  Take a drink every time Gunny says F__k.   Level 2: Take a drink every time anyone says F__k.  If you're still conscious at the end of the movie, you win!  I never won. 

[Joseg]

My favorite mega-star war epic is A Bridge Too Far.  I must have a thing for battles we lose.  :shrug:

 

 

Are you sure we lost? We didn't capture the last bridge, but held onto one side of that bridge with the odds stack against the British Paras, 7 months later we were on the other side causing damage.. 

[TNMTBik3r]

How about Tropic Thunder?.... ;)

No seriously, ones I enjoy are

Saving Private Ryan
We Were Soldiers
Gettysburg / Gods and Generals

Windtalkers was decent

[Stegall Law Firm]

I actually thought the first five and last five minutes of Private Ryan should have just been cut out.  It was nothing but sentimental crap, but you're gonna get with Spielberg.  Most of the rest though, was excellent.  Just as Unforgiven is the best western in my opinion, SPR is the best war movie.  Those two just blew away everything else in their genre over the previous 40 years. 

[gun sane]

Are you sure we lost? We didn't capture the last bridge, but held onto one side of that bridge with the odds stack against the British Paras, 7 months later we were on the other side causing damage.. 

 

By "we" lost, I meant the Allies collectively did not secure all of the objectives in Operation Market Garden.  We're a team, right Yank? 

[Joseg]

By "we" lost, I meant the Allies collectively did not secure all of the objectives in Operation Market Garden.  We're a team, right Yank? 

 

 

We didn't secure the last two objectives due to some Blokes, stopping for tea. I kid, I kid. Not all objectives were secured, but there's no reason to say the whole Operation failed, it was a crazy idea from the get go, it was a logistical nightmare both Airborne wise and land wise. Did the Paratroopers perform their part? Hell Yeah!! Did they go above and beyond and face the enemy with the tenacity expected from a Paratrooper, HELL YEAH!! But then again, I'm a little biased being a Paratrooper (82nd) and a alumni of 101st. 

 

Remember it was supposed to be a short duration op that would involved speed being the most important part, delays with the armored units reinforcing the paratroopers hurt the 1st Paras, but they held out as much as they could and did it valiantly and with tons of courage.. That's what happens when you let a "leg" tell Paratroopers what to do..  :P

[E4 No More]

I actually really enjoyed The Pacific. 

 

I went in with different expectations, and will say that it was very different than Band of Brothers since they didn't have one central story.  But, I thought they did a pretty good job of showing how different war in the Pacific was from the European theater.  They might as well have been different wars.

What I didn't like about it was that "we" were showed committing war atrocities whereas the Japanese were not. That pissed me off!

[Guest TankerHC]

Speaking of war movies. The movie Windtalkers with Nicholas Cage. I spent the day (big chunk of it) with the Navaho Nicolas Cage was in charge of, not the actor, the real one. He is the guy in the middle of the other two Navaho Code Talkers. Asked them a lot of questions. He wrote the actual book (Not the screenwriter) that the movie was based on. Said his first action was Iwo Jima. They landed on the second day, he said trudging up the beach they were under continuous fire from the caves, but he couldnt shoot back because the Code Talkers were not allowed to carry weapons. Said he wanted to shoot back but when he asked for a weapon they told him no, keep moving. Said there were so many dead Marines on the beach that like they talked about during the CW, you literally couldnt walk across the beach without stepping on one every other step. Said that later, while they were talking on the radio, bullets were flying, he would hear, hear comes another one (Suicide assault) and they would come running and kill a bunch of Marines then run away. Said that the Marines (icluding him) finally got tired of it and when they assaulted the unit he was with just got up out of their holes and started running after the Japanese, he picked up a rifle off a dead Marine and took off with them. he was knocked out cold by a grenade. Wen he woke up, just about everyone who took off with him was lying there dead. He was the only one alive and his first thought was "Uh oh, the Japs are over here, how am I going to get back". Said he thought about it for a minute, then just got up and walked back. After about 20 minutes of walking, he didnt realize how far they chased the Japs, the only thing he could think of was how dumb it was to take off running after the Japs and leaving his canteen behind. Said a few years later after the war, he was told his Sergeant handler was supposed to shoot him if he was in danger of being captured, They had not told that to any of the Code Talkers. He later met up with his Sergeant (Who was by now a big time executive) and asked him if that were true and the Sergeant said "Yep", he asked the Sergeant if he would have shot him, Sergeant replied "Deader than a doorknob". Said if he had known that he wouldnt have took off after the Japs. Said he said to the Sergeant "I thought we were friends" because he and the Segreant had kept in touch. Sergeant said we are, but I had my orders.

 

while he was talking the man on the left said "he's lying, none of that happened, he just wants to sell a book". (he was joking of course). This was during the Trail of Honor and at the end they were the honored guests at our VFW Post dinner.

 

Later he got up on stage and spent about an hour going over a lot, very interesting. The man on the left and the man in the center both passed away within 18 months of when I tok these photos.

 

 

 

Our Post Commander at the time with the Code Talkers, he also a WWII Vet, Army Air Corp crash recovery in the Pacific.

 

 

One of the others up on stage.

Edited August 8, 2013 by TankerHC

[safeandsecure]

Saving Private Ryan
We Were Soldiers
Gettysburg / Gods and Generals
 

^^^^^ These ^^^^^

But I also like most anything that John Wayne did, too.  Not saying they are accurate.  I just like the Duke's war and western movies (well, except for a couple of real stinkers he made).  But then my favorite Duke movie was Hellfighters -- for some reason, lol.

[Guest nra37922]

The Great Escape...

[gun sane]

It's not a war movie in the same sense as those mentioned, but one of the most dramatic and impressionable films is Schindler's List, which focuses on a war within a war.  Those Jews lived every day thinking it may be their last.  Virtually every actor and actress delivered an exceptional and riveting performance.

Edited August 8, 2013 by gun sane

[Guest Razz]

I really enjoyed Star Wars, when I was younger. Not sure how accurate it was, though.

[Guest nra37922]

I really enjoyed Star Wars, when I was younger. Not sure how accurate it was, though.

Surprised someone hasn't mentioned World War Z yet.

 

But in all seriousness The Longest Day is right up there...

[Guest TankerHC]

Technically not a "War Movie" but a home movie shot during war, The Anderson Platoon. Lt Anderson carried an 8mm video camera with him to Vietnam and filmed a lot, released as a movie long time ago. Short, amateurish, worth watching.

[TNMTBik3r]

If Star Wars and World War Z are coming in, how about Avatar? Good movie all the way around.

[Sam1]

any war movie is a great movie!

[vontar]

John Wayne The Alamo

'

 

Yes, I brought the Duke.

 

Chuck Norris anyone?

Edited August 9, 2013 by vontar

[K191145]

I wish Speilberg would remake Sergent York, the first movie was good for an old movie with hoaky battle scenes but Speilberg would make an awsome movie about him, and make sure York has a 1911 instead of a Luger. Edited August 9, 2013 by K191145

[vontar]

I wish Speilberg would remake Sergent York, the first movie was good for an old movie with hoaky battle scenes but Speilberg would make an awsome movie about him, and make sure York has a 1911 instead of a Luger.

 

Although I agree with you abgout the 1911 instead of the luger because the 1911 could not function correctly with the Blanks of the day, I really don't want a remake of that.  I like that movie just the way it is.

 

But I don't think you could get the same feelings as the original movie.  Some movies should not be remade in my opinion.  Next Remake Old Yeller?  I don't think so.

[K191145]

Stalingrad, a german movie is a good one if you can find it.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6thQKSNBSo

[K191145]

Although I agree with you abgout the 1911 instead of the luger because the 1911 could not function correctly with the Blanks of the day, I really don't want a remake of that.  I like that movie just the way it is.

 

But I don't think you could get the same feelings as the original movie.  Some movies should not be remade in my opinion.  Next Remake Old Yeller?  I don't think so.

 

I don't believe Speilberg would ruin it though like some remakes did to the original, he would be the only director to do it.

[TMF]

What I didn't like about it was that "we" were showed committing war atrocities whereas the Japanese were not. That pissed me off!

I'm with you there. Another bleeding heart interjected into the story to make the hero look good and compassionate while making other Marines out to be monsters. I would add that there is nothing that the Marines could have done to the Japs that I would classify as atrocities, even in my wildest imagination. The Japs had a monopoly on evil during that time, and deserved everything they got.