Simple question, there have been a plethora of war movies since the advent of cinema, but which one is your absolute favorite or rather which one would you consider to be the best?
NOTE: It has to be a "real" war movie, meaning NO fictional Wars. The story can be as fictional as it likes (Saving Private Ryan) as long as it is set within a historical war and is "grounded/realistic." Thus, no Star Wars or Avatar or Captain America or Infinity War or Lord of the Rings. "Mythical" movies can be allowed such as Troy as the debate on whether such a war/battle occurred is still in dispute. But again, it must be relatively grounded so no Clash of the Titans.
My pick:
Apocalypse Now: Redux (1979) (2001)
The absolute perfect War movie for me and one of my favorite movies of all time. I prefer the Redux version so we can get every minute of Coppola's three hour long sheer madness and genius. It's not so much a movie as it is an experience, a look into what war in Vietnam was like (or perhaps what we imagine it was like) and the madness that is war itself. The plot is intentionally very thin, always present, but never the star. Rather, Vietnam and these cast of characters are the real draw of the film as we witness them explore every aspect of the war in Vietnam and their descent into the Heart of Darkness.
Whereas most war movies beforehand glorified war, especially World War II, Apocalypse Now was part of the first of many following the Vietnam War to present a negative outlook on warfare. To explore not just the physical cost, but the psychological cost. The movie came out just four years after the War officially ended and opens with our lead character clearly suffering from PTSD. The absolute balls...
Another great point about the film is the absolute attention to detail from the way the cast talk, to the props used, and the scenarios they find themselves in. It's also simply drop dead gorgeous with some of the most iconic shots in cinema:
Your turn.
NOTE: It has to be a "real" war movie, meaning NO fictional Wars. The story can be as fictional as it likes (Saving Private Ryan) as long as it is set within a historical war and is "grounded/realistic." Thus, no Star Wars or Avatar or Captain America or Infinity War or Lord of the Rings. "Mythical" movies can be allowed such as Troy as the debate on whether such a war/battle occurred is still in dispute. But again, it must be relatively grounded so no Clash of the Titans.
My pick:
Apocalypse Now: Redux (1979) (2001)
The absolute perfect War movie for me and one of my favorite movies of all time. I prefer the Redux version so we can get every minute of Coppola's three hour long sheer madness and genius. It's not so much a movie as it is an experience, a look into what war in Vietnam was like (or perhaps what we imagine it was like) and the madness that is war itself. The plot is intentionally very thin, always present, but never the star. Rather, Vietnam and these cast of characters are the real draw of the film as we witness them explore every aspect of the war in Vietnam and their descent into the Heart of Darkness.
Whereas most war movies beforehand glorified war, especially World War II, Apocalypse Now was part of the first of many following the Vietnam War to present a negative outlook on warfare. To explore not just the physical cost, but the psychological cost. The movie came out just four years after the War officially ended and opens with our lead character clearly suffering from PTSD. The absolute balls...
Another great point about the film is the absolute attention to detail from the way the cast talk, to the props used, and the scenarios they find themselves in. It's also simply drop dead gorgeous with some of the most iconic shots in cinema:
Your turn.
