I like military movies. But I really like modern military movies. And espionage movies. Top Gun, The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games… Not really very good movies, but I find them entertaining. So. Ignoring that newer war/espionage/spy thrillers tend to be poorly made, what are some titles from the genre that are fun to watch, especially with a Naval setting? I was thinking of:
Naval
Top Gun
The Hunt for Red October
Crimson Tide
*Espionage
La Femme Nikita (the French movie, NOT the TV show!)
Patriot Games
Even though it stars the lame Kevin Costner, No Way Out wasn’t a bad movie.
Ice Station Zebra
My favorite line from the movie (paraphrased of course), spoken by Patrick McGoohan:
“They (the Russians) used the propulsion mechanisms designed by their German scientists, the optics designed by our (British) German scientists, and the tracking components designed by your (American) German scientists.”
Rock Hudson: “We’re on a first name basis here. My name is ‘Captain.’”
Tried watching it a couple years ago and found it boring.
The Bedford Incident* gets short shrift.
Nothing like a cold, North Atlantic setting with storms and the potential for a “mistake” escalating into a nuclear exchange! Any more?
BTW: The Eiger Sanction was a nice little cold-war flick.
Ah, The Bedford Incident! A wonderful movie that gets hamstrung by the fatal lines:
Captain: “If he fires one, I’ll fire one.”
Missile Control: “FIRE ONE!”
There should be a name for that kind of ending, like maybe a Thirty-nine Stepper.
Conversely, The Bridges at Toko-Ri is a little sappy in parts, but makes up for it with its unusually honest ending.
The Enemy Below is a nice wartime naval piece that got squeezed into a Star Trek episode.
And while it might not fit squarely in the category, The Third Man is excellent.