# What is the best “war movie”? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [May 1, 2021, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184 "2021-05-01T23:21:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/21 "2021-05-02T01:36:35Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > The Best Years of Our Lives Best post-war movie ever. ---
**Author:** ![opiewan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/opiewan/32/3566_2.png) [@opiewan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/opiewan)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/22 "2021-05-02T01:38:20Z")
Another good one, not as much a pure war movie as it is a historical movie with a war happening in the background, is Downfall. Of course everybody knows the scene where Hitler clears the room and screams at his generals, which was used in memes all over social media about a decade ago, but the movie overall is really good. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/23 "2021-05-02T01:38:33Z")
I’ll toss in: **Operation Petticoat** **The Wackiest Ship In the Army** **Father Goose** And in a more serious vein: **Gallipoli** **The Odd Angry Shot** **The Lighthorsemen** **Gettysburg** **The Horse Soldiers** **Letters From Iwo Jima** **Flags of Our Fathers** ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/24 "2021-05-02T01:39:59Z")
My dad urged me to watch it on TV one night when I was 20. He said “Once you see it, you’ll never forget it.” He was right! The same thing happened with my mother and _ **Objective: Burma** _. Those two movies are among the ones at the top of my list. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/25 "2021-05-02T01:51:33Z")
_ **Waterloo** _ and (if you can sit through the whole eight hours\*) _ **War and Peace** _, both directed by Sergei Bondarchuk. They _must_ be seen in a cinema, and not on TV. \*If you can’t, then at least watch the Battle of Borodino. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/26 "2021-05-02T01:53:07Z")
War is a massive complicated confusing endeavor, a good movie by definition can’t be. Many mentioned above I enjoy, but for the ‘best’. **Guns at Batasi** is my pick. Laser focus on a small group of soldiers in the middle of a civil war in Africa. Shout out to **Hart’s War** also for keeping the audience on their toes. **A Midnight Clear** doesn’t get the love it deserves either. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/27 "2021-05-02T01:55:40Z")
I’ll pair _ **Gallipoli** _ with _ **Breaker Morant** _. And add _ **The King of Hearts** _. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/28 "2021-05-02T02:08:21Z")
Movies that need to be made: - Camerone - von Lettow-Vorbeck - HMS _Mimi_ and _Toutou_ ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/29 "2021-05-02T02:22:06Z")
One more that has to be considered, **The General**. > [@terentii](#): > > The Best Years of Our Lives A few years ago, I was chatting with a friend and the subject of Academy Awards to non-professional actors came up. That, of course, led to Harold Russell, who won two Oscars for his performance in _The Best Years of Our Lives_. My friend posted Russell’s page from findagrave and it turns out he’s buried in a town I travel through fairly often. I had some time there, and searched through the town cemetery until I found his grave. I read up on him a little bit; sounds like an interesting guy. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/30 "2021-05-02T02:32:16Z")
_King of Hearts_ It’s been a long time, but _Oh, What a Lovely War_ was a great one. _3 Kings_ is first class. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/31 "2021-05-02T02:45:23Z")
I concur here: > [@SCAdian](#): > > The Big Red One I also like : Saving Private Ryan 55 days at Peking Zulu > [@SCAdian](#): > > Movies that need to be made: > > - von Lettow-Vorbeck absolutely. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/32 "2021-05-02T02:47:27Z")
My fave is the director’s cut of **Das Boot**. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/33 "2021-05-02T02:53:08Z")
The Deer Hunter. I haven’t served in the military or watched dozens of films. This film blew me away, however. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/3Gqit3zVmyc/hqdefault.jpg "The Deer Hunter - Trailer - (1978) - HQ") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gqit3zVmyc) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/34 "2021-05-02T02:53:38Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > - von Lettow-Vorbeck I read about his contemporary Felix von Luckner (“Der Seeteufel”) when I was in fifth grade. I’d love to see a movie about him and the _Seeadler._ Surprised no one has mentioned _ **Lawrence of Arabia** _ yet. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/35 "2021-05-02T02:56:11Z")
Wow we’re old. Not many 21st century movies. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/36 "2021-05-02T03:00:55Z")
I’ve seen maybe seven or eight… ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/37 "2021-05-02T03:06:46Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > _Shout at the Devil_ Had to look this one up. I first thought it might be _ **Shake Hands with the Devil** _ with James Cagney (1959). ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/38 "2021-05-02T03:09:32Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > Wow we’re old. Not many 21st century movies. Dunkirk and 1917 were mentioned. Black Hawk Down, Jarhead, Letters from Iwo Jima, Master and Commander, The Last Samurai, and 300 are also good. If you meant based off of 21st century wars, I’d add: The Hurt Locker Zero Dark Thirty American Sniper Green Zone A few not mentioned: Platoon Glory Last of the Mohicans ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/39 "2021-05-02T03:20:25Z")
Possibly pushing the definition of war movie - **The Lord of the Flies** [original 1963 version]. If that is not allowed, I’ve always liked **The Longest Day** , and the multi-person perspective it introduced to try to give you a sense of the massively complicated story of what happened. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/40 "2021-05-02T06:14:21Z")
Since we have a number of 20th century traditional war movies, I wanted to mention Kingdom of Heaven (2005). Not because it’s particularly realistic in most ways, but because it makes the point that for all the hero’s, villains, and plain simple folks caught up in the war, that peace may always be elusive. Anyway, just a personal thought. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184.md?page=3)