This list includes the war movies that plunged us into both action and deep thought. There have been countless war movies throughout the century, but these seem to stand above the rest. This list is geared towards movies with more action than emotional stories (Schindler’s List).
10. Braveheart: We’ll never forget the cry for “freedom” at the end of the movie. Mel Gibson gives one of his best performances as the Scottish freedom fighter who leads the Scots in the uprising against the British in 1298. There are so many memorable lines and battles that you feel like you were in on the action.
9,300: This impressive film directed by Zach Snyder is one of the most memorable war movies of the last five years. He takes you for a ride as 300 Spartans face off against a million Persians at the Battle of Thermopylae. Xerxes tries to make King Leonidas (the main character) submit, but Leonidas will fight to the death before bowing to a foreign king. Stunning cinematography coupled with amazing choreography, shot entirely on green screen.
8. Enemy At The Gates: One of the best sniper movies out there and an outstanding story. The main characters are loosely based on the events. It is about two Russian snipers against the best German sniper. The main Russian sniper is Vassili Zaitsev played by Jude Law. Ed Harris plays his German counterpart, Major Konig. It’s an intense game of cat and mouse where you’re never sure where the devious Nazi commander is hiding. The sniper hunt takes place during the Battle of Stalingrad where the fighting is fierce.
7. Kingdom of Heaven – Set in the medieval era, this film is the story of a young man who ends up in the middle of the Crusade battles in Jerusalem. This takes place just before Richard the Lionheart goes on his last crusade. He has Saladin, which makes for some amazing battles. There is an epic final battle that everyone should see. The special effects and siege engines are spectacular in this movie. One of the most realistic siege battles to date.
6. Gettysburg – The bloodiest battle on American soil, Gettysburg has thousands of re-enactments marching on the exact terrain where the Federal Army and Army of Northern Virginia fought. It shows the three-day battle that was a turning point in the Civil War from the perspectives of both sides, highlighting the fight for Little Round Top and Pickett’s Charge. Other focuses include the relationship of Longstreet and Lee, as they have different strategic views, Armistead fighting on the opposite side of his old friend Hancock, and the Chamberlain brothers.
5. The Last Samurai: The journey of a man training soldiers for the US and its new ally Japan ends in the enemy camp. As he learns the ways of the Samurai, he finds them enduring and is at peace with each other. A conflict arises in which he must choose between his former people and the Japanese Imperial Regime and the Samurai who are being suppressed. This movie has amazing samurai battle choreography and lots of bokken (wooden sword) training and kitana action. It is set at the end of the Tokugawa era towards the beginning of the Meji era. Starring Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe.
4. Full Metal Jacket: A dark comedy/war movie set in the Vietnam War. Featuring many memorable characters like Pvt. Joker, Soldier. cowboy, Mother Animal, Pvt. Pyle, Eightball, and R. Lee Ermey as none other than Gny. Sergeant Hartman. With Ermey having real experience as a Gunnery Sergeant, the boot camp scenes seem very real. Stanley Kubrick directs a dark film about soldiers who are under a lot of mental stress and how they deal with it.
3. Letters from Iwo Jima: Directed by Clint Eastwood, who also led the American side for the first time in “Flags of Our Fathers.” Surprisingly, this movie was more impressive and had a better performance thanks to Ken Watanabe. Watanabe played General Kuribayashi and gives a stellar performance of honor and courage under fire. Obviously this story is the Battle of Iwo Jima told through the eyes of the Japanese. It is always peculiar to think about what our enemies were trying to do simultaneously with our military actions.
2. Patton: There was never a more bold, brash and enthusiastic general than George S. Patton. This is the movie that shows Patton with his glorious victories and some setbacks. It gives us a little idea of what the great general was like and how he thought. The film begins with Patton’s career in North Africa and progresses through the invasion of Germany and the fall of the Third Reich. The movie can be a bit long (3 1/2 hours I think) but it’s worth watching if you have the time. Oddly enough, George C. Scott plays Patton, the name resemblance strikes me as a strange and amusing coincidence.
1. Saving Private Ryan: Set during the D-Day invasion of Normandy. This Spielberg-directed story tells a compelling story of a squad of Army Rangers who set out to find Private Ryan whose three brothers have been murdered. They must rescue him so he can go home, so his mother can find some comfort. Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) leads this squad and they fight multiple battles, from machine gun nests to Panzer attacks, this movie has all the warfare that could fit in a 2 hour movie. The famous Omaha beach scene is so real you feel like you have to duck for cover.
