POLL: movie which most accurately depicts war

[pres2032]

[4_Legs_Good]

1. Never been in a war

but I'd lean toward Full Metal Jacket.

Platoon and the short amount of war footage in Born on the 4th of July, though, are probably pretty accurate too.

Edit: This is distinct of course from the best war movie ever, which is OBVIOUSLY The Thin Red Line.

david

[liberal N proud]

2. Can't make that call my self

I have never been in war, only know what my father told me. And he described it as Hell.

[demosincebirth]

3. Platoon is the closest, but far from the real thing.

If you wern't in it, you can't even imagine

on edit: the war in Iraq cannot compare to the Korean conflict. There were 53,ooo U.S.and 400,000 S.Korean and U.N.forces killed and another 1 million Chinese and N. Koreans soldiers killed, in 2 1/2 years of conflict. Quite a toll for a just a "Police Action."

[underpants]

4. Never been but I've heard "Siege at Firebase Gloria" is close

At least I've heard that somewhere.

[edbermac]

5. Don't forget Paths Of Glory...

[Robeson]

28. I think that movie was a good history piece of the mindsets...

...of the general staffs of the time. Historically, it was a time of transition in warfare. They were totally disassociated with the real world, and were really living in a differnet universe. Because it was WWI, it showed how the weaponry was of a modern type, which resulted in mass killing, while the general staffs were still existing in a Napoleonic era. They were the ones who had not adapted to modern warfare. As a result, they had no comprehension of the hell they created. They were totally out of touch. Of course, no one could show this, better than Kubric.

[GOPBasher]

6. I'm not a veteran, so I can't make that judgement, but Saving Private

Ryan is, I've heard from good sources, quite an accurate portrayal.

[Lone Pawn]

7. But where's Top Gun? The Green Berets? Bridge over the River Kwai?

:p

[pres2032]

11. *slaps forehead!*

d'oh! :P

[Seabiscuit]

21. Top Gun???

That wasn't a real war movie.

Just some jackass producer's idea of trying to turn Tom Cruise into a movie idol. Sadly, it worked.

[Seabiscuit]

23. Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, and The Pianist

[Magrittes Pipe]

8. Starship Troopers

[pres2032]

9. in goryness, i suppose

[underpants]

10. Only wars against giant insect armies on other planets

Oh it's accurate on those types of wars sure.

[CanuckAmok]

24. It's actually a pretty interesting movie...

look beyond the gore and the special effects, and it's really about blind patriotism and jingoism, and imperialism fueled by manufactured xenophobia.

Plus...Denise Richards in a thong.

[peekaloo]

12. Dr. Strangelove

for the Pootie Poot/King Twit years, I fear.

[Rabrrrrrr]

13. I gotta go with Top Gun as well. War is pretty, clean,

and it's always black and white and, while you can expect that one guy in your group will die, and it will be a sad death, his death will be properly and appropriately avenged and made right when we kick the enemy's ass without losing any more of our fellers, because AMERICA FUCKIN' ROCKS!!!!!

[Redstone]

14. One that you didn't think of, and it's damn real...

"Hamburger Hill."

I can not ever watch it again, but if you haven't seen it, you should.

Redstone

[CaliforniaPeggy]

15. I voted "other" and here's why:

I truly felt that although all the movies listed were very good ones at depicting war, with "Saving Private Ryan" at the top, there's one more that's much better, IMHO. That movie at the top is "The Pianist." It seemed to me that somehow the reality of the war depicted there was so realistic as to be fully enveloping the audience. I always get involved in whatever movie I'm watching, but this one gripped me in new ways. I no longer saw it as a movie; I was THERE. It was terrifying. And that's why it's number one for me. Anyone else feel this way?

[xmas74]

16. My grandfather, who was a Ranger,

swore that Private Ryan was about as real as a movie could get.
He cried during it (and he was not the type to do that).

[Lone_Wolf_Moderate]

17. As far as WWII goes, Saving Private Ryan. As far urban warfare,

Black Hawk Down, the best war movie ever made.

[realisticphish]

18. the boys of company c

LOVE that movie, and i only find it on AMC once in a while

[CanuckAmok]

20. That was a good one...and it got lost in a flood of 'Nam movies.

Seriously a good film.

[realisticphish]

25. the end always gets me

where the writer throws himself on the grenade. then they march away singing... i don't know why, but it just gets to me

[UdoKier]

19. "Black Rain", "Schindler's List", "Killing Fields", "Heaven and Earth", "

I think films dealing with the real victims of war, civilians tend to be the most compelling. THe ones that show a lot of battle scenes are easily taken in as and advertisement for the excitement of war, even though they may have been intended as pacifist.

Out of those, I guess it's "Hotel Rwanda".

No film about war should ever leave the viewer feeling satisfied or triumphant. War is a failure. Always a tragedy, no matter who wins.

[CanuckAmok]

22. "Go Tell the Spartans"

A nearly forgotten Burt Lancaster film about US "Advisors" in Viet Nam... a tragic, brutal film... not to be missed, if you can find a copy on video.

[electricmonk]

26. One of my favorite movies

Used to have it on tape but loaned it to a friend years ago and haven't seen it since.

As for thew original post the opening scene in Enemy at the Gates is every bit or maybe even more intense as the more famous opening scene in Saving Private Ryan.

I wish more movies would be made about the eastern front but I guess you can't have American soldiers coming in to save the day with that subject so Hollywood passes.

[CanuckAmok]

27. Saving Private Ryan kind of bothers me...

It starts out so brutally strong, but it soon ends up being just another formulaic Hollywood God-and-Country recruiting ad.

Flame away!

[electricmonk]

29. No flame from me

I liked the movie but it didn't hold up to repeated viewings for me. Seems to be equal parts Kelly's Heroes and A Bridge Too Far and a few other older WW2 movies thrown together.

[suigeneris]

30. Patton tells his story pretty well and is full of great lines and...

...situations. I have large parts of it memorized -- it happened quite by accident -- and can trot them out when appropriate.

It has to be a pretty good flick as I am damned close to a pacifist and hate war.

[Nile]

31. Hamberger Hill n/t