Suggestions for good war movies

[seabolt]

What I like about SPR is the equipment and vehicles looked real,

Real enough for you and me, yes. Of course, on boards like this, there will always be the obligatory squeaking of, "The number of bogie wheels was all wrong!"

To Hell and Back

Mmmm, this is a leading contender for "worst adaption of a WWII-themed book" in my mind. A very solid read, but Murphy clearly has his doubts about self-hagiography in every frame of the film. (And rightly so.)

I sure wouldn't mind seeing a series done about the ACW along the lines of Shelby Foote's three volume set.

For some reason, the USCW doesn't seem to translate to film. Some talented filmmakers have failed with better material than Foote. If you're only ever going to read one book about war in your life, it should be "The Killer Angels."

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[Epoletov [SPR].]

My 2 cents......

What I like about SPR is the equipment and vehicles looked real, not like Battle of the bulge where the German tanks were M48s or M60 painted grey and the US tanks were M24 Chaffee light tanks. Here are a couple others I haven't seen mentioned yet.......

To Hell and Back
Gettysburg
Lion of the Desert

I sure wouldn't mind seeing a series done about the ACW along the lines of Shelby Foote's three volume set.

In old Soviet films almost always tanks and other technics it is shown it is realistic.
In modern many, but not everything, the Russian films it is often possible to see frank marriage.
Probably save on the budget of film, and it is a pity.
That-that, and the Soviet cinemas had a huge stock of equipment and combat material for period WW2.

[Jolly Roger]

Pribjet Andrey !

I agree with you, nothing can beat the old soviet WW2 movies !!

Poka, Klaus

[Weasel]

Just watched Tae Guk Gi and man if you haven't seen it...SEE IT! It blows SPR out of the water for battle scenes and the story doesn't make you puke either. No flag waving, just two brothers in a war. It has only been a day since I watched it (2hrs long) and I could sit down and watch it right now again!

[animal mother]

Just watched Tae Guk Gi and man if you haven't seen it...SEE IT!

Yes, Sir! :)

Cheers
Michael

[DMK79]

Some of my fav wars films (in no particular order) are:

Cross of Iron,

Full Metal Jacket,

Big Red One

633 Squadron (just love the theme tune!)

Empire of the Sun,

Kelly's Heroes (very amusing, Donald Sutherland's tank commander is a hippy 20 years before his time! lol)

The Pianist very good movie, not form a soldiers point f view, but a Jewish civilian, fantastic sets and effects, moving story)

Battle of Britain

The Dirty Dozen (cheese factor 9, but still amusing!)

Ice Cold in Alex (Fantastic story, classic movie!)

A Bridge Too Far (AMAZING amount of props and extras, in a time when it couldn't be all done with computers, tons of famous faces!)

Just my 2 pence/cents worth!

[2ndLt_Fjun]

My favourite war movie of all times is Finnish and all the way from 1955 and is called "Unknown soldier" (Tuntematon sotilas). It is based on one of my very favourite war novels as well with the same title from Vaino Linna. There is a modern version from 1985 which is very good too, but doesn't beat the original.

Not sure if the book or movie are available in English though.

[klanx171]

Im surprised no one has mentioned these ones...

Platoon
Hamburger Hill
The Big Red One
The Deer Hunter
Run Silent Run Deep
Sands of Iwo Jima
They were Expendable
Gallipoli
The Dam Busters
Memphis Belle
Dr Strangelove


also some which are not really war films but good none the less

Rollerball - Original not the crappy remake (pretty damm good future violence sports film)
Children of Man (the big final scene is well done)
Generation Kill (TV series)
The long riders (slow mo-shoot outs, great sounds)
Dawn of the Dead (not the terrible remake but the original)

Two movies which I dislike because they are both inaccurate and a bit too propagandist for my tastes are SPR and Blackhawk down.

[Steel God]

I own both and yes, the movie always seems to be worse then the book doesn't it.

Yes it certainly does, and I used to always complain about (no doubt ruining the movie I was watching for anyone sitting near me, LOL) but I stopped complaining after Band of Brothers. Not because BoB "did it right", but simply because reality hit me. I mean, BoB is a book of maybe 350 pages? And they put it onto 10 hours of film, and they still couldn't get it all in there. With that realization I concluded that no movie would ever be as good as a book, because it just isn't physically possible.

[seabolt]

I concluded that no movie would ever be as good as a book,

I agree in general principle, but many exceptions came instantly to mind: "Alien," "The Godfather," "Gone With the Wind," and the 800-lb gorilla in my mind: "Blade Runner." You just can't translate Rutger Hauer to the printed page!

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