For whatever reason, my top list of war movies is more or less dominated by Vietnam. I suppose it's largely because I don't really care for jingoistic war movies, and Vietnam was a relatively difficult war to make a jingoistic movie about (John Wayne's awful contribution to the genre aside). I do find Platoon to be overwrought, but Deer Hunter, Full Metal Jacket, and Apocalypse Now are all masterpieces in their own ways. Perhaps ironically, though, none of them are really about the war itself. Deer Hunter is about the actual human costs of the war in terms of the US, but in terms of the Vietnamese, not so much. Full Metal Jacket does an excellent job detailing the dehumanizing nature of the training & tactics of the draft-based 1960s American army, but once again it sort of falls short in terms of actually covering the war itself. Apocalypse Now, of course, isn't really about Vietnam at all - it's Heart of Darkness brought to the big screen. The idea of Vietnam makes a nice setting, but the movie itself has nothing at all to do with the reality of the war. I have to admit that I've never seen We Were Soldiers (if Mel Gibson wasn't a main character, I probably would have, but he and Tom Cruise are pretty high up on my movie boycott list), but my understanding of the plot suggests to me that it's probably one of the better treatments of Vietnam in terms of the historical reality of the war itself.

I guess I probably don't have a top ten, but my top five, in no particular order, would be Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, The Thin Red Line, Dr. Strangelove, and Das Boot.

My Top Ten (in no particular order):

1.  Patton -- The definitive character study of the warrior as tragic hero.  The opening monologue was grade A brilliant.

2.  Glory -- Something both inspiring and ineffably sad about this movie.

3.  Bridge On The River Kwai -- "What have I done?"  A question for the ages.

4.  Zulu -- I love this movie because: it fairly accurately depicts the events that occurred at Rorke's Drift in South Africa; it was the screen debut of one of my favorite actors -- Michael Caine; and it was done on a shoestring.  Reportedly they used no more than 700 native extras which looked like several thousand on the screen.

5.  Breaker Morant -- Three Aussie soldiers sacrificed to deflect attention from the crimes of their superior officers.  A timeless lesson about war and the harsh realities of it -- the shit always flows downhill.

6.  Paths Of Glory -- Another gut wrenching tale of lower ranking soldiers made to sacrifice for the failures of their superiors.  The final scene in the tavern is so heartwrenching.

7.  The Great Escape -- Just a great prison yarn.  It's spirit and action is only detracted from if you understood some of the facts of the matter.  There were no Americans imprisoned in the POW camp the real great escape took place in.  And the camp was in Poland, which made Steve McQueen's motorcycle jaunt to the Swiss border all that more impressive.

8.  The Longest Day -- This, not Saving Private Ryan, is my favorite D-Day movie.

9.  Hamburger Hill -- My one Vietnam flick.  If anything, this showed with clarity and precision what the war was all about.  Long intervals of boredom, alleviated by spasms of bloody hell, to achieve control of some obscure pointless objective, only to move on to another pointless objective.

10.  Ballad Of A Soldier -- A friend lent me his DVD of this movie recently and I was just so sucked in and swept away by a seemingly simple yet complex film.

Just an aside, there are at least two great movies made about the Korean War (neither made my top ten list, however): Pork Chop Hill and The Bridges at Toko Ri.  As another aside, who is Secondus and what is he/she up to?

Illegitimi non carborundum.

No Man's Land is a great movie - if you watch it it will stay with you for a very long time... highly recommended.  Here's a quote from a review at imdb:  "The story was set in the Yugoslavian civil war in the early 90's. One soldier from each side of the battle was trapped between the front lines of the two rivals. They cannot leave the trench because if they do, the army will fire and kill them. To make things worse, there was a third soldier who was placed on a landmine, which would explode when the pressure on the landmine is released (i.e. when he gets up from a lying down position)."

do you find it problematic to have a list of "favorite films" about real life conflicts where thousands, if not millions were killed, maimed, or injured?

Not really, no. Having a list of favorite war movies is no more problematic than having a list of favorite plays about death and loss, or songs about heartbreak.

That said, here's my list -- which, oddly enough, begins on the Eastern front:

Stalingrad -- Without a doubt, the best soldiers-eye view of war movie ever.
Alexander Nevsky -- Eisenstein's direction and Prokofiev's score are just tremendous.
Gettysburg -- Monumental in every sense of the word.
"Band of Brothers"
Patton -- I like this for all the reasons MayorBob does.
300 -- Not at all realistic, but surprisingly faithful to Herodotus and absolutely beautiful direction and cinematography.
The Patriot -- I love it for all the reasons profwhat and the Mayor hate it; plus, the value of teaching boys about firearms and fire control.
Zulu -- Both a great drama and a realistic depiction of one of the most noteworthy combat actions of the modern age.
The Great Raid -- Not the world's best drama, but one of the best depictions of a successful small-unit action.
Black Hawk Down -- As above, save that this is an unsuccessful small-unit action.

There are some war movies that are so powerful as to bring me to tears.  

1.  The Pianist - This film surprised me.  I expected to hate it, and it blew me away.  I honestly broke out in tears when he played the piano near the end, to the German soldier.  

2.  Glory - I loved the drama and the characters.  Matthew Broderick was surprising, as Denzel got all the attention.  The entire cast was excellent in this well paced drama.  

3.  Ogniem i mieczem - The Polish epic was outstanding, with powerful acting performances.

4.  Flags of our Fathers - This film was less about the war but it focused on how the propaganda war took its toll on real Americans.  It was a refreshing new take on a war film unlike any other.  Adam Beach's performance was terrific.  Letters from Iwo Jima (Eastwood's OTHER Iwo Jima film) was terrific as well, trying to find a different perspective on a busy genre.  Flags resonated a little more to me.

5.  Patton -  This film just gets under your skin.  

6.  Midway -  It gives a fine historical overview of the battle of Midway, at times it is like a documentary, it uses actual footage from the war.  

7.  Schindler's List - This film was a mind fuck.  Or should I say a rape of the soul.  It shows the deepest evil of the human spirit, and then the desperation to grasp humanity back.  This film should shock.

8.  Saving Private Ryan  -  Yeah I know about the legitimate complaints regarding story, but overall, a fine film, fine acting, directing and some deep war issues to ponder.  Despite the backlash and occasional melodrama, this still ranks in the top 10 war films of all time.  

9.  Platoon  -  What the heck, this film was great.  It captured the microcosm of the world of the soldier and divisions in the ranks, while keeping on the pressure of the Vietnam war.  (In my book outranks Apocalypse Now, in that Apocalypse was often so dense and slow paced and a rip off of Heart Of Darkness.)

10.  Casualties of War -  Okay, slam me if you want, but Brian DePalma's movie with Sean Penn and Michael J Fox was controversial, it explored similar themes as Platoon, and asks us difficult questions about being on the right side.  Should be more lauded today, considering Abu Ghraib and other war-time atrocities done by American troops.  Very under-rated movie.  

(Honorable mention:  Full Metal Jacket - I loved this movie, with all its memorable lines and performances.  Stanley Kubrick's best film, a cohesive narrative and 2 part epic digested through a perfect lead (Pvt. Joker aka Matthew Modine.) and Apocalypse Now - despite some misgivings as to pace and production (at times too quiet at times too loud, often unintelligible) it is still a great film and in my top 15, as does Letterrs from Iwo Jima.  

I have a list to follow...but I just wanted to see if anyone has seen the move The Downfall.  One of the best movies I have seen in a while (granted, I don't see a lot of movies) and will definitely go on my best list.

It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine

Eastwood, Rickles, Savalas, O'Connor, MacLeod.  These actors went on to become American icons in the film industry, ridicule humour, crime solving, bigotry, and steering a cruise ship.  And the biggest Canadian name in the cast, Sutherland, wonderfully emotes the seemingly impossible - a WWII tank commander who channels a 1960s hippie patois.  Brilliant!

The greatest war movie ever made.

Eroica
Landscape After Battle
My Name is Ivan
Come and See
Dr. Strangelove
Bridge over River Kwai
All Quiet on the Western Front
Flanders
La jetée
Life is Beautiful

The Manchurian Candidate should count as a Korean War movie, I think, even though it is mostly set in the United States post-war.  Maybe you'd rather call it a Cold War movie; no matter.  It was a great movie, and watching it today is a great way to relive (or, live, depending on your age) the paranoia of the 1950s.

But as for every war getting its due:  what movies about the Spanish-American War or the War of 1812 can you remember?  And, why is it that the only movie about the Revolutionary War I can remember was The Patriot, which was awful?

Ok, my top 10, but not in order:

Das Boot
Patton
Dr. Strangelove
Black Hawk Down
Catch-22
Life is Beautiful
Apocalypse Now
Tora Tora Tora
Paths of Glory
Letters from Iwo Jima

What I look for in war movies is some insight into the human condition.  War is so intense, so out of control, that it allows a good director to focus on the rare aspects of the human condition that aren't always apparent in everyday life.

All Quiet on the Western Front: This movie most clearly shows the insidious effect that the theatre of war has on otherwise mostly  decent people.

Bridge over River Kwai was a close second for the showing the the pervasive meaninglessness of war in the context of true human decency

I also enjoyed Private Ryan, and Letters from Iwo Jima but they impacted my visual aesthetic more than anything else.

Most of the others mentioned I haven't seen (thanks for the list Mayorbob) or I thought were just ok.

Am I a great person? Hell no - by most metrics I'm pretty much an asshole. -TSlothrop

   1. Idi i Smotri (Come and See)
   2. Hotaru no Haka (The Grave of the Fireflies)
   3. Dr. Strangelove
   4. The Deer Hunter
   5. Casablanca
   6. Schindler's List (though the ending is close to deal-breaker)
   7. Platoon
   8. I am Cuba
   9. Letters from Iwo Jima
  10. The Fog of War/Why We Fight (2005)

I know I cheated with 2 docs at the end, but they're both good enough to sit at the "grown-up" table, I think.
Honorable Mentions go out to:

11. Apocalypse Now
    
12. Full Metal Jacket
    
13. Syriana

Seriously, Come and See is the best fucking war movie ever made. Ever!!!

----- I, for one, renounce our insect overlords!

I used to be a homeless rodeo clown but now I am a world class magician !

Hotness

Dirty Dozen is the best war movie of all time. It's about war and all its components--the circumstances that bring individuals together, the fun off time pranks, the tedium of waiting around, the shocking duplicity, the camaraderie, the heroism and finally of course the tragic, jarring death of it all. I also think The English Patient is slightly overwrought at some otherwise very compelling nuances of war so it gets a nice grade from me. Of the ones mentioned in the thread thus far, Manchurian Candidate, Glory, Dr. Strangelove and Life Is Beautiful definitely earn my endorsement, though I'll admit there's a lot I haven't seen. Pans Labyrinth is another I'd give a brief shout out to.

It is easy to buy small plaster models of what you think life is like.

And these aren't even necessarily my top picks.  I'm just creating an Unsorted List of a bunch of war movies I have something to say about.

• Aliens.  A very smart move by Cameron, combining war and horror and sci-fi.  Possibly one of the best squad movies just because the battle is so completely removed from any sort of context--there's no chance for Corporal Hicks to look off into the distance and wonder if there's a facehugger out there appreciating the same sunset as him.


• Saving Private Ryan.  Yeah, the rest of the movie after D-Day was crap, but I don't remember the rest of the movie.  Except for the one scene in the belltower where the German soldier doesn't waste a bullet on the American who finally lost his nerve.  Come to think of it, that was a pretty good scene too.  Look for SPR-the phantom edit coming soon!


• The Thin Red Line.  I hated this movie when it came out, and got tired of sitting through pompous defenses of it online.  I just wanted to mention it here because only Port has so far, which means that no one else actually cares about it either, no matter what you try and say now I've reminded you.  Nyah!  Nyah!  Nyah!


• Master and Commander.  I don't think anyone can really tell us how "realistic" a filmed battle between sailing ships is these days, but these ones look pretty good.

(is 3fingerspointback)

One of my favourites is Hotaru no Haka (Grave of the Fireflies). It focuses on Japanese siblings who are caught up in WWII. No glory, just sadness. No blame, just sadness.

As far as a top ten list goes, this is what I have:

1. Hotaru no Haka
   
2. Letters from Iwo Jima
   
3. Full Metal Jacket
   
4. Flag of Our Fathers
   
5. Platoon
   
6. Zulu
   
7. Schindler's List
   
8. Ushiro no Shoumen Daare (Who's Left Behind?)
   
9. Das Boot
   
10. MASH

Movies I haven't seen but should: Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now, Dr. Strangelove (which I just got on DVD).

- derumi (del-me)
"Bobby Fischer? Man, that guy is crazy!" - Mike Tyson

I tend to really like war movies from the perspective of the "other side," or at least not who we're used to seeing.  So while I loved movies like Glory, Saving Private Ryan (especially in a theater with the volume cranked up; that was probably the most intense movie-going experience I've ever had) and Full Metal Jacket (I finally understood why my boss at the time kept calling this one guy "Private Pyle"), I find I'm more moved by ones like All Quiet on the Western Front, Letters from Iwo Jima, Barefoot Gen, Das Boot, etc.

I think it's important to remember that the people on the other side of these wars were people.  It's easy to forget that sometimes (see also: Iraqis, Afghanis, etc. ad nauseum).

Q: What do you think of western civilization? Gandhi: I think it would be a good idea.

When Trumpets Fade is one of the best war movies I've ever seen.

All right, here's my theory about why THE GUNS OF NAVARONE and WHERE EAGLES DARE -- two unbelievably exciting WWII adventure movies -- are, pardon the pun, MIA on all of these boards.

It's because they're fun movies.

And because they're perceived as being "overpatriotic" at a time when the U.S. is mired in a wildly unpopular war, has lost its stature on the global stage, and is regarded by most of the rest of the planet as nothing but a blundering, meddlesome bully.

Yeah, I know.  I can hear the rejoinders now.  "Uh, no.  Actually, it's mostly because they suck."

Bullsh*t.

Admit it.  I'm on to something here, aren't I?

People forget that WWII was not Iraq or Vietnam; that WWII was necessary.  That it stopped the Nazis and Japan.  That it ended the Holocaust in Europe.

And people forget that it is perfectly acceptable...yes, even now, post George "Dubya" Bush and post-Iraq... to sit back and enjoy a good old fashioned, rip-roaring, WWII adventure movie.  That it can be done guilt free and that there's nothing wrong with it.

Unfortunately, there are some folks who disagree... who think that this generation is somehow more "enlightened" than previous ones...more sophisticated...with a greater comprehension about the true nature of war, and who think that even in an historical context like WWII, war should never be "glorified."

And what's earned them this more profound understanding of war, do you suppose?

Why, Iraq, naturally.  And the fact that they've all seen BAND OF BROTHERS and SAVING PRIVATE RYAN several times on HBO.

To which I can only reply (again), bullsh*t.

The men who actually FOUGHT in WWII...the men who saw friends and comrades cut down like spring corn in places like Anzio and Corregidor, Normandy and the Philippines...the men who helped to liberate the death camps...who didn't need a Steven Spielberg or a Tom Hanks lecturing them about what war is REALLY all about...were the same men who years later lapped up the "unsophisticated" entertainment that everybody on these boards seems to be sneering at.  Not to mention the dozens of veterans like Lee Marvin and Alistair MacLean who came home and CREATED much of it.

So, message to anyone who is reading these words:  Go rent THE GUNS OF NAVARONE.  Do it tonight.  You'll thank me later.