Favorite war movies

[cdschoonie]

I could dig deep as well, there were some great ones in the 70s and 80s.

 

[xseler]

"Where Eagles Dare" is another good one.

 

[SoonerP226]

In no particular order:

Battleground
James Whitmore, Van Johnson, and a young Ricardo Montalban (among others) in the Battle of the Bulge. Notable for its use of Duckworth Chants/Jody calls.

The Longest Day
Star-studded cast, based on Irish journalist's Cornelius Ryan's excellent account of the events of D-Day.

Gettysburg
Another star-studded cast, telling the story of the battle from the Late Unpleasantness Between the States.

Run Silent, Run Deep
Film adaptation of Captain Edward Beach's outstanding novel of life aboard the fleet boats in the Pacific during WWII.

They Were Expendable
The semi-fictionalized account of Motor Torpedo Squadron 3, commanded by LT (later VADM) John Bulkeley, during the fall of the Phillippines. Partly directed by star Robert Montgomery, who had risen to the rank of LCDR during the war and participated in the D-Day landings.

Stalag 17
William Holden as less-than-lovable Sgt. JJ Sefton in a WWII German POW camp. Amazing dialog and a young Peter Graves., too. Director Otto Preminger co-starred as the Commandant of the camp; reportedly, the actors who worked for him said he wasn't eligible for an Oscar for that performance because he wasn't acting...

Casablanca
My favorite movie of all time. Not necessarily a war movie, but takes place during WWII.

Mister Roberts
Henry Fonda, Jack Lemmon, William Powell, Ward Bond, and James Cagney (among others) aboard the USN cargo ship Reluctant (aka, "The Bucket") during the waning days of WWII. Great drama with plenty of comedic moments. William Powell's last movie.

The Caine Mutiny
Excellent film adaptation of Herman Wouk's epic novel. Terrific performances by the cast, including a memorable performance by Fred MacMurray as the coward of epic proportions, Lt. Tom Keefer. Worth watching for Jose Ferrer's speech at the end ("If you wanna do anything about it, I'll be outside. I'm a lot drunker than you are, so it'll be a fair fight.") if nothing else.

 

[Snattlerake]

The Gallant Hours is a true story about Halsey

The Bridges at Toko Ri

The Great Escape is a dramatization of a true story

Midway (1976) dramatization of true story

Tobruk (1967) was fictional but great movie

The Longest Day

Das Boot is excellent

Zulu

The Four Feathers

Tora Tora Tora

 

[SoonerP226]

I almost forgot one:
The Siege of Jadotville
It's based on the true story of a company of Irish UN Peacekeepers in the Congo who get hung out to dry by their commanders and the UN. Excellent flick.

 

[dennishoddy]

Ok, I did like "The Dirty Dozen" ...

Actually saw it in a theatre when it first came out.

That's the only one I liked because one of the Dirty Dozen in real life lived in Ponca City. He was portrayed by Lee Marvin in the movie. I was honored to talk to Jake many times as we were both members of the local VFW and American Legion posts. Never shy to tell a story if you wanted to listen.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/01/23/wwii-hero-inspiration-for-the-dirty-dozen-dies.html

Hours before June 6, 1944 – famously known as the D-Day invasion -- McNiece led 18 paratroopers as they jumped into France, and destroyed two bridges and took control of a third in order to prevent German reinforcements from moving into Normandy.


Sixteen men were killed during the mission. Only McNiece and two others survived, but their actions helped the Allies liberate France from the Nazis. In September 2012, News 9's Alex Cameron spoke with McNiece as he was honored at the state Capitol with France's most prestigious honor for his actions during the war.


https://www.news9.com/story/20640856/oklahoma-inspiration-behind-the-dirty-dozen-dies

 

[KurtM]

My dad knew a pilot that flew the missions of the " bridges of Toko Ri" from what I remember it was a very factual account. He flew a Banshee and was shot down during those missions and was one of the first air crewmen rescued by helicopter during that war! Met him several times, but I was just a kid. My dad held him in very high regard.

 

[thor447]

Thank you for this thread. There's a few in here that I either haven't seen in a long time, or haven't ever seen. Thanks for the movie suggestions!

 

[1911Sooner]

Great movies! I'll add Enemy at the Gates, and Thin Red Line.

 

[GWinOK]

During this pandemic, being out of work, I’ve had a lot of spare time. One thing I’ve been doing is re-watching war movies. Thought I’d see what others have for their top 5 favorites. Here’s my list, what’s yours?
1) Saving Private Ryan
2) Band of Brothers (a series but I count it as a movie)
3) The Pacific (another great series)
4) Enemy at the Gates
5) For me is a very close tie - Hacksaw Ridge vs. Fury
I know I listed 6, but the last 2 are too close to call for me, but I could easily list 5 more with a lot of ties.

Mine would be “The Longest Day.” I like many others, but it’s by far the one I look forward to seeing.”