OT: Favorite War Movies

[James Langham]

A few more:

* The Dam Busters - just remember when watching the final scene that Richard Todd had written all too many letters to next of kin in real life.

* Breaker Morrant

* The Dogs of War (although not a patch on the book which really is a manual for taking over a small African country and essential for Merc players).

* Sands of Iwo Jima

* Carry on Sergeant - first and best of the series. Gives me the idea of starting a campaign where the characters are just starting training...

[Legbreaker]

"The Odd Angry Shot" - a brilliant film about SAS troops in Vietnam.
One of the more memorable scenes is the VC burning to death after being on the receiving end of a WP grenade.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

"The Odd Angry Shot" - a brilliant film about SAS troops in Vietnam.
One of the more memorable scenes is the VC burning to death after being on the receiving end of a WP grenade.

"Should we shoot him?"

"Nah, let him burn!"

Classic.

[Legbreaker]

The ending was a bit anti-climatic, but I suppose really summed up what happened when troops returned from Vietnam - nothing. No recognition, no parades, not even a handshake and a "well done".

[Antenna]

Some Finnish Movies...

"Talvisota" - Finnish Winterwar or just Winterwar
"Tuntematon Sotilas" - Unknown Solider both the B/W and the color version (based on the Väinö Linna book "Unknown solider")

Then most of you have mentioned most movies but I couldn't see ...

"The Beast" - Lonely Soviet tank in Afghanistan

Antti

[Raellus]

War Horse, directed by Steven Spielberg. It's not out yet so I have no opinion one way or the other, but...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRf3SfeMRD4

Could be interesting considering the discussions we've had here about horse cavalry in the T2KU.

[RN7]

Watched We Were Soldiers on TV tonight. The body count must rival Rambo IV.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by RN7

Watched We Were Soldiers on TV tonight. The body count must rival Rambo IV.

The book is even better. I recall a passage in the book where an Air Cav machine gunner had been cut off and had expended all of his 7.62 link during the night, fighting on with his .45; in the morning there were enemy bodies literally heaped up around him like a bloody, meaty barricade.

[LVI]

84 Charlie MOPic (a must see)
We were soldiers
Band of brothers
Saving private ryan
Troy
Last Samurai
Apocalypse Now Redux
Letters from Iwo Jima
Longest day
Blackhawk down
Platoon
Full metal jacket


And recently thanks to this board 9th Company

[James Langham]

Not a war film but really nice post apocalyptic film - Doomsday - from the director of Dog Soldiers. If nothing else it has a fantastic villain that could almost be Dain Dangerous.

[Panther Al]

For what it is worth, saw this movie on the telly a while back, and watched it with my father, who was stationed in Germany during the movies time frame (72-78). At the end of it, looked at him and asked, "OK, so how far from reality was that?" He replied that it was a lot closer to reality than anyone will ever admit.

The movie? Buffalo Soldiers (2001).

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Panther Al

For what it is worth, saw this movie on the telly a while back, and watched it with my father, who was stationed in Germany during the movies time frame (72-78). At the end of it, looked at him and asked, "OK, so how far from reality was that?" He replied that it was a lot closer to reality than anyone will ever admit.

The movie? Buffalo Soldiers (2001).

That was pretty common in Korea too. Our Mess Sergeant got court-martialed and thrown out of the Army when he was caught doing it with the mess hall food supplies. (After that, our chow quality took a quantum leap in quality.) But let me underline caught. Most black marketeers in the Army aren't caught, unless they get sloppy.

[dragoon500ly]

All right, my son talked me into buying Sucker Punch...

It is something that only a teenager could love....but the combat scenes!

Not to bad!

Won't make my list of all time favorites, but some nice touches.

[95th Rifleman]

Watched "age of heroes" today. Ok, it's not oscar-winning material but it's a pretty good, low budget, WW2 movie about British commandos starring Danny Dyer and Sean Bean.

It's worth a punt as the combat scenes are surprisingly well filmed and the cats where drilled by Royal marines. Such anti-hollywood concepts as conservation of fire and single shots are used which make it more realistic than most offerings in the genre. The combat scenes are relatively short ranged aswell which adds to realism, none of these 2000 yard pistol headshots you see in hollywood flicks.

[HorseSoldier]

84 Charlie MOPic (a must see)

Big +1 on that one, though it's apparently pretty hard to find these days. I think I saw it on cable back in 1990 or 91 or so. Great example of a low budget war movie done right.

The movie? Buffalo Soldiers (2001).

Also a +1.

Most recent thing I saw that was pretty interesting was Cease Fire!, made in 1953 and depicting the closing day of the Korean War. As movies go it really isn't very good, but it's supposed to be a reenactment/documentary with actual soldiers retracing a patrol they did right before the cease fire went into effect. Acting is what you'd expect from telling Joe to play himself and the plot's pretty straightforward (go on patrol, get into firefight with Chinese, have air and arty save the day, roll credits), but it's a real superb look at weapons, gear, and equipment as used right at the end of that war.

[pmulcahy11b]

I might go way out on a limb and nominate Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back...No? OK, Oops...

[James Langham]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

I might go way out on a limb and nominate Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back...No? OK, Oops...

Good call, a bit like saving Private Ryan though where most of the film is an anti-climax.

Caught the second part of Rough Riders last night - some really nice touches and one of the few non-SF films where the US is technologically behind. Made me think that if the ACW was the first modern war then this was a throwback!

[B.T.]

Not movies about "modern warfare", but still to mention:

Aliens - the sequel with the Colonial Marines. Some very much clichee characters but very inspiring (IMHO that is!).

Ride with the Devil - the history of the American Civil War is not a big issue here in Germany, but I thought, it is a movie worth looking!

[B.T.]

A strange movie. It was on TV last night in Germany. An "animated documentary" based on a real life story about Israelian Soldiers in the Lebanon 1982/83: "Waltz with Bashir"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waltz_with_Bashir

It is a different kind of war movie, but it gave me a lot of food for thinking.

[headquarters]

I agree. Good Movies

[dragoon500ly]

A Walk in the Sun, caught that the other night on TCM...

Sergeant York

Porkchop Hill

[Targan]

Utu, a New Zealand film set during the Māori Wars in the 1860s. A Māori warrior in British service turns renegade after British forces destroy his village. A white farmer then seeks his own revenge after the renegade slaughters his family and destroys his homestead. This film strongly helped to reinforce my desire never to go into combat against Māoris. Big, scary, angry people seemingly built for war. I'm related to a couple of tribes by marriage and I'm really glad they're on my side!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086497/plotsummary

[WallShadow]

Some of my choices have already been mentioned, but I hadn't seen these yet:

Memphis Belle, both the original documentary and the cinematic portrayal.

Twelve O'Clock High, movie and TV series.

The Tuskegee Airmen -- late '90s docudrama about the 332nd Fighter Group.

Red Tails--story of the Tuskegee Airmen with a bit more CGI and action. Note: I had previously spoken with several of the surviving Tuskegee flyers at several air shows and reenactments--one of them described in detail the destruction of the German destroyer resulting from a machine-gun strafing run.


Combat--1960's tv series that some troops recently fighting in urban areas reportedly called upon from memory for tactics and technique.

Battleground--story of the 101st Airborne and their contribution to the Bulge.

Threads--British film about the unravelling of society and civilization after nuclear exchange. Unnerving and unsettling but good.

Jericho--TV series about a small Kansas town trying to survive after multiple terrorist nukes take out major US cities.

Escape from New York and Escape from L.A.--schlocky but fun Dystopian rebel-vs.-facist society films. And the basis for at least part of one module.

Tears of the Sun

Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison

So Proudly We Hail--WW2 nurses on Corregidor

Since You Went Away--Home Front during WW2

The Fighting Seabees--John Wayne vs. the Japs on Guadalcanal

633 Squadron--Mosquitos on a suicide bombing mission to Norway

Glory--54th Mass in the American Civil War

Dad's Army--British sitcom about the Home Guard/Local Defense Volunteers during WW2

'Allo, 'Allo--the machinations of a French Resistance cell and the occupying German troops in a small French village.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Rainbow Six

Seen them both a couple of times, although not recently. The Fourth Protocol was OK, although I thought the book was much better.

In almost every case I can think of in any subject, the book is better than the movie. No producer, director, scriptwriter, or FX wizard can ever hope to match your imagination.

[Targan]

A bit OT but I have to say, if this guy's story was used as a work of fiction in a film, it would be considered over the top and a bit ridiculous.

http://www.badassoftheweek.com/lucas.html

I'd never heard of Jack Lucas before reading that article but I'm glad I have now. Jumping on one grenade to save your brothers in arms is one thing, surviving it and making a full recovery is quite another. But lying on two grenades, surviving the blast and still being conscious. Say what?

[WallShadow]

http://www.homeofheroes.com/profiles...les_young.html

This is what Robert Heinlein's story of "Starship Troopers" was really about and why he chose the song for his protagonist's recall beacon: it's not about the super weapons, not the Ubermensch Super-Soldiers, not the rabidly fanatical political mental drones, but about the Little Guy with a lot of heart, the geeky, nerdy schlub in the trenches who does more than anyone ever expects of him or anyone.

A half-blind, half -deaf small town kid who looks like Radar O'Reilly. This story really needs to be told.

[Graebarde]

Originally Posted by Targan

A bit OT but I have to say, if this guy's story was used as a work of fiction in a film, it would be considered over the top and a bit ridiculous.

http://www.badassoftheweek.com/lucas.html

I'd never heard of Jack Lucas before reading that article but I'm glad I have now. Jumping on one grenade to save your brothers in arms is one thing, surviving it and making a full recovery is quite another. But lying on two grenades, surviving the blast and still being conscious. Say what?

Seems he had a death wish that was never fulfilled.

[Olefin]

In Harm's Way

The Big Red One

Gettysburg

The Longest Day

We Were Soldiers

Saving Private Ryan

Twelve O'Clock High

Letters from Iwo Jima

Das Boot

Red Dawn

Enemy at the Gates

[DCausey]

I won't repeat the many great movies in these lists:I love most of them. I do want to tell you about a movie I watched last night:

9th Company

It's the story of Russian VDV troopers through training and into the Afghan War circa 1988-89. It reminds me of Full Metal Jacket except even better! A Russian production, the movie shows actual vehicles like T-72s, BMPs, HIND Ds, and HIP helicopters!

I can't recommend it enough.

[B.T.]

Hi Dave!
Nice to see you post again!

Someone mentioned the movie in an earlier post. I think, this is interesting to watch and it gave me actually some ideas about Soviet NPCs.