I think Schindler's List is a WW2 movie, but not necessarily a "war" movie. It's more like a sub genre of a war movie, so I think it fits this thread. Casablanca does not fit this thread, otherwise, so does A League Of Their Own.

pimplepopper said:

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Would y'all consider Schindler's List as a WWII movie? If so, I think that should get some serious consideration.

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Yes, definitely WWII movie. I thought about it a personal top 5.

My self admitted problem in ranking movies is that I make it all about me. In other words, is it something I want to watch again at some point. Schindler's List falls in to the same category for me as Cold Mountain, Road to Perdition, or The Reverent. I agree they are powerful and brilliant but I am one and done.

Patton
The Great Escape
The Dirty Dozen
Saving Private Ryan
Force 10 from Navarone

Quote:

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1. Band of Brothers (it's like one really long movie)
2. Patton
3. The Bridge on the River Kwai
4. Saving Private Ryan
5. 1941
6. A Bridge Too Far
7. Midway
8. Kelly's Heroes
9. Memphis Belle
10. Sands of Iwo Jima
11. The Great Escape
12. Valkyrie
13. The Big Red One
14. Enemy at the Gates
15. Inglorious Basterds


Have not seen: The Longest Day, Thin Red Line, Hacksaw Ridge, or Dunkirk

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16. The Sound of Music

(Somewhere in there - Indiana Jones and the xxxxxxxxxxx) all had Nazi's in them, but were pre-war I think...

Good stuff.

1. Band of Brothers
2. Saving Private Ryan (really only this high because of the first 30 minutes, I think after that it gets mediocre)
3. Dunkirk
4. Hacksaw Ridge
5. Fury

Fury is so tempting for me to rank high. But I just can't because the ending is terrible. It's like they went to all of this trouble to make an amazing film and then couldn't figure out how to end it.

The action is good but the premise is ridiculous. An NCO guilting his crew to stay and defend and broken down Sherman in a suicide pact is just dumb. No one would do that. There was no strategic value and the war was darn near over. Further, the German commander would have been shot by his own troops for continuing to order them get slaughtered when they simply could have bypassed the tank. Again, the war was essentially over.

I was pondering to myself yesterday and I think band of brothers may still be the best thing I have ever watched in all categories not just war movies/shows.

Urban Ag said:

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Fury is so tempting for me to rank high. But I just can't because the ending is terrible. It's like they went to all of this trouble to make an amazing film and then couldn't figure out how to end it.

The action is good but the premise is ridiculous. An NCO guilting his crew to stay and defend and broken down Sherman in a suicide pact is just dumb. No one would do that. There was no strategic value and the war was darn near over. Further, the German commander would have been shot by his own troops for continuing to order them get slaughtered when they simply could have bypassed the tank. Again, the war was essentially over.

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I understand that that part of the story supposedly drew inspiration from a true story (however, I find i suspicious that the soldiers name isn't provided.. that would be MoH worthy, IMO). In the real story, after the initial bunch of Germans were killed, they did bypass the tank.

1. Das Boot
2. Attack!
3. The Longest Day
4. Patton
5. (tie) Cross of Iron/April 9th

No one liked Red Tails?

1) Inglorious Basterds
2) Dirty dozen
3) Stalag 17


There are some more I'd like to see y'all have listed, but I can't really put anything up there with these among those I have seen.

Episode IV said:

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No one liked Red Tails?

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I am sure certain posters found it insulting and an attack on whites in leadership

Great list

Brad 98 said:

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I am supriised that Where Eagles Dare has not been listed

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Probably my favorite book in this setting. I'd like to see Winds of War get made into an HBO series, but maybe there isn't enough demand.

Bridge on the River Kwai is an all time great movie in any genre. Amazing film.

The rest of my list mirrors much of what is here, but for true fiction:
Casablanca
Kelly's heroes
Where eagles dare
The dirty dozen
Empire of the sun

For true events movies:
Patton
Schindler's list
The great escape
Das boot
And BOTRK

Duncan Idaho said:

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Episode IV said:

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No one liked Red Tails?

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I am sure certain posters found it insulting and an attack on whites in leadership

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I'll address a couple of things here.

First, the movie was not great. Yes, as a warbird nut, I really enjoyed seeing all those B-17s, P-51s, and Messerschmitts, but the CGI was not believable. They had those planes doing things that they flat out could not do in terms of maneuvers.

Second, I will gladly give the Tuskegee Airmen all the accolades that they rightfully deserve. The problem I have with the national media with regard to the TA is how they seem to imply that without the TA, the war in the air would have been lost. That's simply not true. It is possible to give credit to everyone who was man enough to strap on a P-51 and fly into that literal hell every day. But again, they do deserve credit for the role that they played, and for overcoming the racism they faced on a minute-by-minute basis. The movie addressed that pretty well, I thought, especially with a scene where the white bomber crew wanted to know who it was that was piloting those red tailed 'Stangs (I suppose to buy them a beer), but reneged on that when he found out they were black pilots.

Another couple of honorable mentions that don't get a lot of love:

Father goose
Eye of the needle
The eagle has landed
Guns of Navarrone
Force 10 from navarrone

aTmAg said:

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I think Private Ryan is vastly overrated. The D-Day scene was incredible. The rest of the movie was blah.

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My grandpa was on an LCI in the Pacific. I asked him if the D-Day scene was accurate from Saving Private Ryan based upon what he saw/did in the Pacific.

He said about the movie, "there's not enough landing crafts."

He was at Iwo Jima, so he saw sizable invasion forces.

How many of you old guys read bunches of Ballentine WW 2 paperback books back in the late 60s early 70s like I did. They were awesome.

1) SPR
2) The Longest Day
3) A Bridge Too Far
4) Kelley's Heroes
5) Downfall

As far as TV series:
The Pacific has a slight edge over BoB. Both are terrific but the more I watch the Pacific the more I like it. And the German series Generation War.

JABQ04 said:

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1) SPR
2) The Longest Day
3) A Bridge Too Far
4) Kelley's Heroes
5) Downfall

As far as TV series:
The Pacific has a slight edge over BoB. Both are terrific but the more I watch the Pacific the more I like it. And the German series Generation War.

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Your opinion on The Pacific vs BoB is blasphemy. I just figured you should know that.

aTmAg said:

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JABQ04 said:

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1) SPR
2) The Longest Day
3) A Bridge Too Far
4) Kelley's Heroes
5) Downfall

As far as TV series:
The Pacific has a slight edge over BoB. Both are terrific but the more I watch the Pacific the more I like it. And the German series Generation War.

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Your opinion on The Pacific vs BoB is blasphemy. I just figured you should know that.

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And your opinion of his opinion is bullcrap! Spoken as another who gives The Pacific the edge.

I think the war scenes in The Pacific are better than BoB. It shows the brutality of war better than anything besides D-Day in SPR. The problem with The Pacific is everything else.

I can't argue with any of your lists. I love this genre so much and can watch them all 100 times.

Von Ryan's Express was pretty enjoyable

Cinco Ranch Aggie said:

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aTmAg said:

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JABQ04 said:

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1) SPR
2) The Longest Day
3) A Bridge Too Far
4) Kelley's Heroes
5) Downfall

As far as TV series:
The Pacific has a slight edge over BoB. Both are terrific but the more I watch the Pacific the more I like it. And the German series Generation War.

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Your opinion on The Pacific vs BoB is blasphemy. I just figured you should know that.

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And your opinion of his opinion is bullcrap! Spoken as another who gives The Pacific the edge.

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Out of curiosity, did you think it was dissapointing the first watch, and then like it later? I thought it was boring as hell the first time around and never bothered to watch it again.

Bruce Almighty said:

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HoustonAg2106 said:

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Saving Private Ryan
Thin Red Line
Dunkirk
Hurt Locker
Full Metal Jacket

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Last two movies don't fit the thread topic.

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Bruce Almighty said:

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I think the war scenes in The Pacific are better than BoB. It shows the brutality of war better than anything besides D-Day in SPR. The problem with The Pacific is everything else.

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I consider more than brutality. Otherwise the most recent Rambo would be the greatest ever. Neither SPR, Pacific, etc. get to that level.

I like the Normandy drop, the attack on those 3 guns, and Foy better than any of the battles in The Pacific. All for different reasons.

Enemy at the Gates is pretty underrated in my mind.

I'd put in The Great Escape worth a mention but not top five.

Nothing ever came close to 1941..except maybe the incredible mr limpert

OldArmy71 said:

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Twelve O'Clock High
Battleground
The Best Years of Our Lives
Mrs. Miniver
Since You Went Away
King Rat
They Were Expendable

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Should be on more lists.