Band of Brothers - Part II

Band of Brothers

Director: David Leland (Part 6), David Frankel (Part 7), Tony To (Part 8), 

David Frankel (Part 9) and Mikael Salomon (Part 10)

Year: 2001

Starring: Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Donnie Wahlberg, Scott Grimes, Matthew Settle and Neal McDonough

     The series continues with Part 6, Bastogne, as Easy Company is ordered to defend the Bastogne forest in Belgium. This was an infamous battle during the war, as the soldiers had been ordered to defend with little to no ammo, no winter clothing, and no supplies of any kind. The strain of fighting non-stop since jumping on D-Day is starting to take it's toll on the soldiers. They look tired, and worn out, and most have grown beards (this could be due to the fact they had no facilities to actually shave their face, but it helps give the impression that these characters are just worn out). The episode is also told from the point of view of the character Doc Roe, which is interesting because he hasn't really had any time to shine. The only downside, is he really doesn't make much of an appearance after this episode. 

     Episode 7, The Breaking Point, finishes the campaign in Bastogne, and Winters, having been given command of the entire regiment, now has to watch terribly inexperienced officer Norman Dyke try and lead these soldiers. The combat scenes in this episode are fantastic, and it's a turning point for Norman Dyke as a character. Throughout the entire episode, Norman Dyke is portrayed as someone everybody hates because of his pretentious attitude and inexperience as an officer. As a viewer, you really want this guy to fail hard, and he finally cracks under pressure, leaving Ronald Spears to take over the mission, and ultimately, the entire company. This episode is mostly told from Carwood Lipton's perspective, much like the previous episode. 

     The eighth episode is narrated by David Webster, who's been absent for a few episodes. He's re-integrated into the unit, and having missed the entire Bastogne campaign, is faced with hostility. We're introduced to a new 2nd Lt., Lt. Jones (played by Tom Hanks' real life son Colin), who leads in what turns out to be Easy Company's last patrol (hence the title of the episode). The War isn't over yet, but the combat is very limited, and the rest of the series doesn't feature any fighting. It sounds dull, given what this mini-series is about, but it still has a lot to offer. 

     The ninth episode of the series, Why We Fight, is one of the most shocking episode, and it reminds you of the other horrors the war had besides the conflict. In the episode, Easy Company comes across a Jewish Concentration Camp. The way the camp is depicted is very effective. In fact, for most of the time the characters are exploring the camp to see what they can do, there is very little dialogue. It's effective enough that it speaks for itself. The reactions of the character's faces is enough, and it's another moment where the casting really paid off. The majority of the episode deals with this camp, and the relief the military offers. It leaves an impression, and even more so when you are reminded that something like this was real. 

     The series' swan song episode, Points, wraps up any story left, and it leaves the show with a bang. At this point, the war with Europe is over, so most of the time the characters are doing very standard, almost clerical duties. They slowly earn points, which will give them an opportunity to finally go home, and the dialogue is what keeps the episode going. It does get a little slow at times, but given the circumstances, and the nature of the episode, there wasn't much for the characters to do. The episode slowly sends off every major character that's been with the series since the beginning. It's a nice little touch, because we've been with most of these characters for a while, and to give them a proper goodbye was the right thing to do. The end of the episode shows Major Winters announcing that the war with Japan is over. The war is finally done, and it's been a long haul. Winters narrates the ending, explaining what happened to each major character after the war, and it gives the viewer some closure. Each episode opened with actual veterans giving their interpretations of the events, but their identities remained anonymous. The final episode broke that tradition and saved it for the end, where they are finally revealed who they are. It's a nice, last loose end to tie up, and it's always nice to know that these people were real, and did the fighting for us. 

     Band of Brothers is nothing short of a masterpiece. Every second has been carefully planned, and to be quite frank, they didn't fuck around with this one. It's got a great balance of combat, character, locations, and overall storytelling that gives you a unique, and exciting, experience from beginning to end. 

Band of Brothers - Part I

Band of Brothers

Director: Phil Alden Robinson (Part 1), Richard Loncraine (Part 2), Mikael Salomon (Part 3), David Nutter (Part 4) and Tom Hanks (Part 5)

Year: 2001

Starring: Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Donnie Wahlberg, Scott Grimes, Matthew Settle and 

Neal McDonough

     There is literally nothing I can say about Band of Brothers that hasn't been said before. It is literally one of the finest war movies ever made. Yes it's actually a 10 part miniseries, but I've always seen it as a 10 hour movie. It technically doesn't fit the criteria for this list, but this production is just too epic to not be included. 

     The mini-series is based off the book of the same name by Stephen E. Ambrose, and it's about the exploits of "Easy Company" of the 101st Airborne. Easy Comany was one of the most prolific regiments in the European campaign. Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg's (although most of the work was actually done by Hanks and Erik Jenderson, with Spielberg basically just attaching his name to the title) true colours are shown in this production, because it's evident right from the start how much time and energy they spent adapting the novel. The put it simply, they didn't fuck around with this one. 

     The first episode starts with the introduction of all the major characters we'll see through most, if not all, the episodes of the series. Acting as a framing character in every episode, Damian Lewis plays Richard Winters, the (after episode 2 Day of Days) commanding officer of Easy Company. Lewis gives what I would regard as his greatest performance, and his defining role. He's known these days in an equally awesome (but drastically different) role on Homeland. Several episodes actually focus on him, but his involvement in each can change, and it lets other characters have their moment. 

     That's one of the best elements of this series: the characters. We get to know so many different members of Easy Company, especially during the first episode when they are at the training grounds. The first is actually played by David Schwimmer (yeah, Ross from Friends). Herbert Sobel was Easy's original commanding officer, who was quickly replaced before the D-Day invasion. Schwimmer actually does a decent job, but after this episode, you're relieved he only shows up in small cameos in later episodes. Ron Livingston plays Lewis Nixon, another Easy Company commander, and Winter's confidant. He doesn't take part in the actual combat, preferring to stay behind the scenes so to speak. The chemistry between Lewis and Livingston feels really natural, and you get a sense that these two are really friends. They have their moments, and a lot of the humor actually come from these two character's exchanges. 

     The second episode begins with the D-Day invasion, and it's easily one of the most memorable moments from the entire series. The episode follows Winters' jump, and rendevous with men from his unit. From there they proceed to find others, and accomplish their various missions. Andrew Scott has a small role in this episode, and he would achieve greater fame for playing Jim Moriarty on Sherlock. The episode ends with Easy Company taking out a battery of German Artillery. 

     Episode 3, titled Carentan, is about the capture of the French town of the same name. Carentan was a strategic military stronghold, and if the allies had control of it, it would create a seamless link between Utah and Omaha beach. Easy Company captures the town. This episode centers heavily on a soldier named Albert Blithe, and it tells both stories simultaneously. In the end he is shot in the neck and taken out of commission. The series incorrectly states he dies in 1948, but research revealed that he actually survived and died almost 20 years later. Inconsistencies were bound to happen, but the Blu - Ray release has a new documentary explaining, including Blythe's death, the various inconsistencies. 

     Episode 4, Replacements, is where the writing really starts to hit you. After all the events of Carentan, Easy Company has had expected casualties. Familiar characters have died, and new soldiers are brought in to join the ranks. The veterans of D-Day are initially hostile towards these soldiers, and as a viewer, you find yourself not taking too kindly to these characters as well. It shows how well you got to know the characters, and like Easy Company, you felt like you were a part of this brotherhood. This episode also takes the soldiers out of Normandy and beings the failed Operation Market Garden. James McAvoy has a small role in this episode, but sadly perishes as quickly as he arrives. 

     Episode 5 Crossroads deals with Operation Pegasus, a rescue mission involving the Canadian Engineers. It's actually over pretty fast, and the majority of the episode, actually told in a flashback as Winters writes a report, is about fighting the remaining German resistance. It's pretty exciting, and creates a moment that starts to define Winters. He constantly  has flashbacks after shooting a German teenage soldier at the beginning of the episode, and it's something that becomes a recurring character trait in the rest of the series. Winters has to deal with his actions, and enhances his character even more, creating a lot more depth for him.

Be sure to check out Part II on the last day of our Month of Remembrance

Beau Geste

Beau Geste

Director: William A. Wellman

Year: 1939

Starring: Gary Cooper, Ray Milland, Robert Preston, Brian Donlevy and Broderick Crawford

     I've stated before that I thought there weren't many war movies about the French Foreign Legion. Turns out, I was wrong. In fact, the novel this film was based on was adapted four times over a period of 57 years. This version is actually the second adaptation, the first being a silent film released in 1926. This has become the most famous version, as Gary Cooper became a huge star, winning an Academy Award not long after the release of this film. 

     The film is about three brothers, Beau (Cooper), Digby (Robert Preston) and John Geste (Ray Milland) as they run off and join the Legion to escape consequence for stealing their adoptive aunt's sapphire called "The Blue Water". The sapphire itself becomes a MacGuffin, because the entire film revolves around this particular gem. It's never clear who took it, or why, and it remains a mystery until the very end of the film. 

     While the majority of the film is set at a fort in the Morrocan desert, the film's primary emphasis is on the Geste brothers, particularly Beau, the title character. The film actually begins near the end of the film, and a string of unexplained events occur, culminating with the fort burning down. It's interesting because nothing is explained, but you want to know why. It then skips to 15 years into the past as we meet the three brothers as children. It's here we are introduced to the idea of the characters joining the Legion, and it gives us an idea who these characters are, and what role they will play later in the film.
     The film follows the brothers as they train, and become, soldiers of the Legion. Word gets out that one of the brothers is a diamond thief, and they face a lot of hostile characters. As time goes on, the soldiers plan a mutiny against their commanding officer, but the penalties are put on hold as the fort is attacked by the locals. In an enduring struggle, they hold off a very large army, and the fort starts to become familiar looking.
     At this point, it's clear that the fort seen at the beginning of the film is the same one the Geste brothers occupy. Dead soldiers are put up to look like they are still fighting, and more and more soldiers perish in the continuing battle. Finally, at the end only a few remain, and the army we saw at the beginning of the film (which contains the third of the Geste brothers, Digby, who was separated and appointed to a new unit halfway through the film), and the unexplained events finally start to make sense, and the film wraps up the rest of the story, giving it a solid, and somewhat uplifting, end.
     Beau Geste is one of the finest films about the French Foreign Legion ever made. The combat scenes, while they take a while to show up, pay off as it's as exciting as a modern war movie like Saving Private Ryan. Gary Cooper is as bad ass as he always is, and gives a remarkable performance. The film's success, and many adaptations later actually led to a parody film appropriately titled The Last Remake of Beau Geste (although the novel would be adapted one more time following this film) directed by and starring Marty Feldman in 1977. Beau Geste remains one of Gary Cooper's best roles, and a classic of the genre.

All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front

Director: Lewis Milestone

Year: 1930

Starring: Louis Wolheim, Lew Ayres, Ben Alexander and William Bakewell

     I've said before that films depicting the First World War are few and far between, but they were some of the earliest war movies made. All Quiet on the Western is one of the earliest, and one of the best. The film is also known for being produced by Carl Laemmle Jr, the man who one year later would launch the successful Universal Monster movies Dracula and Frankenstein, and would continue to do so for the rest of the decade. The film also holds the distinction of being the first film to win both the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director in the same year. 
     As a war movie, it's fantastic. The film gives one of the most brutal, but realistic, depictions of the war. The combat scenes in the trenches are some of the best I've personally seen in film, and it makes you appreciate how at one time, everything that you saw happened on screen. The production value in these scenes is the film's high point, as the battlefields and trenches are recreated to the point where you feel like you yourself are in there with the characters.
     The characters themselves is another high point of the film. You are introduced to a small group of German students who all enlist together. As they endure training and the actual battles themselves, they are clearly affected by their surroundings. The film does a great balancing act in this way. It will show a shocking combat scene, and them the characters discuss the events and how they were affected. It doesn't sound too interesting, but it's effective because the filmmakers used this opportunity to develop how the characters slowly change as a result of the conflict. These characters go from naive, gun-ho students to hardened, almost lifeless soldiers over the course of the film.
     The film, even over 83 years later, is still shocking in how it represents the war. The film has an anti-war feel to it, much like Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory. The film keeps you hooked from beginning to end, and is still to this day one of the greatest portrayals of the horrors of war ever put to screen.
   

Platoon

Platoon

Director: Oliver Stone

Year: 1986

Starring: Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe and Tom Berenger

     Oliver Stone has had a very successful career, directing some of the most well-known and critically praised films over the last 2 and a half decades. Platoon would be the beginning of this era. It's actually a very personal film for Stone because the film is partly based on his own experiences in Vietnam, having been a veteran of the war himself. 

     Charlie Sheen steps into Oliver Stone's shoes as the character based on the director. Sheen gives a surprisingly good performance. He plays an inexperienced soldier who is doing his first tour of Vietnam. Appropriately, he's shocked, surprised, upset, and so on. He's got a bunch of mixed emotions about the actual conflict, and it's what makes him the most identifiable character in the film (Imagine that, Charlie Sheen playing a character YOU can identify with).

     Joining the cast is veteran bad ass Tom Berenger as Sgt. Bob Barnes, a gun-ho NCO with a knack for combat. His tough exterior, his experience in the field, and his facial scars make him an intimidating force to be reckoned with. He never lets up the entire film, and surprisingly, being the one character you'd think would make it, he doesn't survive until the end. What makes this performance stand out, is Berenger is playing a hardened soldier with a sense of emotional depth. You really feel like there's a reason for the way he is, and the way Berenger plays it, although he never shows any ounce of vulnerability, you know it's there. 

     Willem Dafoe gives an equally-praised performance as Sgt. Elias. Dafoe's character is at odds with Berenger's, and the two finally having a confrontation a little more than halfway through the film. Barnes shoots Elias, and tells the others he was killed by enemy infantry. It's after this scene that Elias emerges from the jungle, and as he's actually shot by the enemy, he raises his hands  as if he's shouting "WHY!", creating the most iconic image from the film. Dafoe's Elias is a direct polar opposite to Berenger's Barnes. Elias becomes Sheen's mentor and friend, while Barnes does nothing but harass and taunt the same character. It's an interesting look at two different views, effectively pulled off  by both the actors. Both Dafoe and Berenger were nominated for Academy Awards for their portrayals, but neither won. It's a rare feat when two actors from the same film are nominated for the same award, and it was deserved here. 

     The film is one of the Oliver Stone's best, and I would consider it one of the finest Vietnam war films ever made. It doesn't glamorize anything about the conflict, and it gives off a slight anti-war message, but it's effective. Apparently Stone wanted to make the film as a direct counter to John Wayne's The Green Berets, which he felt did nothing but showcase the glamour of conflict (and John Wayne of course). Watch out for Johnny Depp in an early role as Lerner, Forrest Whitaker as Big Harold, and Keith David as King in what is easily one of the best films from 1986. 

Casablanca

Casablanca

Director: Michael Curtiz

Year: 1942

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt and Peter Lorre

     I've often said that romance has no place in war movies. Casablanca is an exception. To call this film a war movie is technically inaccurate. It's really a romance-drama that happens to take place during World War II, but the war plays a significant part. It could literally go either way. Nevertheless, it's got Humphrey Bogart, so it really doesn't matter if it's actually a war movie or not. 

     Bogart gives an excellent performance in what I would consider his career-defining role. He plays Rick Blaine, an American running a nightclub called "Rick's Café Américain" in Casablanca, Morocco. The club attracts many individuals, including the locals, fellow Americans, and even members of the German Army occupy the bar. It almost reminds you of the cantina scene in Star Wars, only without the many different aliens. 

     Rick is a complicated character, and Bogart's performance gives you that impression right off the bat. Without saying anything, you  have a feeling there is more to the character than he lets on, and the supporting characters make reference to this, albeit in casual passing, and it creates a mystery about him. It's not until Ingrid Bergman's Ilsa Lund character enters the bar, and it all makes sense. You know these two are connected somehow, and the film gradually explores their past, eventually using a flashback explaining their prior relationship. 

     Bergman and Bogart are easily the most memorable part of the entire film. Their chemistry is flowing, and the two play off each other really well. Casting can make or break a film, and there's something about Bergman and Bogart that just really works. You really start feeling for these characters. It's a shame that Ingrid Bergman was passed over that the Academy Awards, as she's just as effective as Bogart. 

     The film has become iconic, and a classic of Hollywood cinema. Mad Men's Don Draper is very similar to Bogart in this film, as they both play two characters torn between two different ideas (It helps that they look the same) and Bogart reminds you that you didn't need to be an 80s action star to look bad ass. The film has had a lasting impact, even today, as the memorable lines, the performances and the overall story will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. 

Zulu

Zulu

Director: Cy Endfield

Year: 1964

Starring: Michael Caine, Stanley Baker and Jack Hawkins

     When you watch a film like Zulu, you remember that war movies are not limited to World War I, World War II and Vietnam. It seems that way as those are the most popular subjects when it comes to this type of film. Zulu shows that war movies don't necessarily have to be about any iconic war, but just an iconic battle to be good. 

     The film dramatizes the events at the Battle of Rorke's Drift in January 1879. The British were at war with the Zulu people, and this battle is one of the most remembered events, as 150 British soldiers successfully held over 4000 Zulu warriors. It shares many similarities to the Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartans held off the Persian army in the same fashion (and yes, it did form the basis for 300, which is not historically accurate, but it's still a damn fine film). 

     Among the cast is legendary actor Michael Caine in his big screen debut. He joins the ranks with veteran actors Stanley Baker and Jack Hawkins. While he didn't receive top billing because he was a new actor, DVD releases today use Caine's image to promote the film, even taking up over 50% of the DVD artwork. 

     The film's strength is not Michael Caine, however. The real stars are the Zulu extras themselves, who were real Zulu people. Everything they do in the film is authentic, and it gives the film even more credibility. Most Hollywood films would hire extras that resembled the Zulu people, but Cy Endfield chose to shoot the film in South Africa and use the locals. It gives you the opportunity to see some Zulu customs, such as dances and celebrations, but also their military strengths. 

     The film takes a little bit of time, but it gives all the major characters appropriate screen time, so we as an audience can get to know them better. Remember, there weren't very many of these people here, and most of them were wounded. It helps you identify with these people, and when the impressive number of Zulu people start closing in on their attack, you really feel for them, and you feel as helpless as the characters simply because there's nothing you can do. 

     That's another great element to the film. The battle scenes between the Zulus and the British are superb, and the contrast between the British guns and Zulu shields and spears is effective, because even though the Zulus are a lot more primitive, they come off a lot more intimidating. It really shows the strength of the Zulu people, and that modern technology isn't always better.

     The film ends with an epic climax that culminates in the end of the Battle of Rorke's Drift. Zulu demonstrates that any war, that is any famous battle, can make a good film, regardless of the time it was set. Cy Endfield even wrote and directed a prequel, Zulu Dawn, in 1979. Everything about the film, from the excellent score by John Barry (who helped compose the James Bond Theme), Cy Endfield's direction, and the unintentionally humorous dialogue by Nigel Green's Colour Sargent Frank Bourne, Zulu is a classic war film that will entertain, and help you appreciate the history behind it. 

The Great Dictator

The Great Dictator

Director: Charles Chaplin

Year: 1940

Starring: Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard and Jack Oakie

     There is a lot of significance surrounding The Great Dictator. Not only was it Chaplin's first "talkie" (a full 13 years after sound was introduced), and it became one of the most controversial films of Chaplin's career. Starting with his previous film, Modern Times, Chaplin became very political in his film making, and many consider it to be the greatest contributor to his eventual decline in popularity, and subsequent exile from the United States. Nevertheless, the film is still one of Chaplin's best works. 

     The film is a very thinly disguised satire of the Nazi Regime, and Adolff Hitler. Chaplin's character, Adenoid Hynkel, is a caricature of Hitler, and it helps that the two sported the same toothbrush mustache.   Germany is replaced with Tomania in the film, and Italy is replaced with Bacteria. Even Benito Mussolini gets ridiculed, and is played by a very talented Jack Oakie. 

     The film also sees Chaplin playing the role of a Jewish Barber, who had lost his memory following the First World War. There are many that believe this character to be Chaplin's Tramp character he played in his silent films, but Chaplin himself stated on many occasions that the Tramp would not appear in a talkie, and this was a completely different character. Whether or not it is the Tramp character is really up to the viewer. The film follows the barber as he returns to the Ghetto, unaware of Hynkel's regime, and the treatment of Jewish citizens of Tomania. Chaplin was unaware of the horrors of the holocaust at the time, and even said had he know, he would have never made the film. He believed these conditions were the worst the Jewish citizens were going through, but in his defense, so did the rest of the world. 

     The film has all the characteristics of a typical Chaplin silent comedy. There is plenty of slapstick moments, and it all feels familiar, yet fresh. Chaplin was worried that adopting sound would ruin the magic of his film making, but the many humorous scenes show that he could have had a thriving career in the sound era. Chaplin's gags always relied on the physical side, and it's proven during these many scenes when the Jewish Barber character doesn't talk during the funny moments. It leaves you wondering what could have happened had Chaplin kept his career going. 

     The film, while controversial in it's time, has become a classic of Chaplin's career. It is a genius satire at the Nazi regime, and it still holds up today. The final six-minute monologue given by Chaplin's Jewish Barber character (who is mistaken for Hynkel) is one of the most powerful monologues in film, and it's rather ironic it comes from a man who made a career not making a sound on camera. 

Flyboys

Flyboys

Director: Tony Bill

Year: 2006

Starring: James Franco, Jean Reno and Martin Henderson

     Flyboys depicts something that many forget was a part of the First World War: the bi-planes, and their legendary dogfights. There was a lot going on in the European skies, and not many films have been made on the subject. The first winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture, Wings, was a silent film about combat aces. The Blue Max was a British film about German fighter pilots, and Hell's Angels is another film about the subject. Needless to say, very few films cover this part of the First World War.
     Flyboys is based on the true story of the LaFayette Escadrille air squadron, a French flying unit that had many Americans join their ranks. Each character is based heavily on a real-life figure, and their stories come to life on the big screen. Leading the ranks is James Franco, an American Rancher who becomes intrigued by the idea of flying in combat, and becomes a very talented pilot at that. Martin Henderson plays a veteran pilot with a troubled past, and clashes with Franco's character at various points in the film. Jean Reno is the real star of the film as the commanding officer of LaFayette, Captain Thenault (the only character to retain the real name of the person he was based on).
     The areal scenes in the film is really impressive, and while it was all done digitally, it still has a sense of weight, meaning you get a feeling that these are real, and you forget they were all created digitally. The dogfight scenes is where the research shows as well, as it's very clear the filmmakers did their homework. There wasn't much video footage of bi-planes for obvious reasons, so the filmmakers had to rely on written descriptions of what these might have looked like. The grand scale of these scenes gives you a sense of awe and wonder, and if the entire film had just been bi-planes shooting each other down, it wouldn't have been a bad thing.
     The only major downside to this film is the pointless romance subplot. Franco's character falls in love with a local French girl, and he is constantly meeting up with her at different times. These scenes are boring, and they don't go anywhere. It really feels like filler, and these scenes could have been removed from the final cut. They really don't have any bearing on the film's plot. There is absolutely no character development, with the female character blatantly telling Franco's character that it isn't going anywhere, and that he should stop what he's doing. It really makes you miss the flying scenes, or any scene with Jean Reno.
     Flyboys, although it had a terrible run at the box-office, and was given a negative reception by many critics, it still a good film. There are times when the film feels cheesy, and a lot of the actors in the film really shouldn't quit their day-job, but overall, the effects on the airplanes themselves, and Franco and Reno's acting, really make up for it. If anything, it reminds you that the First World War wasn't just fought in the trenches.  

Full Metal Jacket

Full Metal Jacket

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Year: 1987

Starring: Matthew Modine, Vincent D'Onofrio, Adam Baldwin and R. Lee Ermey

     Stanley Kubrick makes the list again with another war movie, this time set in the Vietnam war.  Full Metal Jacket was Kubrick's first film since The Shinning, leaving a gap of seven years. It became common for Kubrick to spend a lot of time on one film, and it pays off in this one.

     The film is presented in two parts. The first half of the film is the training at Parris Island where we meet the main character, who's nickname is Private Joker. We follow him through a rigorous training regime, and encounter other soldiers as well, most notably a character nicknamed Private Pyle who is played by the incredibly underrated Vincent D'Onofrio. 

     Pyle plays an important role in the first half of the film, as he takes most of the demeaning abuse from Drill Instructor Hartman, played by R. Lee Ermey in what is probably his greatest performance of his entire career. Through these two characters, Kubrick explores his recurring theme of dehumanization, something he used in his earlier war movie Paths of Glory. Pyle clearly can't accomplish as much as the other soldiers-in-training, and Hartman does nothing but harass him. His mental abuse gets so intense that he finally stops being a person, and completes the transformation by literally going insane. A violent confrontation between Hartman and Pyle concludes the first half of the film, and we are shipped off to Vietnam where we follow Private Joker, the only character to appear in both parts of the film (apart from Joker's friend Cowboy who we see later on). 

     The film has a dramatic shift in tone as it makes the transition. It's here Kubrick shows his genius as a filmmaker. The training portions of the film were emotionally and physically exhausting, intense and even dangerous at points. In Vietnam, where the war is taking place, it's more of a laid back, relaxed attitude. It's a brilliant juxtaposition that Kubrick uses to illustrate how the military itself is the dehumanizing factor, and not necessarily the war. 

     What makes this film stand out even more, is the urban settings it has in Vietnam. The majority of films set during this conflict are usually set in dense jungles. The combat is guerrilla-style, and it feels claustrophobic at times. Kubrick opted to place the combat scenes in a war-torn city which looks like the aftermath of an apocalypse. It's these scenes we are introduced to Adam Baldwin's character Animal Mother, who is one badass you wouldn't want to mess with. Baldwin would later play a toned down version of this character in Firefly years later. 

     Stanley Kubrick does it again and creates another masterpiece, one I would consider his best film, if not one of his best. It's another excellent film to add to the already large number made during the period, and it remains a classic, and it still holds up today.

The Dirty Dozen

The Dirty Dozen

Director: Robert Aldrich

Year: 1967

Starring: Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Telly Savalas and Donald Sutherland 

     Badass. That's the only word that comes to mind when this film is mentioned. A World War II movie featuring some of the biggest movie star badasses at the time, we'll it's very hard to disappoint. If I can simply sum it up, imagine taking The Expendables, setting it during the War, and replace mercenaries with convicted felons, you've got the basic idea of The Dirty Dozen.

     Lee Marvin plays Major John Reisman, a man who is given a dangerous mission behind enemy lines. The catch, he has to train 12 prisoners, most of whom are sentenced to death or hard labor, for this mission. The film's entire plot is the execution of this mission, but surprisingly, it doesn't focus on that part very much. It spends it's time introducing each character. their experiences during the training, and how they get along during this entire time. Marvin is as badass as he ever is, and it only begs the question why he doesn't have some sort of cult following like Chuck Norris. He's not really remembered for much these days, and this film is one of many that reminds you how unstoppable the guy was. 

     The supporting cast is just as good as Marvin. Ernest Borgnine plays the General how assigns Reisman with the mission, and while he disapears for a while, he plays a larger role later in the film. Borgnine was a very talent actor, because while he doesn't really do much in the film, you always want to know what he's going to say next. His presence was that commanding. Rounding out the cast was Charles Bronson, who has earlier success in the previous war movie The Great Escape. This time, he's got balls of steel, and he almost matches Marvin's level of intensity. Telly Savalas, (who would appear with Clint Eastwood in Kelly's Heroes) plays a more lighthearted role. A lot of the humor comes from his character, who is constantly saying something sarcastic, and even a bit racist. The badassery is still a force to be reckoned with, as he finds a delicate balance between the two. Donald Sutherland is the real comic relief, playing a somewhat dimwitted character who doesn't intimidate at all. His standout scene is when Reisman has him  pretend to be a general, and he goes about inspecting a military unit, and is very funny in doing so. 

     The film is lengthy, but it's about the unit itself than the actual war. The cast of characters is very colourful and memorable, and their exchanges between themselves is the real star of the movie. You follow the characters from their first roll call in the prison, to them building their own barracks, to the war games and finally to the final mission, you really feel like you get to know these characters. The final act is the film's only flaw. It's small-scale, and while that's that it was supposed to be from the start, it can be a little underwhelming at times. The entire film builds up to the big epic climactic finale, and it just doesn't feel like it delivers. This is probably due to the fact the book the film was based on, only had the mission as a footnote, so to be fair the filmmakers didn't have very much to go on. 

     The Dirty Dozen is a badass, testosterone-filled war movie that will make you fall in love with Lee Marvin, and forget about Chuck Norris. There was a sequel produced (although for television) in 1985 called The Dirty Dozen: The Next Mission which reunited Marvin and Borgnine, and there were several other sequels made after that, with Savalas and Borgnine returning. The Dirty Dozen is one that will satisfy every craving you have, and is best enjoyed with the guys and a case of beer. 

A Bridge Too Far

A Bridge Too Far

Director: Richard Attenborough

Year: 1977

Starring: James Caan, Sean Connery, Anthony Hopkins, Michael Caine, Gene Hackman, Robert Redford, and far too many to name.

     Many know Richard Attenborough as as John Hammond in the Jurassic Park films, but he has also had a prolific career behind the camera. A Bridge Too Far is one of those films. He would later win the Academy Award for directing Gandhi and would later direct the Charlie Chaplin biopic Chaplin with Robert Downy Jr. 

     The film itself is about Operation Market Garden, the failed attempt to end the war by Christmas 1944. It was a huge undertaking that initially seemed successful, but failed to end the war as early as the Allies had planned. The mission involved the co-operation between American and British units, and even the Canadian Engineers had a small part. The film is almost as big an undertaking as the mission itself. 

     The film is a war epic, so expect a long haul. It's worth it though, as the film has a very large cast with many well-known actors having major parts to small cameos. Gene Hackman, although you'd think he'd play an American, actually plays a Polish General, which is interesting because it defies the expectations (given the roles he's played up to that point) and it mixes it up a bit. It would have been cool, seeing as British actors played British soldiers and same for the Americans, if an actual Polish actor helmed this role. It's  nitpicking, and Hackman's performance makes up for it. 

     The diverse cast, and large scale scenes really makes this feel like a huge undertaking. it's got impressive visuals, and the combat scenes are above average. The scattering of the massive amounts of familiar faces throughout the film keep you hooked the entire 3-hour run time, because there's never a moment they don't use the actors they have. 

     What also makes this film different is they don't hide the fact that Operation Market Garden was a failure. It's not downplayed, but it's not played up either. It's just kind of, "well, that's how it happened" attitude, almost like a documentary. The final scenes address the failure in a clever way, as Lieutenant General Roy Browning is asked how he feels about it, he replies "I always felt we tried to go a bridge too far". You certainly won't feel this way when you see this film. A decent cast, a great director, and a production value that just makes you appreciate all the work that went into this film, you won't be disappointed.  

Lawrence of Arabia

Lawrence of Arabia

Director: David Lean

Year: 1962

Starring: Peter O'Tool, Alec Guiness. Claude Rains, Omar Shariff and Anthony Quinn

     The word "classic" best describes this film, as it has withstood the test of time, and is still beloved and hailed to this day, half a century later. Lawrence of Arabia tells a different story in the First World War, one that many may not realize even happened. When you think of World War I, the images that come to mind are the Western Front, and the British against the German army in the trenches. There was much more than that going on during the war, and Arabia is just one of those many stories.

     The film is the true story of T.E. Lawrence, a British officer who helped unite the Arab National Council against the invading Turks. Lawrence is sent in to gain a foothold in the middle east, and to help establish British Military operations in the area.  

     Peter O'Tool (in his film debut) gives an excellent performance as the originally naive T.E. Lawrence. His character grows through the entire course of the film, and O'Tool's performance creates a subtle transformation as he goes from a young, inexperienced officer to a hardened and wiser person. O'Tool's performance is crucial to the film, because the character's development is mirrored in the events surrounding him. Had O'Tool not pulled it off, the film would have been a lot less effective. 

     Showing up in a supporting role is Alec Guiness doing what he does. He never gives a bad performance, and his role as Prince Faisal is on par with O'Tool's Lawrence.  The two play off each other rather effectively, showing a real relationship as the film progresses, which makes the ending even more emotional. 

     The only thing that would detract a lot of people from seeing the film, is the film's length. At 3 hours and 42 minutes, it is the longest film on this entire list, and probably the longest war movie ever made. It is definitely an endurance (it took me three sittings to get through the entire thing).The film is mostly dialogue as well, which makes the film feel slightly longer than it actually is, but given that this is a war movie, there are some combat scenes which are pretty impressive. The final battle near the end of the film is a grand-scale battle that almost reminds you of the battles in Lord of the Rings. 

    Lawrence of Arabia has certainly left it's mark in cinema history. It won the 1962 Best Picture Oscar, and O'Tool receiving a nomination for Best Actor (he lost of Gregory Peck for To Kill a Mockingbird). Ridley Scott even references the film several times in Prometheus, by making it the android David's favourite film, and even basing the character (right down to his hairstyle and mannerisms) on T.E. Lawrence. 

Apocalypse Now

Apocalypse Now

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Year: 1979

Starring: Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper, Laurence Fishburne, Harrison Ford and 

Marlon Brando

     If there is a word I can use to describe Apocalypse Now, that word is "epic". It is my favourite of all the films on this list, so please excuse if I tend to over hype it. Apocalypse Now was released in 1979 and has gone down as one of the greatest films of the 1970s, one of the greatest Vietnam war movies, and one of the greatest films of the "New Hollywood" era. This film might not be flawless, but it deserves all the praise it gets. 

     The film is actually a loose adaptation of Joseph Conrad's 1899 novella Heart of Darkness, but updated to a Vietnam setting. The story has Martin Sheen as Captain Benjamin Willard, who is tasked to hunt down, and terminate Col. Walter E. Kurtz, a former officer who has gone completely insane. Marlon Brando plays Kurtz, and while he isn't seen until the very end of the film, his looming presence is constant over the entire course of the film. Kurtz is played up to being a very dangerous man who is worshiped like a god. It may have helped that Brando was already a legendary actor, and it helped that his status enforced this larger than life character. 

     Willard sets out on a military boat (which features a very young Laurence Fishburne. Seriously, he had to lie about his age to get the part) and begins his trek through the dense Vietnam jungles. Along the way he runs into Cavalryman Major William. Kilgore (Robert Duvall), a charismatic leader who might be a little insane. Duvall literally steals every scene he's in, and while he's only on screen for about 20 minutes, you tend to forget he's not the main character of the film. Willard takes a step back, and reappears when Kilgore's time is up (the role scored Duvall an Academy Award nomination). 

     As the characters venture deep into the jungle, the environment around them gets less civilized until finally they reach the last military outpost. From then on, it's no man's land, and literally anything can happen. When Willard finally reaches Kurtz, they spend time analyzing each other, building rapport, and just plain staring each other down. These scenes are actually kind of slow, but they're filled with an immense intensity that it keeps you on the edge of your seat. Brando does a fantastic job, playing a somewhat sympathetic psychopath, but he does it in a way that you start to agree with some of his feelings and methods. Eventually, the film ends with a huge climax, with Willard and Kurtz facing each other one-on-one.

     Apocalypse Now reminds you why film is an art form. Every scene is carefully planned out, and Coppola's direction shows his true talent. It's a film about the duality of human nature, and the farther Willard travels upstream, the more insane he tends to become. Willard's confrontation with Kurtz is mirrored in the audience's feelings, as the two start to wonder if Kurtz is really insane. To stop Kurtz, Willard has to become Kurtz, which is what the film has been building up to from the start. 

     The film was re-edited and re-released in 2001 as Apocalypse Now Redux, which adds 49 minutes to the already long run time of 153 minutes. The film adds some new scenes, and even completely re-arranging some parts altogether. It slows the pace down a little bit near the end, which is the bulk of the new footage, but I personally feel that the Redux version is actually superior. It adds new scenes developing these characters that are on the journey with Willard, and it delves deeper into both Willard's character and Kurtz's character. 

     Whether it's the original cut, or the Redux version, this film will satisfy and leave you appreciating a lot more about the film medium as a whole. The Godfather and it's sequel may be masterpieces in their own right, but I would consider Apocalypse Now to be Coppola's magnum opus. 

Letters From Iwo Jima

Letters From Iwo Jima

Director: Clint Eastwood

Year: 2006

Starring: Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara and Ryo Kase

     Filmed back-to-back with Eastwood's other film, Flags of Our Fathers, this film is a companion piece to the former. It tells the same story at Flags, but from the Japanese Army's point of view. Even though they technically are in the same cinematic universe, and cover the same events, there is literally nothing connecting the two films other than Iwo Jima itself, and Clint Eastwood, so it's easy to consider these two films as stand-alone war movies. 

     Ken Watanabe plays General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, a commanding officer charged with defending Iwo Jima from an impending American invasion. As he arrives on the island, he starts making many changes to the tactics and how he treats his soldiers. It's very similar to Patton in that respect. Immediately, you realize Kuribayashi's style of leadership, and that he is in fact a very smart tactician. Other commanding officers don't agree with his less aggressive style, and there are points in the film where they take matters into their own hands. The one that sticks out the most is when a platoon of Japanese soldiers kill themselves instead of retreating to the command HQ as Kuribayashi ordered. 

     The film revolves around not only General Kuribayashi, but a multitude of characters. We get to know who they are and what life they lived before the war, and it's all told through their letters. Every major character is always writing letters back home, and through these we discover bits and pieces, eventually putting together a bigger picture. They allow us as the viewers to understand them more, and not see them as just soldiers. 

     That's what the film does really well. It humanizes everybody. Japan was the enemy in World War II, but it doesn't portray them in any such a way. The main theme is how quick we are to make assumptions, and how those assumptions can be destroyed. Eastwood portrays the Japanese soldiers in a way that makes you realize that these people weren't evil, angry enemies, but soldiers fighting for their country, much like we were at the same time. It's even enhanced further as an American Marine is captured, and as one Japanese soldier gets to know him, he feels sympathetic. After he dies, another Japanese soldier realizes that the two of them weren't all that different. 

     If you are not a fan of subtitles, you're going to be disappointed. 95% of the dialogue in the film is in Japanese. There is an English dub of the film available, but the actors actually speaking Japanese adds an element of realism to it that is often lost in a lot of North American films. Eastwood was always one for authenticity, and it's no exception here. Eastwood also keeps a more streamlined and linear story this time around, making it a lot less confusing that it's companion piece. There are a few flashback scenes, but only when they are absolutely necessary, and they aid in developing these characters. 

     If you liked Flags of Our Fathers, and if your a Clint Eastwood fan, this is definitely one war movie to check out. The story is superb, the combat scenes are a lot better than Flags, and the performances by Ken Watanabe and Kazunari Ninomiya are excellent. It will keep you hooked from beginning to end. 

Flags of Our Fathers

Flags of Our Fathers

Director: Clint Eastwood

Year: 2006

Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, Adam Beach, Paul Walker, Jamie Bell and Barry Pepper

     When I first found out they were adapting James Bradley's novel into a film, the first thought that entered into my head was "Why is this story only being adapted now?". The film is about the soldiers that raised the flag at Iwo Jima, and even if you have no idea what that is, you've probably recognized the famous photograph from that event. 

     Clint Eastwood helms the film, making it one of the few films he's directed, but makes no appearance in. Seriously, not even a cameo or something. It doesn't matter, because the film is still pretty good on it's own. The film depicts the events leading up to, during, and after the battle at Iwo Jima with the surviving flag raising soldiers returning home as celebrities. The only problem with the film's execution is how disjointed it is. 

     That's really my only problem with it. It constantly jumps around to different points in time, and it's hard to tell what's a flashback, what's the present, and what context this is all being told in. One scene actually has an actor playing James Bradley doing research for the book the film is based on. It gets really confusing at points. I have no problem with a non-linear story, but it's not structured in a way that's comprehendable.

     Apart from that, the film is pretty good. The scenes taking place at Iwo Jima are impressive, and the  production design is fantastic. It has a very familiar Spielberg  Saving Private Ryan element to it, which makes sense considering he was a producer on this film. Nevertheless, the films combat sequences are very well done, and it makes up for the lack of it later on in the film. After the initial battle is over, the soldiers return home and tour the country. The rest of the film deals with the aftermath, and how the soldiers themselves dealt with it all. 

     The film becomes less war-movie like and becomes more of a drama. It delves into the personal lives of the remaining soldiers, and each one (only three survived and returned home) turned out very differently, and it's interesting how they interact. It creates real tension between these characters, as Ira Hayes becomes depressed and an alcoholic, unable to deal with this unwanted fame, while Rene Gangon received numerous offers from many different companies to represent them, and John Bradley eventually settles down and starts a family. 

     Flags of Our Fathers is a decent film about an iconic event near the end of the war. Clint Eastwood directs another film to add to his legendary career as a filmmaker, and it reminds you again why this guy never made more film on the subject. The guy barely touches war movies for some reason. The film was followed by a companion piece Letters From Iwo Jima the same year, also directed by Eastwood. 

Legionnaire

Legionnaire

Director: Peter MacDonald

Year: 1998

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbage and Nicholas Farrell

     Slapping Van Damme's name on a film gives you the impression that this is going to be an action movie. To some, this might disappoint, because this is anything but that. What I personally like about Legionnaire is that Van Damme is able to show how versatile he can be, both in front and behind the camera. This film is one of the many times Van Damme was involved with the script and producing. 

     Tho story is rather simple: Van Damme plays Alain Lefevre, a boxer who is paid to take a dive. After beating his opponent, he decides to escape by enlisting in the French Foreign Legion. Thinking he has left his old life behind, he enters a new one that isn't much better than outrunning his debts. The conditions are terrible, and they are forced to march all the way across the desert to a French stronghold. His past catches up with him as two henchmen from Paris (whom you'll recognize from the opening scenes) arrive with another platoon. The film ends with Van Damme emerging victorious as the last man standing in beaten down, desolate stronghold. 

     Like I said, the plot is simple. It's got some great combat scenes as Lefevre's platoon is attacked, and the final climactic battle is exciting. Unlike other Van Damme films, the action is downplayed. Van Damme plays a character with more depth than usual in this film, and the plot doesn't rely on his roundhouse kick-boxing bad assery. Many would disagree, but I feel like Van Damme shows off his acting chops in this film. 

     The French Foreign Legion is not a military unit you ever see in films, in fact I can only think of one other, the Gene Hackman 1977 film March or Die. It's interesting to see what kind of outfit this is. The French Foreign Legion literally took anybody, from any background, from any race. It creates an opportunity to have some very colourful characters, as the Legion probably had over the years. That's one thing the film did right. It had a cast of characters that were literally from all over the world, and came from different backgrounds. Nicholas Farrel plays a disgraced Major from the British Army, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbage plays an American who fled because of injustice. Daniel Caltagirone adds humor to the film as an Italian who wants to impress his love back home. These characters all have back stories, similar to Lefevre's, and the film takes advantage of that.

      Legionnaire is a good film. Personally, it's one of my favourite Van Damme performances. It allows him to play a real character, one with emotional depth, which is why I think a lot of people wouldn't take kindly to this one. Forget that Van Damme and do the splits, and really appreciate how hard he worked on this film. If you take anything away from this film, I'd want it to be that. 

Paths of Glory

Paths of Glory

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Year: 1957

Starring Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker and George Macready

     When it comes to Stanley Kubrick, it's very hard for him to make a film that isn't a cinematic masterpiece. Paths of Glory is no exception. The film was his fourth as a filmmaker, and starred Kirk Douglas, father of Michael Douglas, in the lead role. What makes this film stand out among other war movies, apart from being directed by Kubrick, is the depiction of French soldiers. It's not something you see very often, as war movies tend to focus on either British, American, Russian or German soldiers. 

     Douglas plays a French colonel charged with the impossible task of capturing a German stronghold, nicknamed "The Anthill". Colonel Dax, Douglas' character, tries to convince the commanding officer, General Mireau, played by George Macready, that the mission is suicide, and would kill most, if not all, the soldiers charged with the task. Overruled, Dax leads the charge, and as he predicted, it fails.

     The rest of the film deals with this failure, as the General staff accuse the soldiers of cowardice, and are put on trial. Dax aggressively defends his soldiers, and offers a perspective the commanding Generals wouldn't understand, as they aren't actually fighting in the trenches. Eventually, three soldiers are sentenced to a firing squad as an example for future missions, and the soldiers ordered to carry these missions out. 

     In case you haven't guessed, this is an anti-war film. Primarily, it deals with the dehumanizing nature of war. It's a theme that Kubrick would re-visit in later years, and it's why I consider this to be the first "Kubrickian" film. Everything that would become synonymous with his name starts with this film. The anti-war themes are both subtle and obvious, and the blending of the two makes for an interesting look at how the film is presented, further emphasizing Kubrick's status as an auteur.

     With a great performance by Douglas (who would appear in Kubrick's next film, Spartacus) and set pieces that are fantastic, Paths of Glory is both an entertaining war movie, and a piece of cinematic artistry that (ironically) gives a human element to conflict, and reminds you that soldiers fighting these wars are still people, and that shouldn't be taken for granted. 

Deathwatch

Deathwatch

Director: Michael J. Bassett

Year: 2002

Starring: Jamie Bell and Andy Serkis

     When thinking about World War I films, there aren't many that come to mind. Deathwatch is a World War I film. but not one you'd expect. The film is actually a horror film set in the trenches of the war. It's interesting because that's not a typical setting for a horror film. 

     The trenches of the war is a perfect environment for a horror story to take place, given how terrible the conditions are. Now add a supernatural, slasher element, and you've got quite an interesting film. The story is simple: A group of British soldiers encounter a German trench, and immediately take it over, taking the one German soldier remaining hostage. As the soldiers remain in the trench, weird things start happening as each soldier is killed off one-by one. 

     This film is by all means, not a masterpiece, and it's certainly not flawless. I'd consider it more of a slasher film than a war film, but it blends the two enough together to consider it either or. Andy Serkis steals the show as a borderline psychotic soldier who has had enough of his officers, and eventually meets his demise at the end of the film (rather creatively, I must say). Jamie Bell also gives a great performance as a soldier who's torn between what is right, and what must be done (The two actors would reunite to play Tintin and Haddock in Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin nine years later).

     The plot get's a lot of criticism, but I don't see why. The story is very simple, and it's not that hard to follow. The action is confined to the trenches, so it keeps the story, and the action, to one place, and it doesn't get overly complicated. The historical accuracy however, is probably the biggest flaw. The soldiers use weapons that weren't in use until World War II, and some insignia on the uniforms weren't around until after the war. It sounds like nit-picking, but it doesn't really matter with a film of this nature. 

     Deathwatch is a film for the curious, and for slasher/horror fans. If you want to see what a trench was like back in the First World War, then this film nails that down perfectly. Don't expect an over dramatic story with emotional and narrative depth, in fact, expect the opposite. It's a film you would've rented on a Friday night with a bunch of friends out of curiosity, and becomes the film you all love to hate. 

Von Ryan's Express

Von Ryan's Express

Director: Mark Robson

Year: 1965

Starring: Frank Sinatra, Trevor Howard, Sergio Fantoni and Brad Dexter

     The opening scenes of Von Ryan's Express will make you think this is another typical break-out POW war movie. Technically, it is a jailbreak film, but it's execution is something you wouldn't expect from a film like this. 

     The film opens up with Colonel Ryan ("The Eponymous "Von Ryan"), played by Frank Sinatra (yes, the singer) being escorted to a POW camp in 1943 Italy. It's interesting to see the Italians as the bad guys, as it's never often explored in war movies. Historically, the Germans did turn on their former allies, and that theme is prevalent in this film, which I'l get to later. it's clear many of these British soldiers have been in the camp for a long time, and have been planning an escape for some time. It begins to play out like you've jumped into the middle of The Great Escape, but that's as far as the comparisons go.

     Roughly a half hour into the film, the Italian army surrenders to the allies, which basically means the POWs are free to go. The camp's warden, played by Adolfo Celi (who you'll remember as the main villain Emilio Largo in the James Bond film Thunderball released the same year) pleads for his life, and is thrown into the sweatbox. The POWs decide to leave the camp, but are captured once again.

     This is where the film takes a complete different direction. The prisoners are put aboard a POW train, and are being transported across the country. The characters as very quickly, and take over the train themselves, and end up posing as the German soldiers that once held them captive. They go from checkpoint to checkpoint, desperately trying to outwit the Germans. 

     This is where the film injects some light humor, as only one of the British soldiers actually speaks German, and must figure out how to get past without raising suspicion. It's funny, and suspenseful at the same time. Each scene is filled with a combination of the two, giving you an uneasy feeling about whether or not they are going to make it through. The characters eventually decide to divert their course to Switzerland, and finally escape the German Army. 

     It's here that the German eventually catch on and pursue the captured train, creating a cat-and-mouse type of scenario that just keeps you hooked with each passing scene. The climatic final battle at the end satisfies the cravings for some action, and the characters finally escape to Switzerland with their lives. 

     Von Ryan's Express is a fun film, and it's a different kind of war POW experience. Most are about characters trying to get out of a camp, while this one has them constantly on the move while still trying to escape. It's really a unique experience, and one that hasn't been done since. Frank Sinatra really shows off how capable an actor he is, and it was he that suggested the film's ending (which differs from the book it's based). It paid off, and Von Ryan's Express is a fun ride that won't disappoint. 

The Deer Hunter

The Deer Hunter

Director: Michael Cimino

Year: 1978

Starring: Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Savage, John Cazale and Meryl Streep

     Like the earlier film Taxi Driver (a film also starring De Niro), The Deer Hunter is not about the actual war itself, but the effects it can have on the individual. The Deer Hunter goes deeper and shows how the effect on the individual can affect everything around them, including family and personal relationships. 

     The film starts by introducing the main characters, and their daily lives in the small town of Clariton, Pennsylvania. De Niro and friends work at the local mill, spend time at each other's houses, and of course, hunt deer. All is well as we see John Savage's character get married, and life looks good for these band of misfits. Things take a turn when De Niro, Walken and Savage must go and fight in Vietnam. It's an emotional departure for the characters, as with war, it's very uncertain who will come home, and who won't.

     The shocking part of this film, is while they actually show the characters in Vietnam, there is actually no combat. It cuts to the three characters, along with many other soldiers, being held captive by the Vietcong. They are forced to play Russian Roulette with each other until they are all dead. The main characters watch  in horror as soldiers are picked off one-by-one. Eventually, the characters escape (rather brutally) and it's implied they are found, and sent home. 

     De Niro's character Mike returns home, and purposely keeps a low profile. His experiences in the war have clearly affected him, and he doesn't want anybody celebrating even the fact he's home. he just wants to return to the way things were before, but it quickly becomes clear that it won't ever be the same. Walken's character Nick hasn't returned from Vietnam, and Savage's character Steven had both his legs amputated and is partially paralyzed. Despite the effects, Mike decides to hunt once again, but breaks down during, instead shooting his rifle into the air. 

     Eventually, Mike returns to Vietnam and finds Nick, who had been playing Russian Roulette for cash, and refuses to quit. It results in his demise, and is finally brought back home, where he has a proper funeral. Life has drastically changed for everyone, and it's left unclear what the future holds. 

     The Deer Hunter is another example of PTSD, and a good one at that. The only downside the film has, is the pace. It really takes it's time, and runs just over three hours. If you can appreciate lengthy character development and a story that unfolds little bits at a time, you'll enjoy the film. De Niro carries the film with a lot of emotion, and his reactions feel genuine. Christopher Walken is the real stand out, as he goes from playing a charismatic funny guy to a damaged man with nothing to lose (he would win an Academy Award for his performance). This film is also notable for being John Cazale's final film. He was dying of cancer and unfortunately never saw the completed film. 

     All in all, The Deer Hunter is a film worth watching to see how the war can be brought home, and it represents that the final battles aren't always fought on the battlefield, but right in your own backyard. 

The Great Escape

The Great Escape

Director: John Sturges

Year: 1963

Starring: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Donald Pleasence and Charles Bronson

     The Great Escape is a different kind of war movie. It's about a subject that is often forgotten about, or at least glossed over, and that is POWs, or Prisoners Of War. As the title suggests, it's about a group of POWs that escape from their concentration camp. That might not sound that interesting, but it is actually based on a true story, with many of the characters being based on real-life counterparts. 

     Steve McQueen plays Lt. Hilts, the so called "Cooler King" as he spends much of his time in the camp inside the isolation "cooler". James Garner plays a character based on a real-life Canadian POW that assisted with the escape. Richard Attenborough, who would achieve later fame as the director of A Bridge Too Far, Gandhi and Chaplin, plays the mastermind of the entire escape (nicknamed "Big X"). Donald Pleasence offers some comedy as a Lieutenant who is losing his sight, and refuses to accept that fact. Rounding out this big cast is Charles Bronson as a polish character with claustrophobia (a real fear of his). 

     The film documents the arrival of the POWs, their plan, the execution, and finally the gripping final act where the character escape from the camp. It really pays off, as the film takes it's time to develop all the main characters in the story, and the bonds they forged while attempting this mission. You get a real sense of camaraderie as every POW is involved to some extent, and there is literally no room for error. Everybody watches out for each other, and it's a general sense of  teamwork. 

     Every character has their moment, and get's a chance to really become something else. You really feel for these characters by the end, and you really do hope for the best as they execute a very dangerous assignment. It's what makes the film stand out. The only downside to that, is the film takes it time literally, as the running time is almost three hours. It pays off though, with the character dividing up into different groups, and watching their outcome after the initial break out. 

     Steve McQueen's motorcycle chase (which didn't actually happen in real life) is the real standout at the end, as McQueen's character outruns a German Motorcyclist (also played by McQueen) and jumps a fence in his escape. The film has a rather depressing ending, as most of the characters are either caught, or killed, with only a handful actually making it out alive. Depressing, yes, but it's not improbable given the circumstances. The film is worth seeing, even if it's just to see the war from a different perspective. Great set pieces, excellent writing, and above average direction from John Sturges makes this a film for any war fan. 

Taxi Driver

Taxi Driver

Director: Martin Scorsese

Year: 1976

Starring: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Harvey Keitel and Peter Boyle

     Not all war movies deal with the actual war, and Taxi Driver is one such an example. The film is set shortly after the Vietnam war, and follows a former infantryman (played by De Niro) as he re-adjusts to civilian life. Vietnam films typically deal with this theme, as most of the films made deal with the personal struggles and how the war itself affected each individual involved. To put it simply, most Vietnam war movies are about PSTD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Taxi Driver is probably one of the best visual examples of the disorder. 

     De Niro plays Travis Bickle, a man returning from Vietnam and decides to work the late shift as a taxi driver. He begins hanging around other fellow taxi drivers (one played by Peter Boyle, of Everybody Loves Raymond and Young Frankenstein fame) and puts off a very distanced personality. He nevertheless strikes up a relationship with a woman named Betsy, and the two begin seeing each other on a regular basis. I admit, this sounds a little dull, but it's crucial to the overall plot as we see Travis interact and adapt to a non-military, non-hostile environment. He is clearly uneasy, and is not quick to make friends. The struggle of dealing with the aftermath of the war is clearly affecting Travis, but it slowly digs it's way out. It first breaks free temporarily when Travis shoots a man who attempts to rob a convenience store.

     Travis runs into a girl named Iris (played by a young Jodie Foster) and eventually figures out she's actually a child prostitute, and seeing as he was disgusted by prostitution himself, he sets out to protect and possible save her from Sport, her pimp (played by Harvey Keitel). The climax of the film is where it takes a complete 180, and Travis, now sporting a Mohawk, first attempts to assassinate Senator Palantine at a public rally, but escapes. He then finds Iris, and in a very bloody shootout, he rescues her, and kills Sport after being fatally wounded. 

     Surprisingly, the film ends on a high note. Travis survives the ordeal, and is hailed in the media as a local hero, and even receives a letter from Iris' parents, thanking him. He returns to his job as a taxi driver, and for the first time in the entire film, he looks genuinely happy and okay, and that he's adjusted to civilian life once again, and has made peace with his past in the war. 

     Taxi Driver is one well made film. It shows that not every war movie needs a big budget, impressive combat scenes, and Nazis, to make it a good one. This is a different kind of war movie, and it gets down to the individual, and how it can leave a lingering effect. The film is a classic, and the famous "You talking to me?" scene should be enough to appreciate it for what it set out to accomplish.