Top 10 War Movies - Per Today's Veterans

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Changing demographics lead to changes in the list of top war movies among today's veterans.

At a glance, there's othing here from the Revolutionary war or the Civil War. Nothing from WWI. Only 1 movie from WWII. Nothing from the Korean conflict.

As someone who grew up in an era when the dominant concept of war centered on the "good" war, WWII, and then swung to the "bad" war, Vietnam, it's difficult for me to grasp how the younger generations - whose impressions of war are increasingly dominated by morally ambiguous post-Vietnam conflicts fought by volunteer and contractor-heavy armies - see warfare in our culture.

1. American Sniper (2015)
2. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
3. Lone Survivor (2013)
4. Blackhawk Down (2001)
5. Platoon (1986)
6. We Were Soldiers (2002)
7. Hurt Locker (2008)
8. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
9. Heartbreak Ridge (1986)
10. Apocalypse Now

http://warmovies.about.com/od/Veterans-Talk-War-Films/ss/War-Veterans-Favorite-War-Films.htm

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

The sample size of the survey may be a bit too small to call this a definitive list. And I'm always suspicious of the staying power of movies top 10 lists that have only been out a short while. But other than that ...?

 

[Menace Sockeyes]

I was actually going to start a similar thread last weekend as two of my favorites: Victory with Stallone, Michael Caine, and Max Von Sydow was on, followed by The Big Red One with Mark Hamill, Lee Marvin, and Robert Carradine. Both were on GRIT. I classify Victory as a sports movie though. Here are mine...

1) Full Metal Jacket
2) The Big Red One
3) Downfall
4) Platoon
5) Blackhawk Down

For my grandfather, who was a farmboy from Iowa who toured Europe and the Pacific, no doubt Saving Private Ryan was it. I guess he cried like a baby at it, and the next week started talking about the war in ways he never had before. For my dad, an officer during Vietnam, it was Apocalypse Now. So I'm guessing one's experience in service plays a role.

 

[h-hawk]

Some of my favorite combat films in no particular order -

Platoon
Saving Private Ryan
Battleground
Pork Chop Hill
The Big Red One
The Longest Day
A Bridge Too Far

 

[dbq hawk 32]

Some that haven't been listed yet...

All Quiet on the Western Front
Drums Along the Mohawk
Gettysburg
Patton
The Dirty Dozen
Midway

 

[Hicksy87]

Midway
Bridge Across the River Kwai

 

[BubsFinn]

Everyone always forgets The Best Years of Our Lives. While the movie doesn’t show combat, it does show what returning soldiers were dealing with once they got home. Family, work, PTSD (they called it Shell Shock back then). It was well ahead of its time.

 

[The Tradition]

Revolutionary War Movie: April Morning
Civil War Movie: Gettysburg
WWI Movie: Sergeant York
WWII Movie: Tora! Tora! Tora! (old movies) / Saving Private Ryan (modern movies)
Korea Movie: M*A*S*H
Vietnam Movie: Platoon
First Gulf War: Three Kings (not a lot to choose from for this war for some reason...)
Afghanistan/Iraq Wars: American Sniper

 

[SSG T]

I'm a today's veteran...my top ten (in no particular order other than as they pop into my head) -

Battleground
Guadalcanal Diary
Twelve O'Clock High
Saving Private Ryan
The Great Escape
Hamburger Hill
Paths of Glory
Platoon
The Hurt Locker
Sands of Iwo Jima

I limited it to fiction or fictionalized, Hollywood movies. For example, if I included documentaries, The Battle of San Pietro would move to #1 and probably by a long, long way. There are also a few others just outside of those ten that I could make arguments for being included, Apocalypse Now being an obvious one. In that case, there is just too much of the movie that stalls and I want to fast forward through. The Last of the Mohicans would be in that same, almost in but not quite, area.

 

[longliveCS40]

It's a mini series but Band of Brothers has to be included when discussing best war depictions on screen.

Other great ones:
Platoon
Full Metal Jacket
Saving Private Ryan
Blackhawk Down

I'd also put another series on the list:
Generation Kill

Excellent series worth a watch if you haven't.

 

[SSG T]

It's a mini series but Band of Brothers has to be included when discussing best war depictions on screen.

Other great ones:
Platoon
Full Metal Jacket
Saving Private Ryan
Blackhawk Down

I'd also put another series on the list:
Generation Kill

Excellent series worth a watch if you haven't.

Generation Kill was great.

 

[hawkssox1]

Changing demographics lead to changes in the list of top war movies among today's veterans.

At a glance, there's othing here from the Revolutionary war or the Civil War. Nothing from WWI. Only 1 movie from WWII. Nothing from the Korean conflict.

As someone who grew up in an era when the dominant concept of war centered on the "good" war, WWII, and then swung to the "bad" war, Vietnam, it's difficult for me to grasp how the younger generations - whose impressions of war are increasingly dominated by morally ambiguous post-Vietnam conflicts fought by volunteer and contractor-heavy armies - see warfare in our culture.

1. American Sniper (2015)
2. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
3. Lone Survivor (2013)
4. Blackhawk Down (2001)
5. Platoon (1986)
6. We Were Soldiers (2002)
7. Hurt Locker (2008)
8. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
9. Heartbreak Ridge (1986)
10. Apocalypse Now

http://warmovies.about.com/od/Veterans-Talk-War-Films/ss/War-Veterans-Favorite-War-Films.htm

#9 has to go replace with either The Big Red One or Bridge on the River Kwai.

 

[IamHawkeye]

Everyone always forgets The Best Years of Our Lives. While the movie doesn’t show combat, it does show what returning soldiers were dealing with once they got home. Family, work, PTSD (they called it Shell Shock back then). It was well ahead of its time.

Shell shock in WWI, Battle Fatigue in WWII. Ive never seen it, but What Price Glory in supposed to be a very good war movie. Silent film, though.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned The Deer Hunter.

It is, after all, the best movie ever made - albeit not necessarily the most enjoyable.

And I understand if some might say "that really isn't a war movie." But while it's also other things, and spends less time in battle than some others, it's still a war movie. The actual war scenes have tremendous punch and the delving into the impact of war on psyche is impressive.

 

[FSULongM]

Das Boot

 

[CarolinaHawkeye]

The Great Escape

 

[Nat Algren]

Shenandoah- Jimmy Stewart, Civil War flick

Americanization of Emily- James Garner, Julie Andrews

 

[artradley]

Das Boot

Au Revoire les Enfantes (sp?)

 

[artradley]

Friendly Persuasion

There's a Civil War one for you.

 

[joelbc1]

Not a vet...but old......
I have enjoyed "The Longest Day" the most of them all.........."Paths of Glory" and "All Quiet on the Western Front" from WW!......"The Sands of Iwo Jima" and "12 O'Clock High" from WW2......"Pork Chop Hill" from Korean War, "Full Metal Jacket" from VN, and WW2 more recent movies...."Saving Private Ryan" and "The ThinRed Line."

 

[YellowSnow51]

Stripes
Dirty Dozen
Sgt. york
Heartbreak Ridge
Deer Hunter
U-571
Rambo
X-Men First Class

 

[YellowSnow51]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned The Deer Hunter.

It is, after all, the best movie ever made - albeit not necessarily the most enjoyable.

And I understand if some might say "that really isn't a war movie." But while it's also other things, and spends less time in battle than some others, it's still a war movie. The actual war scenes have tremendous punch and the delving into the impact of war on psyche is impressive.

Good call. It qualifies

 

[LetsGoHawks83]

Saving Private Ryan will probably always be my top WW2 movie, but damn did I like "Fury".

"The King". Awesome movie and the clear winner for best movie of "the hundred years war"

"Anthropoid" - don't think it's been mentioned, but a really good ww2 movie.

"Free State of Jones" - a nice addition to the list of Civil War movies.