Okay I tried this a while back and didn't get much of a response.  I'll try again since we have a movie forum...

I've seen a couple of movie sites with lists of "favored war movies."  Without fail they are ripe with liberal nonsense and things I don't even consider war movies.  So we, as expert couch commandos, and rightly experts on this genre of film should make our own list.

I would like to run this thread for two weeks (mod it would be great if it was tacked) and will put the results in a spreadsheet to see what we get.  You have to follow the directions though or I can't use your vote.

List your ten favorite war movies least to most favorite asigning them pints 1-10 respectively.  Only include movies where war is the actual primary subject, not simply the backdrop such as Shindler's list (great movie but not really about the war), try not to forget the classics either.

If you want to list less than ten feel free, but remember that ten is the highest number of points you can award so the number you list should be counted backwards from that.



my vote as an example

1- The Devil's Brigade
2- The Wild Geese
3- The Dogs of War
4- Green Berets
5- They Were Expendable
6- Memphis Belle
7- Hamburger Hill
8-We Were Soldiers
9- Raid on Entebbe
10- Blackhawk Down

10.  Band of Brothers
9.  Saving Private Ryan
8.  Black Hawk Down
7.  We Were Soldiers
6.  Enemy at the Gates  (although almost completely fabricated - read "Notes of a Sniper", the autobiography of Zaitsev.  Stilll, a good modern look into Stalingrad)
5.  Platoon
4.  Full Metal Jacket
3.  Gods and Generals
2.  The Great Escape

1-The Longest Day
2-Gettysgurg
3-SPR
4-Blackhawk Down
5-A Bridge too far
6-Big Red One
7-To Hell and Back
8-Wild Geese
9-We Were Soldiers
10-Sahara (Both)

looks like no one wants to take the time.  I need at least 15 or so responses just to begin.

1.  The Wind and the Lion
2.  Sahara
3.  The Patriot
4.  To Hell and Back
5.  The Wild Geese
6.  The Big Red One
7.  We Were Soldiers
8.  The Longest Day
9.  Blackhawk Down
10. Saving Private Ryan

01.Green Berets
02.Dirty Dozen
03.Bataan
04.Troy      
05.Sands of Iwo Jima
06.Gods and Generals    
07 Patton
08.Saving Private Ryan
09. Black Hawk Down
10. We were Soldiers

  If you count HBO series.... Then Band of Brothers at 10.

OK, I'll bite:

10.  Band of Brothers
9.    Saving Private Ryan
8.    All Quiet on the Western Front
7.    A Bridge Too Far
6.    Battle of Britain
5.    We Were Soldiers
4.    The Longest Day
3.    Sergeant York
2.    Patton
1.    Cross of Iron

I was gonna leave out Band of Brothers as it's not really a movie, but so many people have allready listed it I'll put it in as well.

Keep em coming guys tell your friends

Patton
Longest Day
Blackhawk Down
Big Red One
Hamburger Hill
Sgt York
To Hell and Back
All Quiet on the Western Front
Das Boot
Cross of Iron
No particular order.  All classics.

1. Hamburger Hill
2. Platoon
3. 123(?) Charlie MoPic
4. When Trumpets Fade
5. Saving Private Ryan
6. Red Dawn
7. The Patriot
8. BHD
9. BoB
10. We Were Soldiers

I didnt forget the classics but since more realistic soundtrack for guns and bullets has come along they just dont do it for me anymore. Besides, there just wasnt room for all the ones I like, this list should be twentyfive movies long at least. I have to leave out at least five movies I consider the equal of several on my list.

Honorable mention:

Apocalypse Now
Braveheart
Bravo Two Zero
The Beast
The Alamo
The Bridge at Remaggen
The Big Red One
The Bunker
Glory
Gods and Generals
The Longest Day
Full Metal Jacket
Gettysburg
Firebase Gloria
Kelly's Heroes
Von Ryan's Express
Bridge Over The River Kwai
The Rat
The Dirty Dozen
The Guns of Navarone
The Eagle Has Landed
Tae Guk Gi
Das Boot
The Great Escape

Sylvan I'll just give everything on the list five points if you can't arrange them in order.

Keep up the good work folks the more votes we have the more complete the list will be.

Tough, tough decisions:


10. Band of Brothers
9. Patton
8. The Great Escape
7. Das Boot
6. Gettysburg
5. Master and Commander
4. The Longest Day
3. Hunt for Red October
2. Midway
1. The Blue Max


Honorable Mention:
Horatio Hornblower Series (8 movies)
Glory
All Quiet on the Western Front
Tuskegee Airmen
Dirty Dozen
The Caine Mutiny
Big Red 1

Quoted: 10.  Band of Brothers This is a mini series and is not a "Movie" so would this count? I have to ask because I would list it as well on my list. But it's technicly not a movie. 9.  Saving Private Ryan 8.  Black Hawk Down 7.  We Were Soldiers

Oh looks like it does count. Not really lest favorite to most favorite, cuz least implys tht you don't like it. I like all the ones on my list some more then others.

01-The Devil's Brigade
02-The Bridge on the River Kwai
03-Sands of Iwo Jima
04-Apocolypse Now
05-Hamburger Hill
06-Glory
07- Gettysgurg
08- We Were Soldiers
09- Black Hawk Down/Saving Private Ryan- Sorry they tie and number 9
10- Band of Brothers

Quoted: I was gonna leave out Band of Brothers as it's not really a movie, but so many people have allready listed it I'll put it in as well.

10. Band of Brothers
 9. Saving Pvt. Ryan
 8. Blackhawk Down
 7. We Were Soldiers
 6. Enemy at the Gates
 5. Patton
 4. The Boys in Company C
 3. The Sands of Iwo Jima
 2. The Longest Day
 1. Battleground

Honorable mention also goes to:
The Caine Mutiny
The Big Red One
The Dirty Dozen
The Green Berets
The Wild Geese
Full Metal Jacket
Halls of Montezuma

I guess you could rate all of my honorable mentions as a 1.

Difficult...

10. We Were Soldiers
09. Patton
08. The Patriot
07. Where Eagles Dare
06. Sands of Iwo Jima
05. Seargent York
04. To Hell and Back
03. The Fighting Kentuckian
02. Saving Private Ryan
01. Enemy at the Gates

I updated my entry, for what it's worth

I will work on my list tonight.....

Okay this is a marker for me, I've entered everything up to here

There are 11 votes thus far.  While there are some suprises...the more modern movies have sollid leads.

There are a total of 44 movies listed

Quoted: ... While there are some suprises...the more modern movies have sollid leads...

That's only because school hasn't started back yet...

(J/K )

Quoted: Okay this is a marker for me, I've entered everything up to here There are 11 votes thus far.  While there are some suprises...the more modern movies have sollid leads. There are a total of 44 movies listed

I put a proper list together now.

1. Lawrence of Arabia
2.  Das Boot
3.  Dark Blue World
4. Apocalypse Now
5.  The Beast
6.  Patton
7.  Saving Private Ryan
8. BHD
9.  The Longest Day
10.. The Patriot

We Were Soldiers
Blackhawk Down
Band of Brothers
Saving Private Ryan
The Patriot
A Bridge Too Far
Hiroshima
Sergeant York
The John Wayne Classics

Quoted: We Were Soldiers Blackhawk Down Band of Brothers Saving Private Ryan The Patriot A Bridge Too Far Hiroshima Sergeant York The John Wayne Classics

Steyr, is that list most to least? and which two JW classics?

Tough to actually rank them ...
10. Lawrence of Arabia
9. Saving Private Ryan
8. Band of Brothers
7.Patton
6. The Dirty Dozen
5. Enemy at the Gates
4.Blackhawk Down
3. The Great Escape
2. Zulu
1. Guns of Navarrone

Picking only 10 is a frustrating exercise... so many great ones.

Quoted: Quoted: We Were Soldiers Blackhawk Down Band of Brothers Saving Private Ryan The Patriot A Bridge Too Far Hiroshima Sergeant York The John Wayne Classics Steyr, is that list most to least? and which two JW classics?

It was a "off the top of my head" list. And for JW I'd say my favorites were Longest Day and Flying Tigers.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: We Were Soldiers Blackhawk Down Band of Brothers Saving Private Ryan The Patriot A Bridge Too Far Hiroshima Sergeant York The John Wayne Classics Steyr, is that list most to least? and which two JW classics? Okay, if you want I'll give them all a five.   Keep voting guys, there are a lot of three-four way ties to be broken. It was a "off the top of my head" list. And for JW I'd say my favorites were Longest Day and Flying Tigers.

Ok heres mine...

10. Black Hawk Down
9. Band of Brothers
8. Cross of Iron
7. We Were Soldiers
6. Das Boot
5. Gallipoli
4. Sand of Iwo Jima
3. The Beast
2. Gettysburg
1. Midway

It is tough to limit it to 10.....

Quoted: Ok heres mine... 10. Black Hawk Down 9. Band of Brothers 8. Cross of Iron 7. We Were Soldiers 6. Das Boot 5. Gallipoli 4. Sand of Iwo Jima 3. The Beast 2. Gettysburg 1. Midway It is tough to limit it to 10.....

I know but I had to stop it somewhere.  Thank's for the effort.  

Keep it up guys I'll post a preliminary list after this weekend.  We still need WAY more votes

OK.. Here are some more questions about eligibility:

Does Sci-Fi count? How about 'modern era' sci fi such as The Final Countdown where USS Nimitz goes back in time.

How about movies which are about the military, but not set in war. Such as K-19, Pentagon Wars or Grey Lady Down. (There was a much, much better movie of the Grey Lady Down genre involving a British submarine, made in the 1960s I think, but I cannot for the life of my track down its name)

NTM

Never mind, really.. I've discovered that I've got so many war movies I like, it's irrelevant really...

Honourable Mentions:
Tora! Tora! Tora!
Cross of Iron. (Good movie, a little too political/Anti-war)
Tae Guk Gi: Whilst an excellent war movie, doesn't really do anything uniquely well. A couple of suspensions of disbelief, and has the same visual impact as Saving Private Ryan without the Hollywood clichés.
The Beast: It's about a tank. Good enough for me!
Kelly's Heroes: Cult classic. Not very good, but eminently quotable.
The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming!: Always good to poke fun at yourselves.
The Day After: Very morbid, dark movie, but very good.
The Battle of Britain: Good flight sequences, tells a generally historically accurate story, no political leanings. A bit clichéd though.
Band of Brothers: Self-evident, but not a movie.
Can't remember if I liked The Siege of Firebase Gloria or not.

And the points go to the following. (Lowest points first)

1) 1941: Completely irreverent look at the Home Front. Great entertainment.
2) An Ungentlemanly Act: Extremely hard-to-find made-for-TV movie about the invasion of the Falkland Islands by the Argentinians. Lowish budget, but tells a little-known tale very well.
3) K-19 The Widowmaker: Reminds us that the enemy were humans too. Just boys doing their duty serving their homeland, and faced with terrible situations at times.
4) The Longest Day: Some accuracy sacrificed for the needs of trying to condense such an epic event to the needs of a couple of reels of film. Overall effect is to honour the soldiers.
5) Gettysburg: A movie epic, spends a little too much time on the whole 'background to the soldiers' thing, but otherwise pays excellent homage to those who fought on both sides.
6) Das Boot: Fictional, but relates perfectly the trials that men going to sea in cramped steel coffins would have endured in WWII, with great emphasis on historical accuracy. No political emphasis.
7) Black Hawk Down: The movie that made war movies fashionable again. Plenty of action, and reasonably accurate. No political emphasis (i.e. not anti-war)
8) Zulu: The British at their best. Shows how the stiff upper lip and training managed to form and keep an empire. Fairly accurate. Has celts.
9) We Were Soldiers: No political commentary, great effects, fast-moving, not too many historical discrepancies.
10) A Bridge too Far: Tells a story with no political commentary behind it. Stays as close as practicable to real events. The last of the All-Star war movies.

You should do one of these for books as well.

NTM

Quoted: OK.. Here are some more questions about eligibility: Does Sci-Fi count? How about 'modern era' sci fi such as The Final Countdown where USS Nimitz goes back in time. How about movies which are about the military, but not set in war. Such as K-19, Pentagon Wars or Grey Lady Down. (There was a much, much better movie of the Grey Lady Down genre involving a British submarine, made in the 1960s I think, but I cannot for the life of my track down its name) NTM

I gotta say no on the sci fi and the not "war" based stuff.  Though they might be great movies we're looking for movies that involve real wars and (somewhat) realistic combat action.

1. Blackhawk down.
2. Sniper
3. Full metal Jacket
4. We were soldiers
5. the patriot
6. to hell and back
7. I haven't seen this one yet (could still be there)but there was a movie, not just a series.   Tour of Duty.
8. Hamburger hill
9. Red Dawn
10. Crimson tide.

Anybody ever seen "The Five Sullivans" or "Das Boot"

Quoted: Anybody ever seen "The Five Sullivans" or "Das Boot"

I thought it was "the fighting sullivans," Das Boot (The Boat) is allready on the list

Okay here is the preliminary list with the votes up until now...I need a lot more people to vote.

1 Blackhawk Down 114
2 We Were Soldiers 113
3 Band of Brothers 101
4 Saving Private Ryan 85
5 Patton 50
6 The Longest Day 42
7 The Patriot 38
8 A Bridge to Far 27
9 The Boat/ Das Boot 26
10 To Hell and Back 26
11 Gettysgurg 22
12 Sands of Iwo Jima 21
13 Hamburger Hill 21
14 Enemy at the Gates 18
15 Sergeant York 18
16 Quiet/Western Front 18
17 Big Red One 17
18 The Wild Gease 15
19 Red Dawn 15
20 Cross of Iron 14
21 Sahara 12
22 Lawrence of Arabia 11
23 The Great Escape 11
24 Zulu 10
25 Crimson Tide 10
26 Raid on Entebbe 9
27 Gods and Generals 9
28 The Dirty Dozen 8
29 The Beast 8
30 Platoon 7
31 Full Metal Jacket 7
32 Where Eagles Dare 7
33 Tour of Duty (pilot) 7
34 Glory 6
35 Battle of Britain 6
36 Memphis Belle 6
37 Galipoli 5
38 Hiroshima 5
39 Flying Tigers 5
40 They Were Expendable 5
41 Green Berets 5
42 Master and Commander 5
43 Apocolypse Now 4
44 The Boys in Company C 4
45 When Trumpets Fade 4
46 Apocolyps Now 4
47 Troy 4
48 The Dogs of War 3
49 Hunt for Red October 3
50 Bataan 3
51 Midway 3
52 K-19 The Widowmaker 3
53 Charlie MoPic 3
54 Dark Blue World 3
55 The Fighting Kentukian 3
56 Bridge/ River Kwai 2
57 The Devil's Brigade 2
58 An Ungentlemanly Act 2
59 Sniper 2
60 Y 1941 1
61 Battleground 1
62 The Wind and the Lion 1
63 Blue Max 1
64 The Guns of Navarrone 1

Quoted: 1. Blackhawk down. 2. Sniper 3. Full metal Jacket 4. We were soldiers 5. the patriot 6. to hell and back 7. I haven't seen this one yet (could still be there)but there was a movie, not just a series.   Tour of Duty. 8. Hamburger hill 9. Red Dawn 10. Crimson tide.

Holy shit you rated Blackhawk Down lower then Sniper !!!

I see alot of the same one but nobody has glory or last of the Mohicans. Those two would definitely be onn my list with the addition of the Lost Battalion also.

Quoted: I see alot of the same one but nobody has glory or last of the Mohicans. Those two would definitely be onn my list with the addition of the Lost Battalion also.

Then VOTE man, VOTE!

Quoted: Okay here is the preliminary list with the votes up until now...I need a lot more people to vote. 43 Apocolypse Now 4 44 The Boys in Company C 4 45 When Trumpets Fade 4 46 Apocolyps Now 4

Are these two different movies?

Quoted: Quoted: Okay here is the preliminary list with the votes up until now...I need a lot more people to vote. 43 Apocolypse Now 4 44 The Boys in Company C 4 45 When Trumpets Fade 4 46 Apocolyps Now 4 Are these two different movies?

Hey, I haven't finished yet.

Saving Private Ryan
Blackhawk Down
We Were Soldiers

Definitive John Wayne:   In Harm's Way

I can't beleive nobody has mentioned the greatest war movie, ever.

"Mega Force"

10. Band of brothers
9. Saving Private Ryan
8. BHD
7. Bridge over the river Kwai
6. Full Metal Jacket
5. Apocolypse now
4. Memphis Belle
3. Hamburger Hill
2. Enemy at the Gates
1. Platoon

Blackhawk Down
We were Soldiers
Band of Brothers
Red Dawn
The Patriot
Saving Private Ryan
The Green Berets
Flying Tigers
Pearl Harbor
Midway

1 We Were Soldiers
2 SPR
3 A Bridge Too Far
4 Blackhawk Down
5 Dirty Dozen
6 Bridge at Remagen
7 The Patriot
8 Force 10 from Navarone
9 Hamburger Hill
10 Red Dawn

1.Saving Private Ryan
2.Black Hawk Down
3. Platoon
4. Battleground
5. Battle of Britain
6. The Beast
7. Cross of Iron
8. All's Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
9. Memphis Belle (1944)
10. The Bridge Too Far

I think people should write a sentence saying why they picked a movie. I'm just amazed people think Apocalypse Now is a good depiction of war. People that movie is unrealistic, hollywood CRAP.

Hmmmm... I'm no expert, but I'll add a few.

10 Band of Brothers
9    Black Hawk Down
8    We Were Soldiers
7    Full Metal Jacket

That's about all I can think of right now.  There are others, like "A Few Good Men," but they don't qualify as war movies.