Five favorite war movies

Wow, where to begin ...

Patton
The Longest Day
Das Boot
Kelly's Heroes
The Dirty Dozen

If it was top 10, then I'd add Saving Private Ryan, Where Eagles Dare, Apocalypse Now; Tora, Tora, Tora; and The Great Escape ...

 

In no particular order:

Stalag 17
Grave of the Fireflies
Come and See
Casablanca
(Escape to) Victory

Honorable mention: Bridge to the Sun

 

Bridge on the River Kwai
Stalag 17
Lawrence of Arabia
Cold Mountain
Catch-22

(I always fall asleep at the end of Deer Hunter and Apocalypse Now)

 

I have never rewatched either of these. Nor do I plan to. Just devastating.

 

1. Das Boot -- Gripping and wickedly intense. Didn't do wonders for those fearful of tight spaces.
2. Black Hawk Down -- How the hell it didn't get a Best Picture nod is a joke.
3. Stalingrad -- German movie made in 1993; not (yet) on Netflix, but still worth finding.
4. All Quiet on the Western Front -- Still one of the best movies ever.
5. Apocalypse Now Redux -- The best of the Vietnam War movies.

 

In order:

1.) The Killing Fields
2). Tora, Tora, Tora!
3). All Quiet On The Western Front
4). Black Hawk Down
5). Casualties of War

I love historically based, war-related movies, though, and there are many others I would also watch again and again, and, like TrooperBari, I also have a couple that I wouldn't watch again, just because they were so hard to watch (and, therefore, I admittedly didn't, during parts of them, and that's why some didn't make a top-five list for me).

The ones above struck a balance for me between interesting history, action and real story lines that were gripping, but not too...In other words, I could follow them and found them appealing enough to actually watch, instead of simply being turned off. (Yes, I guess I'm a bit of a wimp in that way, but I don't watch movies to see something I can't stand and can't even watch).

Also really liked Glory and The Dirty Dozen, too.

 

If it's allowed...

Band of Brothers

 

In no particular order:
Bridge on the River Kwai
Patton
Saving Private Ryan
The Great Escape
Does Independence Day count? If not, Last of the Mohicans


I do not get the love for Deer Hunter and Apocalypse Now. As noted previously, The Deer Hunter is a borderline ridiculous movie.

 

If this counts, it's No. 1 all the way. The Bastogne episode — where the medic is running from foxhole to foxhole scrounging for supplies — is one of the greatest hours in television history.

 

1. Saving Private Ryan.
2. Midway.
3. Red Dawn.
4. Patton.
5. Platoon.

 

In no particular order:

- All Quiet on the Western Front (they made us watch it in freshman history in high school -- so glad they did).

- The Longest Day

- Flags of our Fathers

My actual top favorite is one I haven't seen mentioned yet: The Patriot

- Saving Private Ryan

 

Band of Brothers really nailed it. Sure they were fighting Hitler, but mostly they were fighting for each other.

Had the pleasure of talking with a guy from the 8th Air Force over the weekend - he was a nose gunner on a B-24 and survived 27 missions. Hell yes I thanked him for what he did.