Naval History Forums

Here`s my list...

1-Saving Pvt. Ryan
2-A Bridge Too Far
3-Pearl Harbor
4-Patton
5-Midway
6-Enemie`s at the Gate
7-Battle of Britain
8-Schindler`s List
9-Stalingrad
10- The Counterfit Traitor

1. Das Boot
2. Saving Private Ryan
3. Stalingrad
4. Battle of Britan
5. The Great Escape
6. The Longest Day
7. Tora, Tora, Tora (the "film" Pearl Harbor was nothing more than Titanic with Bombs)
8. A Bridge Too Far
9. Patton
10. Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (dated and a bit Hollywood but good visuals, especially Doolittle's take off!)

I'm sure there are others that deserve to be in the Top Ten. Let's see what others say!

I don't disagree with most of the above, although comparing "Pearl Harbor" to "Titanic" is a grave insult to the latter, whose special effects were simply outstanding.

I would add to the list:

Cross of Iron
Run Silent, Run Deep
The Beast
Band of Brothers (not a movie so doesn't count?)
The Bridges at Toko Ri
Pork Chop Hill
Platoon (and one or two others on similar lines)
The one with Mel Gibson about the 101st in Vietnam

And the list may need to be longer than just ten. I know I've left some out.

I have a really hard time with best or even 10 best list. In this case I haven't seen a bunch of the ones that are among the best.
I did really like The Light Horsement and Letters from Iwo Jima. I've also seen a couple of pretty good ACW movies the one based on Killer Angels was quite good as was the one based on Garrison's raid (although I saw that years ago and it might not hold up). Another oldie with considerable merit is The Warlord. Watched a fairly new version of The Alamo the other night that was pretty well done too.

lwd wrote:I have a really hard time with best or even 10 best list. In this case I haven't seen a bunch of the ones that are among the best.
I did really like The Light Horsement and Letters from Iwo Jima. I've also seen a couple of pretty good ACW movies the one based on Killer Angels was quite good as was the one based on Garrison's raid (although I saw that years ago and it might not hold up). Another oldie with considerable merit is The Warlord. Watched a fairly new version of The Alamo the other night that was pretty well done too.

You know, you`re right. Letter`s from Iwo Jima was good but I liked Flags of our Father`s better and that should be on my top ten, I forgot about both of those.

I've heard good things about it as well but haven't seen it.

I do need to apologize for not looking closely enough at the title to this thread as most of the movies I mentioned are not WWII movies.

Gentlemen,
Don't forget the Dambusters!

Saving Private Ryan was very realistic.
I thoroughly enjoyed Enemy at the Gates
The Big Red One (Lee Marvin) was pretty good too as was Tobruk (starring George Peppard).

Whilst this doesnt count as its WW1 - The Blue Max was very enjoyable (Peppard again)
And this isnt to be taken seriously but Kellys Heroes is well worth watching

George Peppard, what a great actor!
Have you seen him in Operation Crossbow? Good movie too.

lwd wrote:I've heard good things about it as well but haven't seen it.

I do need to apologize for not looking closely enough at the title to this thread as most of the movies I mentioned are not WWII movies.

Me too!

IMO best ww2 war movies in no particular order.

The Cruel Sea.
We Dive at Dawn.
When Trumpets Fade.
The Bridge AT Remagen
Murphys War.
The Thin Red Line.
Das Boot.
Where Eagles Dare.
Cross of Iron.

hi guys james here, im new to this great site. my uncle was killed on the hms glorious in ww2.
my top ten would be

kellys heroes
das boot
the devils brigade
a bridge too far
we were soldiers
the great escape
bridge at remargen
run silent run deep
getysburg
the cruel sea

cheers james

not sure if i can get 10, but among my favourites are (as i say, my personal favourites, and not the ones which i think are "the best" by artistic or whatever criterion):

das boot
stalingrad
sink the bismarck
battle of britain

José M. Rico wrote:George Peppard, what a great actor!
Have you seen him in Operation Crossbow? Good movie too.

Ah yes - Banacek! Not quite as famous as Columbo but there again Peter Falk was also a good actor.

Talking of Operation Crossbow, another seasoned actor involved was Anthony Quayle, who for once played the ''baddie'' the Gestapo agent who was half English and tried to infiltrate the SOE group in a bowler and with a copy of The Times! Quayle played Harwood in the film Battle of the River Plate and had quite a few other roles in WW2 movies though always on the Allied side.

Anthony Quayle also played the baddie in Ice Cold in Alex, the German spy posing as a South African soldier trying get behind the British lines in North Africa. Ice Cold in Alex, now that was a sweaty film