Listmania!
War Films!
By an Amazon.com customer
Platoon (Special Edition)Platoon (Special Edition)
Buy new: $10.49 / Used from: $1.95
Super cast, great script, and some killer performances. It wont be easliy forgotten, and if you have not seen it, its about time.
All Quiet on the Western Front (Universal Cinema Classics)All Quiet on the Western Front (Universal Cinema Classics)
Buy new: $11.49 / Used from: $6.46
WWI from the German side, but in reality, its every soldiers story. For its time, some great battle scenes and a deep pacifistic iew on war.
Come and SeeCome and See
Buy new: $25.49 / Used from: $17.89
Its slow in the middle, but this story of a boy in the USSR during WWII should not be missed. Very disturbing end that leaves you cold as ice!
Tora! Tora! Tora!Tora! Tora! Tora!
Buy new: $13.49 / Used from: $3.74
The attack on Pearl. Told from both the American and Japanese points, it is very historically accurate and involves much dialogue between the players which culminates into the fantastic attack at the end.
Mister RobertsMister Roberts
Buy used from: $9.99
About a crew aboard a naval vessel which is far removed from the action and whose crew feels the effects. A good comedy with touch of tragedy mixed in.
Empire of the Sun (Snap Case)Empire of the Sun (Snap Case)
Buy new: $11.99 / Used from: $4.65
WWII in China and what happened to Western civilians caught in the war. Drags a bit, but some really great scenes more than make up for it.
The Bridge on the River KwaiThe Bridge on the River Kwai
Buy new: $17.49 / Used from: $7.79
Brittish POWs are sent to work on the Burma Railway, but their commander wants it done his way. A battle of wills which consumes one of the two.
Paths of GloryPaths of Glory
Buy new: $11.49 / Used from: $1.06
Three French soldiers are picked at random to be executed for a failed advance. Highlights the brutality of the military system and the arbitrary nature of war. Douglas is outstanding.
Full Metal JacketFull Metal Jacket
Buy new: $8.49 / Used from: $2.45
Follows young man from Paris Island to Vietnam. Some deep ideas in this, but it will always be infamous for Paris Island sequence.
Das Boot - The Director's CutDas Boot - The Director's Cut
Buy new: $11.99 / Used from: $2.67
Follows a U-Boat crew from start to finish. Beautifully filmed and very authentic, it misses few details of underwater warfare. A pacifistic film, it glorifies the men of the crew rather than the war itself.
Run Silent, Run DeepRun Silent, Run Deep
Buy new: $14.98 / Used from: $3.93
Another submarine film, this has some classic actors and does a pretty good job in recreating the submarine atmosphere. Great "Moby Dick" like plot, it has a bit of a twist at the end.
Master and Commander - The Far Side of the World (Widescreen Edition)Master and Commander - The Far Side of the World (Widescreen Edition)
Buy new: $11.99 / Used from: $0.01
This is more than just a war film, it is one of the most stunning films ever created--fantastic camera work, editing, acting, storyline--you name it. Not a rock-and-sock'em, you'll need patience to watch it.
ZuluZulu
Buy new: $12.49 / Used from: $5.11
About a massive Zulu attack on an isolated Brit outpost, it's filled with action and well re-enacted battle scenes. Plus, Cane is super-bad!
The Longest Day (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)The Longest Day (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Buy new: $16.49 / Used from: $9.98
Historical film about D-Day is loaded with super star actors. A great movie which still holds up well today.
Saving Private Ryan (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)Saving Private Ryan (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)
Buy new: $16.49 / Used from: $3.50
D-Day from another angle, that of the individual soldier. Better action and what have to be the best special effects in a war film ever.
Apocalypse NowApocalypse Now
Buy used from: $9.87
"Heart of Darkness" brought into modern times, this is a complex story of assassin sent to kill one of his own. Bizarre sets coupled with great score produce a chilling fealing throughout the film.
The Deer HunterThe Deer Hunter
Buy new: $13.49 / Used from: $4.62
Three men before, during, and after the war, and how it has changed them. Infamous scene in the river-hut. Depressing movie.
Stalag 17Stalag 17
Buy used from: $5.60
Cant be missed, a POW camp full of US airmen discovers there is a rat in their midst, but who is it? Superb dialogue and characters--"No one has ever escaped from Stalag 17--not alive, anyway."
The Guns of Navarone (Special Edition)The Guns of Navarone (Special Edition)
Buy new: $18.49 / Used from: $7.80
Fantastic cast, a team of commandos must infiltrate and blow up two massive guns before Brit destroyers can rescue stranded soldiers on an island. Peck gives a great speech in the middle about duty.
PattonPatton
Buy used from: $11.20
An all time great with killer performance by Scott. A story about a complex man who thrived for the battle field. Opening speech is terrific.
VictoryVictory
Buy used from: $1.87
Little known and by no means a great movie, it has its moments. Worth it for Caine and Stallone, plus, Pele is in it for soccer fans.
Les CarabiniersLes Carabiniers
Buy new: $17.99 / Used from: $8.85
Utterly bizarre movie of two men promised wealth and glory in war. Goddard based all the letters written back home from those of actual French soldiers throughout the years! Shows the vile side of war and soldiering as they rape, pillage, and murder at will.
The Best Years of Our LivesThe Best Years of Our Lives
Buy used from: $11.19
Three men return from service in WWII to find things are very different and that lifes difficulties are just as hard at home as on the battlefield. Very touching movie--Harold Russell (Homer) actually lost his hands in the war!
Born on the Fourth of July (Special Edition)Born on the Fourth of July (Special Edition)
Buy used from: $3.30
Vietnam vet who is crippled in combat returns home to find nothing fits anymore and is quietly pushed into the shadows. Hard film to watch as Ronnie struggles with his physical and ideological loss.
Little Big ManLittle Big Man
Buy new: $11.99 / Used from: $7.75
Closest thing to a war movie about the west. Through the eyes of a white man raised by Cheyenne, Little Big Man whitnesses the conflict between the US and native tribes. Hard film to stomach.
GloryGlory
Buy new: $12.49 / Used from: $3.93
About regiment of black soldiers mustered to fight in the Civil War, it details the struggle of several individuals who must overcome their faults in order to become good soldiers and prove their worth.
Gettysburg (Widescreen Edition)Gettysburg (Widescreen Edition)
Buy new: $8.49 / Used from: $1.95
Too long. It could have used some serious editing. Go right to the battle scenes, which are awesome.
The Great EscapeThe Great Escape
Buy new: $12.49 / Used from: $0.99
Largest POW escape in WWII as Americans, Brits, and Aussies tunnel out of camp. Great cast along with some fantastic scenes.
Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Special Edition)Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Special Edition)
Buy new: $12.49 / Used from: $3.47
US general goes bats and sends his wing to nuke USSR, only to discover rules of nuclear warfare have drastically changed and gives MAD a new twist. A black comedy dominated by Sellers.
M*A*S*H (Widescreen Edition)M*A*S*H (Widescreen Edition)
Buy new: $13.49 / Used from: $4.87
Not all that funny, it shows how war corrupts not just those in its direct path, but those behind front lines as well as this MASH unit explores all sorts of depraved sins (outside of killing). First movie to credit blacklisted writter!