# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![Drsunflower1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drsunflower1/32/12711_2.png) [@Drsunflower1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drsunflower1)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/141 "2021-05-08T09:30:56Z")
Yes! Grave of the fireflies. On my list also Waltz with Bashir and Levanon, both Israeli films. And No man’s land, about Yugoslavia. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/142 "2021-05-08T09:44:46Z")
A lot of my faves have been mentioned, but: Saving Private Ryan Kingdom of Heaven Apocalypse Now Bullet in the Head (the John Woo film, not the Stallone trash pile) Centurion 1917 Full Metal Jacket And can I cast a vote against The Deer Hunter? I’ve always thought it was the most overrated, nonsensical, inexplicable Best Picture winner ever. ---
**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 8, 2021, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/143 "2021-05-08T14:11:03Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > This gets my vote for “best movie about the army during the Vietnam War”, for sure. Not even close for my vote. That goes to **The Odd Angry Shot** and **The Boys In Company C**. If you insist on voting Kubrick then **Paths of Glory** is the way to go. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/144 "2021-05-08T16:03:15Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > I have not watched _Band of Brothers_ but should, having heard only good things. That was one I should have mentioned in my post. Gripping series. As a bit sort of a technical “rivet counter” myself, I was also impressed with the degree of accuracy the producers strove for in the hardware and whatnot. ( weapons, vehicles etc ) ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/145 "2021-05-08T16:05:44Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Probably an unpopular opinion but I feel _Saving Private Ryan_ is very overrated. It is, in my opinion, schmaltzy in the same way most Spielberg movies are. > > I will readily agree that the first twenty minutes are one of the best battle scenes ever filmed. Full credit to Spielberg for that. My exact feelings as well. I’m glad you said it first as I didn’t want to be the first to be pummeled for it. 😆 ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/146 "2021-05-08T16:12:52Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > **They Were Expendable** (1946) by John Ford starring John Wayne and Robert Montgomery legitimately surprised me in how great it was since I see so little people talk about it. It’s about a PT Boat squadron in the Invasion of the Philippines in 1941 and does an amazing job of showing the attrition and hopelessness that happens to soldiers in a desperate situation. No matter how many ships the PT boats sink, the Japanese inevitably keep advancing and the ending is bleak but hopeful since the audience knows eventually we won the war, but the characters don’t know that yet. It was loosely based on John Bulkeley. There was also an added feeling of realism because Robert Montgomery was a PT boat captain during WWII. ---
**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 8, 2021, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/147 "2021-05-08T16:14:42Z")
Two other good movies based on actual events: > **[No Man Is an Island (film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Man_Is_an_Island_(film))** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > No Man Is an Island is a 1962 war film about the exploits of George Ray Tweed, a United States Navy radioman who avoided capture and execution by the Japanese during their years-long World War II occupation of Guam. It stars Jeffrey Hunter as Tweed. The film was shot entirely in the Philippines and all the supporting actors spoke Tagalog rather than Chamorro, to the amusement of Chamorros who saw the film. > It is 1941. Tweed is at a radio outpost ... > **[The Heroes of Telemark](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Heroes_of_Telemark)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > > The Heroes of Telemark is a 1965 British war film directed by Anthony Mann based on the true story of the Norwegian heavy water sabotage during the Second World War from Skis Against the Atom, the memoirs of Norwegian resistance soldier Knut Haukelid. The film stars Kirk Douglas as Dr. Rolf Pedersen and Richard Harris as Knut Straud, along with Ulla Jacobsson as Anna Pederson. It was filmed on location in Norway. > The Norwegian resistance sabot... ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/148 "2021-05-08T16:54:46Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > I have not watched _Band of Brothers_ but should, having heard only good things. > > I’m not sure the gravamen of a good war movie is to be purely about war, or to provide an immersive experience. _1917_ was immersive, but largely emphasized the tedium of war broken by the occasional horror. I’m looking forward to watching some of the movies mentioned I’ve never seen. There is also some agreement on the best ones (mentioned several times) and perhaps lessons to be learned from the fact no one mentioned things like _Stripes_ or _Private Benjamin_. I admit to being a Band of Brothers fanatic. I can’t say how many times I have watched it. I tend to think of all of the actors in it as “that guy from Band of Brothers” including Tom Hardy, Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy. I have read the book several times and several of the books written after by others. I met one of the main people in it once. So yes I highly recommend it. ---
**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 8, 2021, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/149 "2021-05-08T17:03:31Z")
Surprised these two haven’t been mentioned yet: > **[To Hell and Back (film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Hell_and_Back_(film))** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > To Hell and Back is a Technicolor and CinemaScope war film released in 1955. It was directed by Jesse Hibbs and stars Audie Murphy as himself. It is based on the 1949 autobiography of the same name and is an account of Murphy's World War II experiences as a soldier in the U.S. Army. The book was ghostwritten by his friend, David "Spec" McClure, who served in the U.S. Army's Signal Corps during World War II. > Young Audie Murphy (Gordon Gebert) grow... > **[The Bridges at Toko-Ri](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bridges_at_Toko-Ri)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > The Bridges at Toko-Ri is a 1954 American war film about the Korean War and stars William Holden, Grace Kelly, Fredric March, Mickey Rooney, and Robert Strauss. The film, which was directed by Mark Robson, was produced by Paramount Pictures.\[Note 1\] Dennis Weaver and Earl Holliman make early screen appearances in the film. > The screenplay is based on the 1953 novel The Bridges at Toko-Ri by Pulitzer Prize winner James Michener. The story, which c... ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/150 "2021-05-08T17:04:55Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I admit to being a Band of Brothers fanatic. I can’t say how many times I have watched it. I tend to think of all of the actors in it as “that guy from Band of Brothers” Me too! In so many cases, the actors in it were the first I’ve ever seen them in film/TV. subsequent watching of various films/TV really seemed to bring out the ‘Baader-Meinhof’ illusion. For example, I’d see Ron Livingston in ‘Office Space’ or ‘Swingers’ and my mind blurts out “_Look, it’s ‘Nix’!_” ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/151 "2021-05-08T17:22:10Z")
I would nominate _Oh, What a Lovely War_ as my personal favourite WW1 film. It’s a musical satire based on a stage play, but is well done and the “soldier” scenes are very authentic. The fourth Blackadder series, with Blackadder as a WW1 infantry officer in the trenches, is Rowan Atkinson funny (and with Hugh Laurie as a fellow officer), but the end of the last episode is astoundingly powerful! ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/152 "2021-05-08T18:16:55Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > **Midway** was another classic Great movie subject, but the cheesy love story and crappy editing ruin it hard. I’d love to see a ‘serious’ remake of this, sticking as close to the truth as possible with no sap. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Probably an unpopular opinion but I feel _Saving Private Ryan_ is very overrated. It is, in my opinion, schmaltzy in the same way most Spielberg movies are. > [@veryfrank](#): > > And can I cast a vote against The Deer Hunter? I’ve always thought it was the most overrated, nonsensical, inexplicable Best Picture winner ever. I so agree with these two comments. You can turn Private Ryan off after the landing. The rest is crap. Deer Hunter? My God, what a tedious movie. That wedding scene goes on longer than a lot of marriages! ---
**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 8, 2021, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/153 "2021-05-08T18:30:27Z")
Count me in with those comments as well. A good, straight movie of Midway would now be possible. CGI can do wonders if you keep it away from the Michael Bay types. That would get rid of the thing that drove me crazy about the first one - the reliance on existing footage meant that the “hero” took off in one type of plane, attacked the Japanese is another type and crashed on the carrier upon landing in a third type. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/154 "2021-05-08T18:35:12Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > A good, straight movie of Midway would now be possible. You guys know they made another Midway movie just two years ago, right? > **[Midway (2019 film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midway_(2019_film))** > > Midway is a 2019 war film about the Battle of Midway, a turning point in the Pacific Theater of World War II. The film was directed by Roland Emmerich, who also produced the film with Harald Kloser, and was written by Wes Tooke. The film stars Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid, Tadanobu Asano, Darren Criss, and Woody Harrelson. > The film was a passion project of Emmerich's, and he had trouble getting financial support for the film before... It’s not great. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/155 "2021-05-08T18:56:44Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > You guys know they made another Midway movie just two years ago, right? > [@RickJay](#): > > It’s not great. That’s what I’d heard. That’s why they need to do it again, but get it right! ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/156 "2021-05-08T19:08:44Z")
Have we mentioned _Dr.Strangelove_ or _Fail Safe_ (the original) yet? If we extend “war” to mean the Cold War then these have to be on the 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 8, 2021, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/157 "2021-05-08T20:19:45Z")
The only nit I have to pick with _ **Fail Safe** _ is Dom Deluise as the whiny Air Force sergeant. The exact opposite of the character in the book. 🤮 ---
**Author:** ![Lantern2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lantern2/32/3010_2.png) [@Lantern2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern2)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/158 "2021-05-08T20:52:28Z")
Lots of good films mentioned; if I had to vote for the very best, Apocalypse Now would be a contender. Incidentally the last time I watched it, it struck me as being a very dark comedy, anyone else agree? It’s been a while since I have seen it but the Longest Day deserves to be mentioned because it does a great job of showing both sides ,which is relatively rare in war films, and also nicely shows military leaders working their way through the fog of war. Grave of the Fireflies, Guns of Navarone and Master and Commander are some other films of high quality. Two films that I don’t think have been mentioned: The Battle of Algiers arguably the best ever film on terrorism and counter-terrorism and 13 Days about the Cuban Missile Crisis. I am happy for the commercial success of Dunkirk and 1917 (both of which I liked) and hope it paves the way for more war films; in particular I would like to see a really good Battle of Britain film on Imax 3D. ---
**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 8, 2021, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/159 "2021-05-08T21:13:27Z")
> [@Lantern2](#): > > I am happy for the commercial success of Dunkirk and 1917 (both of which I liked) and hope it paves the way for more war films; in particular I would like to see a really good Battle of Britain film on Imax 3D. The 1969 movie was impressive. It was filmed largely with Luftwaffe aircraft then operated by the Spanish air force, something probably not possible today. Ron Goodwin’s score is great too. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cNVVoH9-QH0/hqdefault.jpg "Battle of Britain - Opening") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNVVoH9-QH0) ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184/160 "2021-05-08T22:48:05Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I can highly recommend the following as one of the best anti-war movies yet made: > [Grave of the Fireflies - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_of_the_Fireflies) > It is absolutely devastating. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen that one, and you are right. As it happens, however, I have a personal problem with Japanese “us poor victims” war movies that I won’t bore you with here. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-war-movie/941184.md?page=9)