# What's the Best War Movie?



## longknife (Jan 24, 2015)

A Stars & Stripes poll.


Biggest vote getter = Saving Private Ryan with 28%


I voted for The Longest Day


Vote yourself @ The best war movie ever You decide - U.S. - Stripes


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## Sherry (Jan 24, 2015)

I chose The Deer Hunter...I appreciated the layers of the movie, and I liked the chemistry between DeNiro and Streep.


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## Ringel05 (Jan 24, 2015)

Letters from Iwo Jima, as a historian I like to see wars from the opposite side.  One of the others that is extremely good is the Russian made _Fortress Brest_, set during Operation Barbarossa.  Very well made  modern film (post Soviet era) with English subtitles.


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## S.J. (Jan 24, 2015)

So many good ones.  Full Metal Jacket is a good one.


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## Porker (Jan 24, 2015)

My favorite isn't on the list...BATTLEGROUND


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## toxicmedia (Jan 24, 2015)

Huh?.............all of these are great movies



> Apocalypse Now (1979)
> The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
> Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
> Saving Private Ryan (1998)
> ...


 
I'm not sure if I can choose.

I don't consider Good Morning Vietnam a war movie.

I've not seen "Paths of Glory"

But my top 3 are Platoon, Saving Private Ryan, and Apocolypse Now.

I'm pleased that Pearl Harbor didn't even make the list.

And I'd give honorable mention to The Bridge on the River Kwai


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## Roadrunner (Jan 24, 2015)

longknife said:


> A Stars & Stripes poll.
> 
> 
> Biggest vote getter = Saving Private Ryan with 28%
> ...


Sgt. York with Gary Cooper, or, All Quiet on the Western Front, Lew Ayres, I think.


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## Roadrunner (Jan 24, 2015)

toxicmedia said:


> Huh?.............all of these are great movies
> 
> 
> 
> ...


A Pack of Lies Now????

Didn't even read past that.


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## Porker (Jan 24, 2015)




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## Nosmo King (Jan 24, 2015)

Perhaps The Best Years of Our Lives should be on the list.  It won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1946.  The story of returning veterans and the impact of war on them, their families and communities made just a year after World War II ended, it is real, heartfelt and tragic.

Maybe the best war movie strips away the glamor of war perceived by those who never fought.


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## PredFan (Jan 24, 2015)

Saving Private Ryan
Kelly's Heros
Tora Tora Tora
Pearl Harbor
Patton
The Dirty Dozen

I didn't care for Deer Hunter or Apocalypse Now at all. Good Morning Viet Nam just plain sucked.


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## Roadrunner (Jan 24, 2015)

PredFan said:


> Saving Private Ryan
> Kelly's Heros
> Tora Tora Tora
> Pearl Harbor
> ...


I enjoyed the Deer Hunter, but found it improbable; Apocalypse Now was just stupid.


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## iamwhatiseem (Jan 24, 2015)

Bridge over River Kwai 
Saving Private Ryan
It's not a movie, but the series "Band of Brothers" was good.
Midway
Patton....


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## PredFan (Jan 24, 2015)

iamwhatiseem said:


> Bridge over River Kwai
> Saving Private Ryan
> It's not a movie, but the series "Band of Brothers" was good.
> Midway
> Patton....



I forgot about Midway!


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## iamwhatiseem (Jan 24, 2015)

PredFan said:


> iamwhatiseem said:
> 
> 
> > Bridge over River Kwai
> ...



It's great isn't it.
Every couple years on a crappy, cold Sunday afternoon (after the football season is over of course)...I watch this one.


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## S.J. (Jan 24, 2015)

Stalag 17


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## S.J. (Jan 24, 2015)

Post WWll - Operation Eichmann.


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## iamwhatiseem (Jan 24, 2015)

PredFan said:


> Saving Private Ryan
> Kelly's Heros
> Tora Tora Tora
> Pearl Harbor
> ...



Good Morning Vietnam isn't really a war movie IMO.
It is a good movie if you just appreciate the comedy and the story of Robins character and forget the political understory trying to make the NV look like heros.


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## PredFan (Jan 24, 2015)

There are only 3 movies ever made that make my eyes tear up.

Saving Private Ryan at the end where he asks his wife to tell him he was a good man.

Gladiator where the emperor's sister says "He was a soldier of Rone, honor him!"

Braveheart where at the end, he sees his dead wife in the crowd and she smiles at him.


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## PredFan (Jan 24, 2015)

iamwhatiseem said:


> PredFan said:
> 
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> > Saving Private Ryan
> ...



I'm old enough to have watched Robin Williams when he was on Mork & Mindy. His comedy style got old really fast.


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## Roadrunner (Jan 24, 2015)

iamwhatiseem said:


> PredFan said:
> 
> 
> > Saving Private Ryan
> ...


Robin Williams always made me sick.

Except for Popeye; he was the perfect Popeye.


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## iamwhatiseem (Jan 24, 2015)

PredFan said:


> There are only 3 movies ever made that make my eyes tear up.
> Saving Private Ryan at the end where he asks his wife to tell him he was a good man.



Me too!!
Also the scene at the beginning when the General recites the letter from Lincoln and then turns to the other officer and says "now get him the hell out of there"


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## williepete (Jan 24, 2015)

We Were Soldiers

Mel Gibson and Sam Elliot were able to meet who they portrayed in the movie, Lt. Col. Hal More and Sgt. Maj. Basil Plumley.

Here's a deleted scene I wish had made the cut:


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## Roadrunner (Jan 24, 2015)

williepete said:


> We Were Soldiers
> 
> Mel Gibson and Sam Elliot were able to meet who they portrayed in the movie, Lt. Col. Hal More and Sgt. Maj. Basil Plumley.
> 
> Here's a deleted scene I wish had made the cut:


That is a good movie, book was better.


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## eagle1462010 (Jan 24, 2015)

I chose Saving Private Ryan even though I liked all of them.


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## Tom Sweetnam (Jan 24, 2015)

Top 10?

Das Boot smokes 'em all. Especially the 3 1/2 hour director's cut in German with English subtitles.  
I'd put Saving Private Ryan right behind it. 
Then in no special order:
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Midway
Apocalypse Now
Lawrence of Arabia
Paths of Glory
The Deer Hunter
Patton
The Cruel Sea (This exceptional WWII Royal Navy drama about The Battle of the Atlantic, shot in 1952, stars Jack Hawkins but is almost unknown by war film buffs). You can get it on ebay from Korean vendors for about $10.


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## Hossfly (Jan 24, 2015)

We Were Soldiers

Because I participated in that battle. I was with those guys from April 1964-Sept 1965 and knew most of them. Many are dead because of various cancers from Agent Orange so there's not many of us around. I got it in the prostate. On Nov 14 at 0620 hours we will celebrate our 50th anniversary at the Wall in Arlington. All of you here are invited to attend.


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## williepete (Jan 24, 2015)

Go For Broke, 1951 with Van Johnson.

It's pretty cornball but the story of the 442 Regimental Combat Team is fascinating. I believe it's still the most decorated unit for its size in U.S. Army history. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Members of the team play roles in the movie. Nominated for an Oscar.  

Trailer:

Full Movie:


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## Wry Catcher (Jan 24, 2015)

Victory at Sea!  Not a movie, per se, but the narration, music and actual footage of real combat and real bravery is far and away better than any fictionalized movie.  I admit the opening of Saving Private Ryan is well done, but reality of D-Day is, well see for yourself:  
Google

or google:  Victory at Sea, episode 15


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## Ringel05 (Jan 24, 2015)

There are also some very awesome Dutch and Polish WWII movies, some of the best ones deal with the resistance in these occupied countries. 
Here's a great Dutch one:

And if you've never seen _The Train_ you're missing a great WWII movie.
Also not on the list was _Where Eagles Dare_ and _The Eagle has Landed_.


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## eagle1462010 (Jan 24, 2015)

Another favorite of mine..........


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## PredFan (Jan 24, 2015)

All good choices, I must say.


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## Judicial review (Jan 24, 2015)

Glory was by far the best and most inspirational. Best actors.


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## JakeStarkey (Jan 24, 2015)

Fury
Saving Private Ryan
Enemy at the Gates
All Quiet on the Western Front
Gettysburg (the Turner 4 hour marathon)
The Last Valley
Band of Brothers (mini series)


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## PredFan (Jan 24, 2015)

Apparently I haven't seen all of the war movies out there. 

Saw Glory though, it was OK.


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## Ringel05 (Jan 24, 2015)

One of the best War movies ever made:

*Joyeux Noel*


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## eagle1462010 (Jan 24, 2015)

Another Classic.............


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## eagle1462010 (Jan 24, 2015)

Not a movie but a series........Loved it.


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## eagle1462010 (Jan 24, 2015)




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## hortysir (Jan 24, 2015)

1941


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## Mr. H. (Jan 24, 2015)

Blackhawk Down gave me a freakin' gut ache that lasted for days.


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## eagle1462010 (Jan 24, 2015)

hortysir said:


> 1941


Captain Kelso..........LOL


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## hjmick (Jan 24, 2015)

_Blackhawk Down

Saving Private Ryan

Enemy at the Gates

Glory
_
I could go on, but those come to mind immediately...


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## eagle1462010 (Jan 24, 2015)

Hannibal............


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## williepete (Jan 24, 2015)

eagle1462010 said:


> Another Classic.............



Excellent flick.

My favorite scene--Bloody Brits have a sense of humor.


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## RKMBrown (Jan 24, 2015)

longknife said:


> A Stars & Stripes poll.
> 
> 
> Biggest vote getter = Saving Private Ryan with 28%
> ...


Hands down:


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## dblack (Jan 24, 2015)

My favorite wasn't on the list -  A Midnight Clear 1992 - IMDb


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## williepete (Jan 24, 2015)

eagle1462010 said:


>



Corny as all get out but worth it for this one scene.

A well earned salute to our professional Canadian brothers in arms:


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## westwall (Jan 24, 2015)

longknife said:


> A Stars & Stripes poll.
> 
> 
> Biggest vote getter = Saving Private Ryan with 28%
> ...








The best outright war movie in terms of depiction of war is The Winter War.  By far.  The best anti war movie though is La Grande Illusion, by Renoir.






Talvisota 1989 - IMDb






La Grande Illusion 1937 - IMDb


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## hjmick (Jan 24, 2015)

_Gallipoli_


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## williepete (Jan 24, 2015)

Breaker Morant


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## Vandalshandle (Jan 24, 2015)

I saw Apocalypse now when it came out, and frankly, I just didn't get it. Then, I saw the full REDUX version this week, and discovered why if had not got it. Over an hour of it was left on the cutting room floor. Also, one has to be a little removed from the war to realize that it was all just a surreal circus of horrors and insanity. The weird way we were fighting the war, almost as sort of a Disneyland of excitement mixed with danger for thousands of 20 year olds, who had never left home before, but were now spending duty time killing everything in sight with 60 MM machine guns  and surfing at the juncture of the Indian ocean and the Mekong delta and drinking cold beer while off duty. In the full version, it became crystal clear that Col. Kurtz, target of army assassins because he was insane, was actually the only one who had not lost touch with reality.

A very thought provoking movie.


But for just a good, simple, war and survival movie, I'll take Band of Brothers.


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## Ringel05 (Jan 24, 2015)

Just finished watching _Lost Battalion _again.


My orders to Nam were cancelled two weeks before I was supposed to ship out from A School, had a lot of friends who went, some didn't come back.  Grew up military and knew a lot of people (many still living) that did one or more tours and as for _Apocalypse Now_, every Vietnam Vet I ever talked to, including my dad said the movie was absolute bull shit and in no way represented reality in Nam..


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## Vandalshandle (Jan 24, 2015)

Nothing in Vietnam resembled reality, either. This is why they had so many euphemisms. I armored gunship was "Puff the Magic Dragon". Going home was "Going back to  the real world". I play water volleyball with a guy who was a helicopter pilot. He told me that he had a hard time doing without the adrenaline rush after his tour. He also told me that flying a helicopters in and out of combat missions was the most fun thing he has done in his life, but that he sure felt sorry for the grunts.


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## percysunshine (Jan 24, 2015)

.

'The Big Red One' with Lee Marvin comes to mind.


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## Sunni Man (Jan 24, 2015)

Das Boot (The Boat)

Sgt. York

Zulu


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## Ringel05 (Jan 24, 2015)

Vandalshandle said:


> Nothing in Vietnam resembled reality, either. This is why they had so many euphemisms. I armored gunship was "Puff the Magic Dragon". Going home was "Going back to  the real world". I play water volleyball with a guy who was a helicopter pilot. He told me that he had a hard time doing without the adrenaline rush after his tour. He also told me that flying a helicopters in and out of combat missions was the most fun thing he has done in his life, but that he sure felt sorry for the grunts.


My dad worked on communications and radar on the Kiowa, told him I was going to become a helicopter pilot, he literally picked me up off the ground and claimed he would break both my legs so bad the military wouldn't take me.  He knew what the average life span of a helicopter  pilot was, in military terms about one month.


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## hjmick (Jan 24, 2015)

Sunni Man said:


> Das Boot (The Boat)
> 
> Sgt. York
> 
> Zulu




_Das Boot_, but only in German...


_We Were Soldiers_


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## Tom Sweetnam (Jan 24, 2015)

Hossfly said:


> We Were Soldiers
> 
> Because I participated in that battle. I was with those guys from April 1964-Sept 1965 and knew most of them. Many are dead because of various cancers from Agent Orange so there's not many of us around. I got it in the prostate. On Nov 14 at 0620 hours we will celebrate our 50th anniversary at the Wall in Arlington. All of you here are invited to attend.



Hoss, one of my two closest Vietnam vet buddies, Peter Mack, was also there. He lost three inches of his right leg to a .51 at the Battle of Ia Drang. He was fated ever after to walk with 2 canes and to wear one shoe that had a sole 3 1/2 inches thicker than the other. I loved him as a brother in arms, and a lot of other people loved him just for being the wonderful person he was. He died of dioxin-related cancer in July of 2011. America was a better place for having had him.


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## Ringel05 (Jan 24, 2015)

Hossfly said:


> We Were Soldiers
> 
> Because I participated in that battle. I was with those guys from April 1964-Sept 1965 and knew most of them. Many are dead because of various cancers from Agent Orange so there's not many of us around. I got it in the prostate. On Nov 14 at 0620 hours we will celebrate our 50th anniversary at the Wall in Arlington. All of you here are invited to attend.


Too bad I'm no longer in NoVA or I'd be there.  Give my best to all of you living and dead.


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## OnePercenter (Jan 24, 2015)

War of the Roses.


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## Unkotare (Jan 25, 2015)

Go For Broke


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## Roadrunner (Jan 25, 2015)

JakeStarkey said:


> Fury
> Saving Private Ryan
> Enemy at the Gates
> All Quiet on the Western Front
> ...


Enemy at the Gates was good, but for the fuck scene.


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## NoNukes (Jan 25, 2015)

Apocalypse Now, one of the best movies of any genre ever made.


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## Sunni Man (Jan 25, 2015)

NoNukes said:


> Apocalypse Now, one of the best movies of any genre ever made.


It should be listed in the Sci-fi category.    ......    

.


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## NoNukes (Jan 25, 2015)

Ringel05 said:


> Just finished watching _Lost Battalion _again.
> 
> 
> My orders to Nam were cancelled two weeks before I was supposed to ship out from A School, had a lot of friends who went, some didn't come back.  Grew up military and knew a lot of people (many still living) that did one or more tours and as for _Apocalypse Now_, every Vietnam Vet I ever talked to, including my dad said the movie was absolute bull shit and in no way represented reality in Nam..


I spoke to guys who were there who said that it was not ridiculous enough.
It is an adaptation of Heart of Darkness set in Vietnam, rather than a movie about the Vietnam War.


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## NoNukes (Jan 25, 2015)

Sunni Man said:


> NoNukes said:
> 
> 
> > Apocalypse Now, one of the best movies of any genre ever made.
> ...


Guess you did not get it. Too bad.


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## Sunni Man (Jan 25, 2015)

NoNukes said:


> Guess you did not get it. Too bad.


Great movie for people who still drop acid and have a fully loaded bong.   ......    

.


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## NoNukes (Jan 25, 2015)

Sunni Man said:


> NoNukes said:
> 
> 
> > Guess you did not get it. Too bad.
> ...


I would not know about that, but I will take your word for it. Any movie could be great on acid.


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## Sunni Man (Jan 25, 2015)

NoNukes said:


> Any movie could be great on acid.


I would not know about that, but I will take your word for it.      .......     

.


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## rightwinger (Jan 25, 2015)

HBOs Band of Brothers and The Pacific were outstanding


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## Ringel05 (Jan 25, 2015)

NoNukes said:


> Ringel05 said:
> 
> 
> > Just finished watching _Lost Battalion _again.
> ...


Yet it's viewed as the quintessential Vietnam War movie by quite a few who are completely unaware of its true origin.  I know/knew hundreds of Vietnam vets, not one of them would agree that is wasn't ridiculous enough and to a person (men and women) either walked out of the movie or panned it as a weird flight of fantasy which obviously it was.  
Now as a character study it's a great piece of work but as a historically accurate picture of the Vietnam War, it suffers in the extreme.


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## NoNukes (Jan 25, 2015)

Ringel05 said:


> NoNukes said:
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> > Ringel05 said:
> ...


As I said, it was not about the War in Vietnam, it was an adaptation of a novel set in Vietnam. It was not intended to be historically accurate.


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## Ringel05 (Jan 25, 2015)

NoNukes said:


> Ringel05 said:
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I know that, it's not my point.  Talk to people who were never there and never knew anyone that was and their take is that the movie reflected what happened in Nam on a daily basis, especially those who were involved with the anti-Vietnam war movement, they believed it to be a true representation.
It's not Sci-Fi but it is fiction.


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## NoNukes (Jan 25, 2015)

Ringel05 said:


> NoNukes said:
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I was involved in the anti war movement and I did not think that. Try speaking for yourself and not for others.


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## Ringel05 (Jan 25, 2015)

NoNukes said:


> Ringel05 said:
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Then why do so many _perceive_ it to be a real depiction of the war?  I wasn't speaking for you specifically, you are one of the _few_ who actually know the origin of the movie.  So I'll toss it back in your court,  Try speaking for yourself and not for others.............


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## Ringel05 (Jan 25, 2015)

Coppolas own words;
“My film is not a movie. It is not about Vietnam. It is Vietnam.”


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## rightwinger (Jan 25, 2015)

Ringel05 said:


> Coppolas own words;
> “My film is not a movie. It is not about Vietnam. It is Vietnam.”


First half was a good war movie, the second half was just plain silly


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## JakeStarkey (Jan 25, 2015)

^That^


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## Ringel05 (Jan 25, 2015)

rightwinger said:


> Ringel05 said:
> 
> 
> > Coppolas own words;
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I don't remember, I saw it 30 years ago and quickly forgot about it.  Like you when it hit a certain point in the movie my reaction was, "what the f**k?"


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## Roadrunner (Jan 25, 2015)

Ringel05 said:


> rightwinger said:
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About all I remember was how stupid I felt for investing that much time in such a dumb ass movie.


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## Sunni Man (Jan 25, 2015)

Pee Wee Herman's movie the "Big Adventure" was much better than "Apocalypse Now" and far more realistic.    ......     


.


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## NoNukes (Jan 25, 2015)

Ringel05 said:


> NoNukes said:
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Many people do not realize that no movie is true. Some are based on true stories.


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## NoNukes (Jan 25, 2015)

rightwinger said:


> Ringel05 said:
> 
> 
> > Coppolas own words;
> ...


A lot of people did not like the ending. I think the entire movie was excellent.


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## longknife (Jan 25, 2015)

Wry Catcher said:


> Victory at Sea!  Not a movie, per se, but the narration, music and actual footage of real combat and real bravery is far and away better than any fictionalized movie.  I admit the opening of Saving Private Ryan is well done, but reality of D-Day is, well see for yourself:
> Google
> 
> or google:  Victory at Sea, episode 15



I remember being glued to the tube for every episode. What an awesome series.


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## longknife (Jan 25, 2015)

NoNukes said:


> Ringel05 said:
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At last! Now I see where your posts come from.


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## longknife (Jan 25, 2015)

One of my all-time favorites - The Guns of Navarrone. Awesome acting by great actors. Every time I see an almost teenage Clint Eastwood, I have to laugh.


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## Ringel05 (Jan 25, 2015)

NoNukes said:


> Ringel05 said:
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> > NoNukes said:
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Particularly when the director makes a statement like this:
“My film is not a movie. It is not about Vietnam. It is Vietnam.”


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## AquaAthena (Jan 25, 2015)

S.J. said:


> So many good ones.  Full Metal Jacket is a good one.



I asked veterans on USMB a couple of years ( or more ) ago what they thought were the best Vietnam movies depicting the reality of that war and these two seemed to get the most votes:

*They Were Soldiers*: The story of the first major battle of the American phase of the Vietnam War and the soldiers on both sides that fought it. (138 mins.)

*Full Metal Jacket*:

A pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the U.S.-Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue. (116 mins.)

Director: Stanley Kubrick


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## PoliticalChic (Jan 25, 2015)

AquaAthena said:


> S.J. said:
> 
> 
> > So many good ones.  Full Metal Jacket is a good one.
> ...




Does "Apocalypse, Now" count as a war movie?

Best film I've ever seen.


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## AquaAthena (Jan 25, 2015)

PoliticalChic said:


> AquaAthena said:
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> 
> > S.J. said:
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I'll have to check it out.

The veterans I asked were active USMB posters who have left, for the most part. But those two movies came in with the highest recommendations of all the rest depicting the war with Vietnam. So I did watch them, and I could see why.

Unlike American Sniper which I found to be excellent, I had to go through a box of tissues.


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## PoliticalChic (Jan 25, 2015)

AquaAthena said:


> PoliticalChic said:
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> > AquaAthena said:
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"....active USMB posters who have left, for the most part..."

Go ahead, rub it in.


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## PoliticalChic (Jan 25, 2015)

AquaAthena said:


> PoliticalChic said:
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> > AquaAthena said:
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BTW....re:"Apocalypse, Now"....if you have the time and/or the interest I read Frazer's "The Golden Bough," and Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" before seeing it.

In one scene, the camera scans the books that Brando has, and Frazer's book is right there.

You can see it at :33 seconds


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## AquaAthena (Jan 25, 2015)

PoliticalChic said:


> AquaAthena said:
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That was interesting. If Netflix has it, I will watch.


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## AquaAthena (Jan 25, 2015)

PoliticalChic said:


> AquaAthena said:
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 Can we say, "Detroit?"


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## NoNukes (Jan 25, 2015)

longknife said:


> NoNukes said:
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I never lie about my beliefs.


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## Roadrunner (Jan 25, 2015)

NoNukes said:


> longknife said:
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I never believe my lies.


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## boedicca (Jan 25, 2015)

The best war movie is not a movie, it's a miniseries:  Band of Brothers.


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## Vandalshandle (Jan 25, 2015)

Guys, can't you just agree to disagree about "Apocalypse Now"? This is just a thread about people opinions. There are no great overriding "truths" here. Hell, somebody posted that "The Longest Day" was a great war movie. I am sure that nobody really wants to hear my opinion about_ that_!


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## Porker (Jan 25, 2015)

dblack said:


> My favorite wasn't on the list -  A Midnight Clear 1992 - IMDb


But set in Europe during WWII.


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## Porker (Jan 25, 2015)

boedicca said:


> The best war movie is not a movie, it's a miniseries:  Band of Brothers.


That was a great mini-series. I have it on DVD.


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## Porker (Jan 25, 2015)

NoNukes said:


> I was involved in the anti war movement and I did not think that. Try speaking for yourself and not for others.



Did you know a guy by the name of Bill Clinton?


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## Hossfly (Jan 25, 2015)

NoNukes said:


> Ringel05 said:
> 
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> > NoNukes said:
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I can assure you that We Were Soldiers is true because I lived every moment of the story. There were a few Hollywoodisms because otherwise it would have been a dull movie about day to day events.


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## Hossfly (Jan 25, 2015)

PoliticalChic said:


> AquaAthena said:
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I'm still an active poster and I stand by my previous comments.


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## Porker (Jan 25, 2015)

Hossfly said:


> I can assure you that We Were Soldiers is true because I lived every moment of the story. There were a few Hollywoodisms because otherwise it would have been a dull movie about day to day events.



Thank you for your service to our country Hoss. The guys from VN caught a lot of undeserved bullshit from people who didn't know any better, thanks to people such as John 'purple heart' Kerry and Hanoi Jane Fonda.


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## Sgt_Gath (Jan 25, 2015)

Saving Private Ryan and Fury were both pretty damn good films.


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## jon_berzerk (Jan 25, 2015)

toxicmedia said:


> Huh?.............all of these are great movies
> 
> 
> 
> ...




i think i just read today 

that *saving private ryan* number one seller 

followed by *pearl harbor *

and closing in rapidly is 

*american sniper *


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## ChrisL (Jan 25, 2015)

Apocalypse Now and Platoon.  I also saw the mini series Band of Brothers.  VERY good.


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## ChrisL (Jan 25, 2015)

Sgt_Gath said:


> Saving Private Ryan and Fury were both pretty damn good films.



I saw Saving Private Ryan but not the other one.


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## Sgt_Gath (Jan 25, 2015)

ChrisL said:


> Sgt_Gath said:
> 
> 
> > Saving Private Ryan and Fury were both pretty damn good films.
> ...



It was pretty gruesome. lol

I'd recommend it.


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## ChrisL (Jan 25, 2015)

Sgt_Gath said:


> ChrisL said:
> 
> 
> > Sgt_Gath said:
> ...



Oh yeah, the tank movie.  I remember the ads for this.  It looks really good.    You're right, I should see that movie.  What about Inglorious Bastards?  Would that be considered a war movie?  Probably not, huh?  That was another really good movie with Brad Pitt.


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## Sgt_Gath (Jan 25, 2015)

ChrisL said:


> Sgt_Gath said:
> 
> 
> > ChrisL said:
> ...



I guess that'd kinda/sorta be a "war movie."

Either way though, I agree. It was good.


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## jon_berzerk (Jan 25, 2015)

Sgt_Gath said:


> ChrisL said:
> 
> 
> > Sgt_Gath said:
> ...




thanks i do not watch enough tv 

to see what is in the theaters 

looks good 

comes out on netflix in two days


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## jon_berzerk (Jan 25, 2015)

ChrisL said:


> Sgt_Gath said:
> 
> 
> > ChrisL said:
> ...




i just not too long ago watched the monuments men 

i liked it the mrs did not


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## ChrisL (Jan 25, 2015)

jon_berzerk said:


> ChrisL said:
> 
> 
> > Sgt_Gath said:
> ...



I'm not sure I remember that one.    It sounds a little familiar.


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## jon_berzerk (Jan 25, 2015)

ChrisL said:


> jon_berzerk said:
> 
> 
> > ChrisL said:
> ...



loosely based on real facts 

story about a group of guys charged with  recovering art work stolen before it could be destroyed by the nazis 

during the final months of WWII


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## Synthaholic (Jan 25, 2015)

Von Ryan's Express is really good.
Von Ryan s Express 1965 - IMDb


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## Synthaholic (Jan 26, 2015)

PredFan said:


> There are only 3 movies ever made that make my eyes tear up.
> 
> Saving Private Ryan at the end where he asks his wife to tell him he was a good man.
> 
> ...


What a fag.


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## Synthaholic (Jan 26, 2015)

Roadrunner said:


> iamwhatiseem said:
> 
> 
> > PredFan said:
> ...


He was.  And Shelley Duvall was the perfect Olive Oil.


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## Synthaholic (Jan 26, 2015)

JakeStarkey said:


> Enemy at the Gates


I've got that one playing in the background right now, on IFC.


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## Synthaholic (Jan 26, 2015)

hjmick said:


> _Gallipoli_


You beat me to it!

Someone needs to re-tell the story of Gallipoli.  It's tragic, and heroic, under the worst conditions.  And it made Ataturk a household name in Türkiye.

Ever notice how there's never been a movie about Ataturk, who deserves one more than most?  The Greeks.  The Armenians.  They block every attempt by someone in Hollywood.  In the late 1990s Antonio Banderas was set to play him, but the Hellenic Society pressured the studio into dropping it.  Banderas and wife Melanie Griffith were subjected to hate mail and death threats and quickly backed out out of fear.  The movie was being produced by Sir Lawrence Olivier's son.


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## Synthaholic (Jan 26, 2015)

Sunni Man said:


> Pee Wee Herman's movie the "Big Adventure" was much better than


That sentence works in front of almost everything.


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## Synthaholic (Jan 26, 2015)

I gotta go with:


Saving Private Ryan
Full Metal Jacket
Inglourious Basterds
Braveheart
Blackhawk Down
The Hurt Locker
The Patriot
Valkyrie


I like The Pianist a lot, which was a pretty brutal war movie.


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## S.J. (Jan 26, 2015)

How about Schindler's List?


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## NoNukes (Jan 26, 2015)

Hossfly said:


> NoNukes said:
> 
> 
> > Ringel05 said:
> ...


Thank you for proving my point. And thank you for your service.


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## S.J. (Jan 26, 2015)

Defiance, starring Daniel Craig.


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## S.J. (Jan 26, 2015)

Into The White.


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## Billo_Really (Jan 26, 2015)

Has anyone mentioned Dr. Strangelove?

Slim Pickens riding that nuke, is an iconic scene.


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## Billo_Really (Jan 26, 2015)

What?  No *M.A.S.H*?

No *Good, Bad and the Ugly*?

How about *Starship Troopers*?

Or *Three Kings*?

Or when the whole gang is in town...


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## Billo_Really (Jan 26, 2015)

Or how about the one war movie that was seen by more people (100 million) in television history and to this day, still holds that record.


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## tinydancer (Jan 26, 2015)

Ok I crawled thru the whole thread and everybody has covered my favorite "best of the best". Top of my list has always been the Dirty Dozen.

Kudos to Sunni Man for putting up Zulu. It's beyond awesome.  

Only one I can add this morning would be Night of the Generals. Although there are no battle scenes, I still hope it qualifies as a war movie.

The plot revolves around murder and the plot to assassinate Hitler by his Generals. 

Fabulous cast includes Omar Sharif, Peter O'Toole, Donald Pleasance and Tom Courtenay.


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## longknife (Jan 26, 2015)

A bit off my thread, but I just watched three awesome TV shows about WWII yesterday:

Rat Patrol
12o'clock High
Blacksheep Squadron

All based on true stories


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## RKMBrown (Jan 26, 2015)

longknife said:


> A bit off my thread, but I just watched three awesome TV shows about WWII yesterday:
> 
> Rat Patrol
> 12o'clock High
> ...


I got the complete series set of dvds for Rat Patrol for christmas.  Looking forward to watching it.


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## ChrisL (Jan 28, 2015)

Synthaholic said:


> I gotta go with:
> 
> 
> Saving Private Ryan
> ...



I didn't add Inglorious Bastards because I didn't think it really qualified as a war movie.  It was more a movie about the holocaust with no real war scenes at all.


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## Roadrunner (Jan 28, 2015)

ChrisL said:


> Synthaholic said:
> 
> 
> > I gotta go with:
> ...


It was a great movie, magical realism being my favourite genre, whether novels or movies.

IB just rocks, I watch it several times a year!!!


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## ChrisL (Jan 28, 2015)

Roadrunner said:


> ChrisL said:
> 
> 
> > Synthaholic said:
> ...



Oh, don't get me wrong.  I loved that movie.  It was awesome!  I just was kind of hesitant to refer to it as a "war" movie, because it's really more like a comedy and a character study, IMO.  It really wasn't as much about the war, as it was about people corroborating in little schemes and things.  I absolutely loved Brad Pitt in the movie.  He was so funny.  Arrivederci!


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## Hossfly (Jan 28, 2015)

Hossfly said:


> We Were Soldiers
> 
> Because I participated in that battle. I was with those guys from April 1964-Sept 1965 and knew most of them. Many are dead because of various cancers from Agent Orange so there's not many of us around. I got it in the prostate. On Nov 14 at 0620 hours we will celebrate our 50th anniversary at the Wall in Arlington. All of you here are invited to attend.


I just noticed a mistake in dates. Should be April '64-Sept '*66.*


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## Shipwreck (Feb 2, 2015)

Das Boot.


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## Syriusly (Feb 2, 2015)

Shipwreck said:


> Das Boot.



I agree Das Boot.

If you haven't seen it- Wings- the winner of the first Oscar is still worth watching- a silent film with biplanes supplied by the Army


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## IsaacNewton (May 31, 2016)

Battle of Britain has by far the best aerial fighting on film and there is a ton of it. Very well done movie all around.


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## PredFan (May 31, 2016)

I watched Midway yesterday, enjoyed it thoroughly.


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## Sunni Man (May 31, 2016)

I would like to nominate two movies to the discussion.

First, would be "Unbroken" which is the true story of Louis Zamperini.

An amazing story of survival and the human spirit by a downed flyer during WWll

Zamperini was a celebrated Olympic runner who meet Hitler before the war.

He survived a plane crash in the pacific ocean, sharks, weeks in a life raft, years in a Japanese prison camp, disease, starvation, and brutal prison guards.


Secondly, would be a japanese movie called the "The Eternal Zero".

A foreign film based on a best selling novel in Japan. It tells the story of a brother and sister who discover that their grandfather was a fighter pilot during WWll and flew the infamous "Zero" and died during a kamikaze attack.

The pair travel the country and seek out fellow pilots who knew their grandfather. Only to discover a complicated story about him and ultimately themselves.    .........


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## Wry Catcher (May 31, 2016)

Non Fiction:  Victory at Sea

Fiction: 

The Bedford Incident (likely because a few years after seeing this film I was stationed on a US Destroyer on ASW Patrols)

Saving Private Ryan (manly because of the opening scene which depicted the heroic effort which actually took place by allied troops on the beaches of France)

On the Beach (a movie Trump and his followers need to watch and consider given his recent foolish comments)

Johnny got his gun & Moby Dick (Both ought to be watched by Trump and his supporters, both offer different but thought provoking plots)


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## Hossfly (May 31, 2016)

Wry Catcher said:


> Non Fiction:  Victory at Sea
> 
> Fiction:
> 
> ...


The movie "We Were Soldiers" is a non-fiction movie. As I stated before, except for a couple of Hollywoodisims, everything is real. There were no fictitious characters in the cast. I knew practically every one who was portrayed and I participated in that battle.
I also like The Bedford Incident and On The Beach.


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## ChrisL (May 31, 2016)

I just watched a good one last night, Lone Survivor, with Mark Wahlberg.  

Great movie and based on a true story too.


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## ChrisL (May 31, 2016)

Platoon was good, and so was Saving Private Ryan.  Full Metal Jacket.  Hamburger Hill. There are a lot of good war movies.  Most of the time I don't watch them often because they are too sad and depressing.


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## Unkotare (Jun 1, 2016)

PredFan said:


> I watched Midway yesterday, enjoyed it thoroughly.



Did you recognize MR. Miyagi? And Magnum P.I.? And Ponch? And Mr. Takagi? And on and on...


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## PredFan (Jun 1, 2016)

Unkotare said:


> PredFan said:
> 
> 
> > I watched Midway yesterday, enjoyed it thoroughly.
> ...



Tom Selleck?


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## PredFan (Jun 1, 2016)

Picking the best war movie is difficult. There have been many good ones:

Saving Private Ryan
Midway
Tora Tora Tora
Pearl Harbor
The Sands of Iwo Jima
Zulu

And though it's pure fiction, I loved Kelly's Heros


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## Unkotare (Jun 1, 2016)

PredFan said:


> Unkotare said:
> 
> 
> > PredFan said:
> ...




Yup, he's in there.


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## ChrisL (Jun 1, 2016)

Wind Talkers was pretty good.


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## ChrisL (Jun 1, 2016)

I would have added Apocalypse Now, but that didn't have a whole lot to do with the war, more to do with a special unit searching for a specific guy, but it was a good and interesting movie.


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## Dajjal (Jun 1, 2016)

Nosmo King said:


> Maybe the best war movie strips away the glamor of war perceived by those who never fought.



I was impressed by several anti war films in my lifetime.

The first was ' Paths of glory' directed by Stanley Kubrick. Then there was 'The victors'  I was also affected by a little known film called ' Overlord' which was shot in black and white and interspersed with genuine film of war.


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## IsaacNewton (Jun 1, 2016)

The Longest Day


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## DoggieDaddy (Jun 1, 2016)

IsaacNewton said:


> The Longest Day


A Walk In The Sun
Home Of The Brave
In Harms Way
We Were Soldiers


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## Owsi68 (Jun 6, 2016)

Wry Catcher said:


> Victory at Sea!  Not a movie, per se, but the narration, music and actual footage of real combat and real bravery is far and away better than any fictionalized movie.  I admit the opening of Saving Private Ryan is well done, but reality of D-Day is, well see for yourself:
> Google
> 
> or google:  Victory at Sea, episode 15





Wry Catcher said:


> Victory at Sea!  Not a movie, per se, but the narration, music and actual footage of real combat and real bravery is far and away better than any fictionalized movie.  I admit the opening of Saving Private Ryan is well done, but reality of D-Day is, well see for yourself:
> Google
> 
> or google:  Victory at Sea, episode 15


The minute I saw your post the theme music came to mind. I loved watching Victory At Sea but it's been so long since I've watched an episode.  Thank you for spurring my memory.about this great classic series!

And I'm one of those who liked Private Ryan a lot but always preferred D-Day.  As a history nut I like the movies that mention perspectives of what the others (both allies and enemies) were experiencing.


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## Compost (Jun 7, 2016)

The Longest Day.


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