Top three favorite war movies

[Clyde85]

I clicked other because none of my favorite war movies are up there my top three would have to be

3. Taegukgi, a great movie about two brother conscripted into the ROK army during the beginning of the Korean war and their fight for survival
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taegukgi_(film)

2. Assembly, one of the best movies ever made about war and the toll it takes on soldiers. Ii follows the life of a captain in the PLA fighting in the Chinese civil war in 1948 and then into Korea and how it effects him later in life. One of my all time favorites
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assembly_(film)

1. Gettysburg, One of the greatest war movies ever made. The level of attention to detail is great and the movies characters are so relatable and the scope of the movie is so grand that it is very hard not to become engrossed in it all while watching. I have watched this movie a dozen times and I still get chills at certain points (like when the Union line volley fires in the the Rebs during Pickets charge).

Honorable mention:

The Warlords, another awesome Chinese war flick set in the 1860’s during the Taiping rebellion. The costumes, the battles, the relationship between the three main characters and the interesting turn it takes when their personalities change make it a really good movie. This movie would make my top 5 list every time.  
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Warlords

[Imperious Leader]

I have Waterloo, did not know there was an extended version.

It was the original movie version released back in 1971. The DVD is a truncated version for whatever reason.

[Witt]

IL: about Waterloo. Mine is on video, but is only 2hrs long. Seems longer.  Except for the battle at the end, found it hard going, so only watched it once. Pity, as I had high hopes.

[Guest]

Gettysburg is a good one. Das Boot is a classic. Tough to choose. I would love to see a movie based on The Forgotten Soldier. With the computer graphics today that would be awesome.

[Most Holy]

Interesting not about Waterloo. The director stated that while filming he was in control of the worlds seventh largest army when you combined all the various armies.

[Imperious Leader]

Mine is on video, but is only 2hrs long. Seems longer.

The cut scene ends when you see Blucher and his men retreating vowing to come back. Its about midway thru the movie.

The movie is fantastic and very accurate.

[Mallery29]

FMJ is decent, but it is by far not one of Kubrick’s best……would Dr. Strangelove be considered a war movie (GENTLEMEN! THERE IS NO FIGHTING IN THE WAR ROOM!)?  Not saying it’s his best, that is hands down Clockwork Orange.

[ghr2]

Bah, Inglourious Basterds should of been on this list.

[Mallery29]

I didn’t want 50 options….

[Most Holy]

Gul Dukat would have had 50 options…

[frimmel]

“Das Boot” would be three but my top two aren’t on the list. “The Longest Day” and “Patton” being those.

The least worthy inclusions IMO are “The Thin Red Line” and “The Big Red One” and “The Great Escape.”

[LHoffman]

@Imperious:

Choices are horrible.

This must be the bottom 10 list

No Longest Day, Midway, Battle of the Bulge, Tora Tora Tora, Waterloo, etc.

AMEN!  These are definitely my favorites.

[Mallery29]

@Most:

Gul Dukat would have had 50 options…

Gul Dukat only had one option…kill the other 49 options.

[Der Kuenstler]

Saving Private Ryan
Band of Brothers Series
Enemy at the Gates

[Imperious Leader]

War movies are where the story centers around the events of the battle,

Most of the choices seen in this thread are other stories USING the backdrop of the war.

Tora, Tora, Tora is the former.
Kelly’s Hero’s is the latter and is not a war movie.

Longest Day is the former
Saving Private Ryan is the latter and is just a story that takes place during WW2

[Imperious Leader]

Oh yea Zulu is definatly a war movie. Everyone should get a copy. Micheal Caine is terrific!

[Most Holy]

@Imperious:

War movies are where the story centers around the events of the battle,

Most of the choices seen in this thread are other stories USING the backdrop of the war.

Tora, Tora, Tora is the former.
Kelly’s Hero’s is the latter and is not a war movie.

Longest Day is the former
Saving Private Ryan is the latter and is just a story that takes place during WW2

That is ridiculous. Next thing this guys going to say that A New Hope isn’t a war movie.

[Mallery29]

@Imperious:

War movies are where the story centers around the events of the battle,
Most of the choices seen in this thread are other stories USING the backdrop of the war.
Tora, Tora, Tora is the former.
Kelly’s Hero’s is the latter and is not a war movie.
Longest Day is the former
Saving Private Ryan is the latter and is just a story that takes place during WW2

So by your description, this means The Final Countdown counts as a war movie because it’s about Pearl Harbor?  War movies are not centered around battles…anybody that has been in combat knows there is more to tell than just the action of the fight…Read Thunder Below and you get a sense of the “story” that makes war movies…the engagements are just part of the action.  The relationship between the men (and now women) with a “backdrop” of war is the story, and are some of the best to tell.  The Hurt Locker isn’t a war movie either by your description… I know several coworkers that would love to smite your previous statement.

[Mallery29]

That is ridiculous. Next thing this guys going to say that A New Hope isn’t a war movie.

Any movie that directly links itself to Jar Jar Binks losses all credibility….It’s a Fantasy genre movie.

[Imperious Leader]

The Final Countdown counts as a war movie because it’s about Pearl Harbor?

No because at Pearl Harbor the Americans didn’t have a modern nuclear carrier on dec 7th 41. The story is about that bogus experiment known as the Philadelphia Experiment rather than an exact account of the Japanese attack.

Hurt Locker isn’t a war movie

Right it isn’t.

Midway was a war movie
Battle of the Bulge was a war movie
Band of Brothers or The Pacific are war movies

Again the STORY must focus on the events of the war that drive the plot, not fictional people problems while dealing with war events.