Listmania!
War Stories # 1
By an Amazon.com customer
AnzioAnzio
Buy new: $9.95 / Used from: $3.06
** - Okay film of Anzio invasion with droopy-eyed Robert Mitchum as disillusioned journalist.
Attack: The Battle for New BritainAttack: The Battle for New Britain
Buy new: $4.98 / Used from: $0.65
**** - 1944 Frank Capra produced documentary of Allied invasion of Japanese held island. On par with Capra's brilliant Why We Fight series.
Band of BrothersBand of Brothers
Buy new: $44.49 / Used from: $29.48
***** - Superb, true story of Easy Company from boot camp to VE Day. Contains some of the best battle scenes ever filmed.
The Best Years of Our LivesThe Best Years of Our Lives
Buy used from: $6.99
***** - Best 'Coming Home' movie ever, and one of best ever, period. Essential - even for those who shun war movies.
Blood on the Sun/James Cagney on FilmBlood on the Sun/James Cagney on Film
Buy used from: $0.01
*** - Handsomely stylish Jimmy Cagney vehicle of journalist in pre-war Japan who unearths some incriminating state papers.
The Caine Mutiny Court MartialThe Caine Mutiny Court Martial
Buy used from: $49.99
**** - Robert Altman directed tv movie focuses solely on the court-martial. Hard to find. Riveting, with great performance by Eric Bogosian as troubled prosecutor.
The Enemy BelowThe Enemy Below
Buy new: $10.49 / Used from: $6.49
***** - Superb naval action flick with Robert Mitchum and Curd Jurgens as fox and hound commanders.
The Four FeathersThe Four Feathers
Buy new: $9.98 / Used from: $1.89
** - 2002 remake of 1939 classic doesn't click.
The Gathering StormThe Gathering Storm
Buy used from: $4.75
***** - Albert Finney stars in excellent HBO bio-pic of Winston Churchill on the eve of World War II.
Gung HoGung Ho
Buy new: $7.98 / Used from: $2.52
** - Ho-hum depiction of Marine battalion from training to combat. Don't let the cover fool you - Robert Mitchum has a small, small role.
Gunga DinGunga Din
Buy new: $5.79 / Used from: $11.98
***** - British fight Thuggees in colonial India. Greatest action movie ever has it all - humor, action, humanity.
Hangmen Also DieHangmen Also Die
Buy new: $26.99 / Used from: $12.90
**** - Fritz Lang's visually stylish story of Czech resistance during WWII is not among his best, but fun in spots and very watchable.
Hell in the PacificHell in the Pacific
Buy new: $13.49 / Used from: $2.99
*** - Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune are enemies stranded on a deserted island. Spotty actioner that boasts the worst ending in film history.
The High CommandThe High Command
Buy used from: $0.65
*** - Surprisingly entertaining tale of honor and responsibility. Featuring a very young James Mason, but stolen by stodgy Lionel Atwill.
Hitler, Dead or AliveHitler, Dead or Alive
Buy new: $7.98 / Used from: $2.50
*** - Implausible and silly plot doesn't get in the way of veteran cast. Good enough to have sold its share of war bonds.
The HuntersThe Hunters
Buy new: $10.49 / Used from: $5.25
*** - Flyboys Robert Mitchum and Robert Wagner anchored to annoying romantic subplot.
A Man EscapedA Man Escaped
Buy used from: $51.98
***** - Imprisoned French resistance fighter plots escape from prison in Nazi occupied Paris. Brilliant use of amateur actors by director Robert Bresson.
Run Silent, Run DeepRun Silent, Run Deep
Buy new: $12.99 / Used from: $2.88
**** - Well-paced if predictable. Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster are great in probably best sub movie ever.
Sands of Iwo JimaSands of Iwo Jima
Buy new: $13.49 / Used from: $3.73
*** - The movie that made John Wayne an American icon.
Submarine AlertSubmarine Alert
Buy new: $7.98 / Used from: $2.25
**** - Cheap, cheesy, and entertaining 1943 war-bond rally movie.
Tae Guk Gi - The Brotherhood of WarTae Guk Gi - The Brotherhood of War
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $3.34
**** - Technically on par with Saving Private Ryan, a fascinating story of two brothers during the Korean War.
They Were ExpendableThey Were Expendable
Buy used from: $2.74
***** - John Ford's heartfelt homage to WWII PT boaters is a little overlooked and underrated. Robert Montgomery & John Wayne restrained performances carry the story.
The TrainThe Train
Buy new: $14.98 / Used from: $7.06
***** - Burt Lancaster plays the French resistance fighter who has to stop The Train in this excellent John Frankenheimer film.
WaterfrontWaterfront
Buy new: $7.98 / Used from: $4.02
**** - Veteran hams J Carroll Naish and John Carradine make entertaining ordinary story of Nazi spy working the waterfront.
Wind & The Lion [VHS]Wind & The Lion [VHS]
Buy used from: $1.11
**** - Sean Connery as Berber chieftain and Brian Keith as Teddy Roosevelt make this epic adventure set in Morroco a must-see.