# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/81 "2021-05-02T19:57:33Z")
Ah. No “The” which is why the IMDb search missed. ---
**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, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/82 "2021-05-02T19:57:44Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Never watched the _Americanization of Emily_ Imagine Jim Rockford going to war with Julie Andrews as his love interest. ---
**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, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/83 "2021-05-02T20:07:28Z")
> [@Tripler](#): > > > [@Bonum\_Legatum](#): > > > > The BBC series **Danger UXB** follows the live of members of a WWII bomb disarmament/disposal team. Think of “The Hurt Locker” but with a British stiff-upper-lip. > > I watched the series, in class of all places, at “the schoolhouse.” > > > [@terentii](#): > > > > I tried watching _ **Ameяika** _ when I was prepping for graduate school. The whole premise was so absurd, I tuned out somewhere in the middle of the second installment. (And Sam Niell’s mangling of the Russian language was even worse than in _ **The Hunt for Red October.** _ ) > > I was in the 4th grade, and remember seeing one of the episodes back then, but not the whole series. The concept fascinates me, like @Sitnam alludes to. I want to see the full series, but have no idea where to find it. > > Another addition: [The Crossing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crossing_(2000_film)), which put a very human element to the Battle of Trenton. > > Tripler > The US was occupied during the War of 1812, but I don’t know of any movies on that war. _ **Danger: UXB** _ was wonderful. Anthony Andrews was great in the lead role. _ **Ameяika** _ was a made-for-TV miniseries that ran for the better part of a week, so I doubt it can be found anywhere almost 40 years later. There must be some Canadian movies or miniseries about the War of 1812. The only US dramatization I recall seeing was an episode of _ **The Adams Chronicles** _ during the Bicentennial. ---
**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, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/84 "2021-05-02T20:28:15Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > There are two famous versions of _The Charge of the Light Brigade_. The 1936 version stars Errol Flynn. The same goes for _ **The Dawn Patrol** _. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. is in the 1930 version; Flynn is in the one from 1938. Flynn and Alan Hale Jr play downed Allied airmen in _ **Desperate Journey** _ (1942), a pretty good flick. Jimmy Cagney and Hale are Canadian bush pilots gone-to-war in _ **Captains of the Clouds** _ (1942), with a theme song recognizable from WB cartoons. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/eEvtvrSf22A/hqdefault.jpg "Captains of the Clouds Original Trailer") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEvtvrSf22A) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/85 "2021-05-02T20:55:19Z")
For me, the clear winner is _Saving Private Ryan_. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/86 "2021-05-02T21:06:54Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > _ **Danger: UXB** _ was wonderful. Anthony Andrews was great in the lead role. Along those lines, and “made for TV” series is [Bluestone 42](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluestone_42) (a comedy), which hit kinda closer to home in a lot of ways than did The Hurt Locker. I also gotta throw in a mention of Band of Brothers, another rock-solid miniseries. Tripler Yay! I found Bluestone on PlutoTV! ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/87 "2021-05-02T21:19:20Z")
in harms way with kirk douglas and john wayne was pretty good …its one of a few times douglas plays a heel… ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/88 "2021-05-02T21:24:14Z")
**Midway** was another classic, as was **Bridge on the River Kwai.** ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/89 "2021-05-02T21:30:41Z")
Regarding _The Four Feathers_ : The 1939 version is the beloved classic, but it is enthusiastically pro-Empire, which may grate on modern sensibilities. The 2002 version, with Heath Ledger, is darker, and more critical of war in general and imperialism in particular. But it’s still good. The 1978 version, with Beau Bridges, may be a low-budget TV movie, but it is more faithful to the original novel than any of the theatrical films. I liked it. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/90 "2021-05-02T21:31:46Z")
I _really_ enjoyed [Generation War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_War). It’s a three-part miniseries produced in Germany in 2013. Bought the Blu-ray. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/91 "2021-05-02T21:44:56Z")
Akira Kurosawa made several good war movies _Throne of Blood_ (_Macbeth_ translated to medieval Japan) _Ran_ (_King Lear_ translated to medieval Japan) _Kagemusha_ aka _The Shadow Warrior_ There is also _Heaven and Earth_, directed by Haruki Kadokawa, set during the same war as _Kagemusha_. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/92 "2021-05-02T21:52:33Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Bridge on the River Kwai. I dislike that movie, as I am familiar with the real bridge. It is in Kanchanaburi province of Thailand, bordering Myanmar, and I have visited it many times. The story is a complete fiction. The sole prisoner who ever escaped and made it out successfully was an Englishman who definitely was not parachuted back in to destroy the bridge. The bridge was finally taken out by aerial bombing in the closing days of the war. The site is well worth a visit though. There are a couple of nice museums, and you can walk across the bridge or ride a train over it, as it’s still in use today. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/93 "2021-05-02T22:00:29Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > The story is a complete fiction. Are you saying the author of _Planet of the Apes_ just made stuff up? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/94 "2021-05-02T22:01:43Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Are you saying the author of _Planet of the Apes_ just made stuff up? Not sure about that one. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/95 "2021-05-02T22:46:02Z")
Pierre Boulle wrote them both. He worked with commandos in SE Asia and was betrayed to the Japanese by collaborators so he worked both along with his POW experience into his novel about the bridge. As far as I know he was never a time traveling astronaut. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/96 "2021-05-02T22:53:39Z")
^ Or an ape. 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/97 "2021-05-02T22:53:43Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Pierre Boulle wrote them both. He worked with commandos in SE Asia and was betrayed to the Japanese by collaborators so he worked both along with his POW experience into his novel about the bridge. As far as I know he was never a time traveling astronaut. What I meant to say was _Planet of the Apes_ is probably the more factual of the two. He may have been a POW, but the specific events portrayed in the book never happened. It’s proved a nice tourism boom for the locals though. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/98 "2021-05-02T23:01:47Z")
_The Great Escape_ - McQueen, Bronson, Garner, Attenborough, probably my favorite just on the weight of the cast alone. _Letters From Iwo Jima_ - This movie always stood out for me because it did what few other movies have tried to do–_humanized_ the Japanese in WWII. His politics aside, I think Eastwood did a good job with this one. _Spartacus_ - I’m not sure it counts as a war movie per se, but I selected this because of its crazy epic battle scenes. Kubrick filmed this in Franco’s Spain, and soldiers from units stationed near the town where he filmed made up the extras in the huge battle scenes (there was a rule that Kubrick could not show depictions of any of these extras being killed on film.) In an era long before CG it was really hard to do a big battle scene and most movies didn’t try–even with CG big battle scenes aren’t easy, which is why most lower budget TV shows and movies tend to only show very close in shots of big battles. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/99 "2021-05-02T23:17:21Z")
_The Burmese Harp_ humanizes the Japanese pretty well. The scene where they know they’re about to be wiped out so they sing “Home Sweet Home,” then instead of attacking the British sing along instead, because the war had ended: gets me every time. And, despite their right-wing countrymen, Japanese war movies don’t uniformly gloss over the atrocities. _Fires on the Plain_ show them without excusing them. The original version of _Hara Kiri_, while not a war movie, was an allegorical indictment of those who’d ginned up the war expecting to profit from it with no skin off their own asses. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2021, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/100 "2021-05-02T23:57:40Z")
So what? It’s fiction. Most fictional historical movies veer wildly from the truth. What matters is if it tells a good story. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184.md?page=6)