# Why aren't there any contemporary war movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 8, 2008, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-contemporary-war-movies/444448 "2008-04-08T13:49:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tool\_of\_the\_Conspiracy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@Tool\_of\_the\_Conspiracy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tool_of_the_Conspiracy)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-contemporary-war-movies/444448/21 "2008-04-08T18:27:31Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] Some of them just sucked (_Rambo, The Kingdom, Rendition_) [/QUOTE] Did those movies suck? I haven’t seen any of them, but they have respectable scores at IMDB (7.6, 7.2 and 6.9, respectively). ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-contemporary-war-movies/444448/22 "2008-04-08T18:33:57Z")
[QUOTE=Tool of the Conspiracy] Did those movies suck? I haven’t seen any of them, but they have respectable scores at IMDB (7.6, 7.2 and 6.9, respectively). [/QUOTE] I think rottentomatoes is a better indicator of quality. At RT they got 32, 51 and 47 ratings respectively (all splats). I didn’t see _Rendition_ but I can verify that the other two were both pretty bad. _Rambo_ is at least _supposed_ to be cheesy and low brow. _The Kingdom_ took itself seriously, though and was basically ponderous crap. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-contemporary-war-movies/444448/23 "2008-04-08T19:11:02Z")
It could be that the ‘artists’, need time to reflect on the events before they can make good ‘art’ about it. Plus, in WWII, there were specific events or battles, that you could craft a story around but that is not so much the case here. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-contemporary-war-movies/444448/24 "2008-04-08T19:32:45Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] . . . and we did have a short-lived TV series about the Iraq War, _Over There_, that I actually thought was pretty good. [/QUOTE] I still don’t understand [why it didn’t get better ratings.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=415161) ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-contemporary-war-movies/444448/25 "2008-04-08T19:48:13Z")
Might European or other foreign filmmakers take a stab at movies about the current Iraq war, but having the American forces as either morally ambiguous or, indeed, as anntagonists? ---
**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:** [April 8, 2008, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-contemporary-war-movies/444448/26 "2008-04-08T19:55:54Z")
[QUOTE=bordelond] Might European or other foreign filmmakers take a stab at movies about the current Iraq war, but having the American forces as either morally ambiguous or, indeed, as anntagonists? [/QUOTE] Turkey’s [Valley of the Wolves Iraq](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_of_the_Wolves_Iraq) fits this bill. ---
**Author:** ![Amok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f17d59/32.png) [@Amok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amok)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-contemporary-war-movies/444448/27 "2008-04-08T20:08:05Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] "A Rambo movie came out a few weeks ago and sank like a stone. No idea who the enemy was, though. [/QUOTE] Burma. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-contemporary-war-movies/444448/28 "2008-04-08T20:19:07Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] I didn’t see _Rendition_ but I can verify that the other two were both pretty bad. [/QUOTE] I thought _Rendition_ was pretty good, and it is topical, but it wasn’t a war movie at all: it was about a US resident of Egyptian origin being rendered extraordinarily to an unnamed north African country, and the jolly hijinks that happened to him thereafter - and an act of terrorism that occurs within the “honest this is an anonymous country and bears no resemblance to Morocco at all” country. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-contemporary-war-movies/444448/29 "2008-04-08T20:20:52Z")
[QUOTE=Amok] Burma. [/QUOTE] Why did you say “Burma”? ---
**Author:** ![svrider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@svrider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/svrider)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-contemporary-war-movies/444448/30 "2008-04-08T20:22:25Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] we did have a short-lived TV series about the Iraq War, _Over There_, that I actually thought was pretty good. [/QUOTE] Surprised me a lot when it got cancelled. I for one found it really good and assumed it would last for at least a few seasons. ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-contemporary-war-movies/444448/31 "2008-04-08T20:48:49Z")
[QUOTE=Slithy Tove] Turkey’s [Valley of the Wolves Iraq](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_of_the_Wolves_Iraq) fits this bill. [/QUOTE] Now I’m all morbidly curious about Gary Busey’s portrayal of a Jewish-American doctor in the U.S. Army Organlegging Corps. What percentage of the Earth’s population would have to decline a movie role before Gary Busey becomes your most plausible casting choice for an anti-semitic stereotype? Does Turkish society consider the most distinctive characteristics of Jews to be their lack of eyebrows and yard-wide display of tooth enamel? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-contemporary-war-movies/444448/32 "2008-04-08T20:58:33Z")
[QUOTE=Terrifel] Now I’m all morbidly curious about Gary Busey’s portrayal of a Jewish-American doctor in the U.S. Army Organlegging Corps. What percentage of the Earth’s population would have to decline a movie role before Gary Busey becomes your most plausible casting choice for an anti-semitic stereotype? Does Turkish society consider the most distinctive characteristics of Jews to be their lack of eyebrows and yard-wide display of tooth enamel? [/QUOTE] Beautiful! Considering that Sammy Davis, Jr., is unavailable for the role, maybe it’s the Buddy Holly factor. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-contemporary-war-movies/444448/33 "2008-04-08T21:06:26Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Why did you say “Burma”? [/QUOTE] **Otto** said he didn’t know who the enemy was in _Rambo_. Burma was the enemy. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-contemporary-war-movies/444448/34 "2008-04-08T21:23:33Z")
Matt Damon is filming one right now. Green Zone, I think it’s called. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-contemporary-war-movies/444448/35 "2008-04-08T21:46:17Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] **Otto** said he didn’t know who the enemy was in _Rambo_. Burma was the enemy. [/QUOTE] It was a joke, a Monty Python reference. ![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/DnObI25aN1k/maxresdefault.jpg)https://www.youtube.com/embed/DnObI25aN1k?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque About 3:30 into the sketch. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-contemporary-war-movies/444448/36 "2008-04-08T22:02:03Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] **Otto** said he didn’t know who the enemy was in _Rambo_. Burma was the enemy. [/QUOTE] No, the correct answer is, “I panicked”. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-contemporary-war-movies/444448/37 "2008-04-08T22:10:39Z")
Here are some off the top of my head (depending on how flexible you are with the terms “contemporary” and “war”): Grenada: Hamburger Hill Panama: -None come to mind- Afghanistan (v Soviets): Charlie Wilsons War Rambo III The Beast Gulf War I: Courage Under Fire Bravo Two Zero Jarhead Live from Baghdad Three Kings Gulf War II: Grace is Gone In the Valley of Elah Lions for Lambs Redacted Africa: Black Hawk Down Blood Diamond Hotel Rwanda Last King of Scotland Tears of the Sun Generic Middle East: G.I. Jane Navy S.E.A.L.s Syriana The Kingdom About a thousand 80s and 90s action and spy films ---
**Author:** ![Labtrash](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/labtrash/32/528_2.png) [@Labtrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labtrash)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-contemporary-war-movies/444448/38 "2008-04-08T23:08:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Grenada: > Hamburger Hill Hamburger Hill was set in Vietnam Heartbreak Ridge was set in (well, for a bit anyways) Grenada ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-contemporary-war-movies/444448/39 "2008-04-08T23:36:22Z")
Jar Head wasn’t bad but it seemed to me to be a film about war films rather than an actual war film. Someone should do a Patton-esque treatment of Stormin’ Norman. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-contemporary-war-movies/444448/40 "2008-04-08T23:41:29Z")
[QUOTE=Baldwin] One problem might be that it’s not a war, it’s an open-ended occupation. Just not as cinematic. [/QUOTE] And besides, it would just play like a remake of the classic [_La Battaglia di Algeri_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058946/), and then the o.p.'s buddy would just whine that it proves his point. Stranger [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-contemporary-war-movies/444448.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-any-contemporary-war-movies/444448.md?page=3)