100 War Films - Channel Four

7/28/2019 100 War Films - Channel Four

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100. Rambo: First Blood, Part II, 1985Rambo Stallone goes back to Vietnam to rescue a bunch of abandoned POW's in the most successfulof the three insanely macho action adventures. Sly mangles dialogue as if he is chewing bullets whileindulging in ludicrous comic strip heroics. But remember: this was cooked up when a B-movie actor wasin the White House. This big, dumb and fun film definitely says 'no' to diplomacy.

99. The Eagle Has Landed, 1977

Based on Jack Higgins’s book, The Eagle Has Landed tells the story of a daring German World War IIplot that could have changed the course of history. Michael Caine leads a group of Germanparatroopers who land in England on a mission to kidnap Churchill.

98. Big Red One, 1980Samuel Fuller's acclaimed Second World War tale of camaraderie and violence, starring Lee Marvin anda post-Star Wars Mark Hamill. The film chronicles the movements of a squad from the 1st US InfantryDivision ('The Big Red One') through the World War II, from a beachhead assault in North Africa,through France, Sicily and Belgium, up to the horror of liberating a Nazi concentration camp. War isreduced to its graphic essentials in Fuller's no-holds-barred style and Marvin brilliantly portrays thenameless battle-hardened sergeant leading the young GI's.

97. Lacombe Lucien, 1974Louis Malle's film set in France during the Nazi Occupation, centres on Lucien, a simple farmhand notlong out of school, with a penchant for shooting rabbits. After failing to hook up with the Resistancemovement, he ends up working for the Gestapo and starts to fall for the daughter of a local Jewish tailor.

Bravely and controversially addressing his country's history of collaboration, Malle creates Lucien as ametaphor for his country's past, guilty of naivety and opportunism, but is he is evil as their invaders?The moral dilemma is never answered satisfactorily, but perhaps it's enough that the question wasposed.

96. Cold Mountain, 2003Jude Law and Nicole Kidman head the all-star cast in Anthony Minghella's stunning drama set duringthe American Civil War. A wounded confederate soldier named Inman (Law) attempts to return home tothe eponymous North Carolina town and be reunited with Ada (Kidman), the woman he left behind.

Along the way, he meets a host of colourful characters who help or hinder his passage home, whileKidman struggles to run her father's dilapidated farm and holds onto the hope that Law is still alive. Thetwo leads give powerful performances in a poignant film about how there is no glory in war, only death,but it's the Oscar-winning Renée Zellweger who steals the show.

95. Welcome To Sarajevo, 1997Based on the true story of journalist Michael Nicholson, who adopted a Bosnian child when covering the

conflict there, this was the first Western movie to examine the war in the former Yugoslavia. StephenDillane is the dispassionate reporter who questions news values when his stories about a besiegedorphanage are overtaken by the Duke of York's divorce, and decides to smuggle out and adopt a younggirl with no future. This unashamedly political film is commendably free of sentiment and full of the shrillterror of life in the war torn town.

94. The Colditz Story, 1955With a cast chock full of war movie veterans, and based on the real-life memoirs of Pat Reid, TheColditz Story is a an entertaining, and moving, account of l ife in the most notorious prison camp in theThird Reich. More a rousing adventure story than a portrayal of harsh realities of war, the film followsnumerous foiled escape attempts until one of the heroes hits on a brilliant plan...

93. Europa, Europa, 1990The improbable, but true, story of Solomon Perel (Rene Hofschneider) a young German Jew who joinedthe Hitler Youth to make it through World War II. He manages to fall in love with a propaganda-swallowing Nazi mouthpiece played by Julie Delpy. Half 'horror of war' movie, half coming of age

comedy, Agnieszka Holland's film is as powerful as it is unusual.

92. The Birth Of A Nation, 1915Unarguably one of the most important films in the history of cinema, D W Griffith's sprawling historicalepic is also one of the most controversial. The story, adapted from Thomas Dixon's overtly racist novelThe Clansman, follows the fluctuating fortunes of two families - the Stonemasons in the North and theCamerons in the South - through the Civil War and Reconstruction until finally "the former enemies of North and South are united in common defence of their Aryan birthright.” Technically brilliant butappallingly misguided.

91. Hell In The Pacific, 1968Lee Marvin and Toshirô Mifune are the US and Japanese pilots who are forced to forget their differences and work together to survive when an accident leaves them both stranded on a desertedPacific island during World War II. John Boorman directs this two-hander, which is held together bypowerful performances from Marvin and Mifune as the enemies who don't even have a commonlanguage to bond them together (cue lots of scenes of them yelling at each other in their ownlanguages), yet somehow find common ground in their predicament. Unsettling stuff, bolstered by aboldly bleak finale.



90. Regeneration, 1997Based on the acclaimed novel by Pat Barker, Regeneration portrays the lives of various victims of shellshock being treated at a psychiatric hospital in Edinburgh during the First World War. Among thoseinmates are the anti-war poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen. The film is moving, not justbecause of the subtly conveyed horrors of war, but because of its story of a poet discovering his voice ina hitherto unimaginable world.

89. Von Ryan's Express, 1965Italy, 1943 - captured and taken to a POW camp, Colonel Ryan (Frank Sinatra) is dubbed 'Von Ryan'after he scuppers a 'suicidal' British escape attempt. Ryan spots a better opportunity for freedom whenthe inmates are relocated to Germany: he hijacks the train and heads for Switzerland, hotly pursued bythe Nazis. A ripping yarn culminating in a wild train dash through Germany, with director Mark Robsoncranking up the tension and releasing it with some excellent action set pieces.

88. Memphis Belle, 1990 A 2nd World War drama from Brit director Caton-Jones. The crew of the Memphis Belle, a B-17bomber, have to make one final bombing raid over Europe before they complete their 25th mission andare able to return home. Their task is to bomb a Nazi supply factory in Bremen, which if missed couldlead to many civilians losing their lives.

87. Rome, Open City, 1945Roberto Rossellini's first film of the post-Mussolini era is a real rough diamond, neo-realism par excellence, shot with hand-held cameras on the streets of Rome. It's based on the true story of a priest

killed by the Nazis in wartime Italy, and Aldo Fabrizi brings an embattled matter-of-factness to the role of the doomed resistance worker Don Pietro, but the real power comes from the non-professional actors inthe smaller roles - the children and the women on the street.

86. El Cid, 1961With a budget bigger than a small country's GDP, a beautiful cast, a fine score and a cracking story thisis a superb Technicolor epic. Heston's heroic impassivity is perfect for the role of the semi-legendary11th-century warrior hero who drove the Moors from Spain. At the climax, worthy of the Spanish epicsand ballads on the same subject, he ends up as a rigid corpse strapped to a horse leading his men tovictory. Anthony Mann's epic towers over all others of the same type.

85. To Be Or Not To Be, 1942This classic satire starts with a man who appears to be Adolf Hitler gazing into a butcher's shop windowin a Warsaw high street, and proceeds to explain how he got there. Lubitsch's film tells the story of agroup of actors put out of work by the Nazi invasion of Poland. They become involved in the resistancemovement where their thespian skills are tested to heroic levels. Dismissed as being in bad taste on its

release, time and distance have allowed its genius to be recognised.84. The Caine Mutiny, 1954Humphrey Bogart stars in this naval courtroom drama about the trial of a group of mutineers from theUS Pacific Fleet. As the trial unfolds, we learn that the ship's Captain (Bogart) was mentally unstable,perhaps even insane, and that the men relieved him of command to save their own lives. The drama iscompulsive and the starry cast make the most of a mountain of words - especially Bogart, whose finaldisintegration in court before our eyes has become part of movie legend.

83. Cromwell, 1970Boasting lavish sets, costumes and a British cast to die for, this biopic of the Protestant leader whocaused the downfall of Charles I and ruled the country briefly between monarchs takes some libertieswith historical accuracy, but is so well made that it gets away with it. Unusually, Richard Harris'Cromwell comes across as la fanatical God-botherer, ultimately leaving audience sympathy to rest with

Alec Guinness as the doomed king whose head is destined for the block. As long as you don't rely onthe film for your history essay you'll be in for a treat.

82. No Man's Land, 2001 A Bosnian and a Serb end up in the same trench, but decide not to kill each other, in this satirical war movie that lambasts the UN, the media and the stupidity of war in general. The feature debut of Bosnian writer-director Danis Tranovic. Not only does the film take us into the heart of the Balkanconflict, it also looks at the role of both the UN forces and the world media in the perpetuation of the war.Tranovic's film highlights how the Balkan conflict is defined by chaos (on the part of the local forces),bureaucracy (from the UN) and exploitation (by the media). In this sharp black comedy, the UN and themedia receive the most scathing treatment.

81. Love And Death, 1975Set in Russia against the backdrop of the Napoleonic War, Love And Death is a highly enjoyable trawlthrough the travails of Allen's liberal neuroses. Allen is Boris, a useless coward obsessed with hiscousin Sonja (Diane Keaton). When war breaks out he gets himself fired from a cannon and winds up anational hero, then reluctantly gets tangled up in a plan to assassinate Napoleon. A fine mix of thecerebral and the absurd, it's a rare minute that doesn't pass without someone saying something youwish you'd said yourself.

80. Land And Freedom, 1995



A stirring account of the Spanish Civil War from Ken Loach, in which a young Liverpudlian communistleaves the homestead to battle against fascism on the Med. However, his idealism is quickly crushed bythe horrors of the combat unfolding before him, while party politics rear their head and complicatematters further. Told largely in flashback, as the grand daughter of Hart's character discovers hispossessions after his death, this is about as moving an account of war as you're likely to see.

79. Mrs Miniver, 1942This timely paean to England became emblematic of how Americans saw the British under bombardment during the Second World War; Greer Garson, in the title role, represented indomitableEnglish womanhood defying the Blitz. Illustrating the impact of war on the British people, specifically themiddle-classes, this warm-hearted film won Best Picture, Best Actress and Best Director Oscars.

78. Breaker Morant, 1980Edward Woodward stars in this Oscar-nominated Aussie courtroom drama set in the Boer War. Basedon a true story, it's a rousing anti-war polemic from the director of Driving Miss Daisy, Bruce Beresford.British Lieutenant Harry 'Breaker' Morant (Edward Woodward) is among a group of soldiersscapegoated for the shooting of a German missionary, committed under orders. Given just a single dayto mount their defence, the fate of Morant and his men is sealed before the trial even begins.Woodward gives a dignified performance as the professional soldier caught up in this mess and, the filmsuggests, his loyalty to the Establishment makes him as much a victim as everyone else involved in thewar.

77. The Charge Of The Light Brigade, 1936/1968

Legendary swashbuckler Errol Flynn leads the Light Brigade on their heroic charge into the Valley of Death. Flynn has everything going for him here: romance with Olivia de Havilland, battle scenes andstunts galore. Director Michael Curtiz keeps the action bowling along at a breakneck pace, with never acare for the suffering of either human or animal (Flynn secretly tipped off the RSPCA, resulting in stricter legislation being passed to protect animals in films). Historically incorrect, but magnificent nonetheless.

76. Sands Of Iwo Jima, 1949 Allan Dwan utilized authentic footage in the story of tough Marine Sergeant John Stryker (John Wayne),who bullies his recruits so that they'll be men, soldiers and alive at the end of the Pacific conflict againstJapan. As the squad reached a bloody conflict on the island of Iwo Jima, the men come to respect andlove their tough Sergeant.

75. Gone With The Wind, 1939Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh star in one of Hollywood's most famous romantic epics. Set during the

American Civil War, Gone With The Wind tells the story of Scarlett O'Hara (Leigh), a woman who candeal with anything - the war, poverty and starvation - except Rhett Butler (Gable). After their doomed

marriage fails, Scarlett returns to her plantation to find consolation - only to then receive one of cinema'sbest put-downs when she realises that she actually loved Rhett. Hugely expensive for its time, it hasevery dollar evident on screen, and it is easy to be seduced by its sumptuous visuals.

74. Alexander Nevsky, 1938One of Sergei Eisenstein's most popular films, this was made just before the Second World War andtells how Russian prince Nevsky - besieged on all sides by invading Teutonic knights - raises a peasantarmy and mounts a counter-attack. The parallels with Stalin and Hitler are there if you care to look for them, but what is most impressive are the intense fight scenes that take up much of the fi lm, and theway Eisenstein marries the action with the score by Prokofiev.

73. Ride With The Devil, 1999Set during the American Civil War, Ang Lee's superbly crafted film infuses new life into a well-knownperiod by concentrating on the local battles and rivalries so that the confrontation is more personal andintense. This is not an abstract view of the divisions but a fiercely compassionate one, which charts ayoung boy's (Tobey Maguire) growth to manhood.

72. The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp, 1943Powell and Pressburger's fifth film, a masterwork (made despite prime minister Winston Churchill'swishes) focuses on the life of Clive Candy V. C., a heroic character rooted in the values of EdwardianEngland, leading up to and during the Second World War. Candy believes that any fight can be foughtand settled by maintaining gentlemanly principles. It lies with his best friend, a German, to make Candyrealise how different things are, since the advent of Nazism.

71. Come And See, 1986 A harrowing but worthy portrait of a young Russian boy's experiences during The Second World War ashe turns from green teenager to hardened resistance fighter. The Second World War always broughtout the best in Soviet filmmakers and director Elem Klimov found his ideal subject in this harrowing storyof a teenage boy's view of the conflict. The lad Florya is taken off by a group of partisans, fighting in thewoods of Byelorussia in 1943. They disappear and he is left to wander, gun in hand, until he rejoinsthem at the end as an active and hardened participant, his young face prematurely aged.

70. Oh! What A Lovely War, 1969 An anti-war musical satire with an all-star cast including John Mills, Maggie Smith and Laurence Olivier,Oh! What A Lovely War movingly conveys the horror of the First World War through the popular,



jingoistic songs of the time. The indomitable sentiments expressed in the soldiers' songs stand interrible contrast to the slaughter at the front - which did away with most of a generation of young Britishmen.

69. Went The Day Well?, 1942 A patriotic Second World War thriller based on a discomforting Graham Greene story that asks: whatwould happen if the Nazis took over a small English village? Although the film was primarily a morale-boosting piece of German bashing, it makes an effective piece of wartime propaganda with a strikinglydark interpretation of what happens when strangers enter an English pastoral paradise.

68. Glory, 1989While the American Civil War was fought to free slaves, it's ironic that the heroic efforts of black Yankeesoldiers are often overlooked in accounts of the period. Glory seeks to address this, by telling the storyof the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry - which was made up of black soldiers.Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman and Mathew Broderick are the stars in this splendid account of the heroism which changed perceptions of black soldiers. The battle scenes are astonishingly realisticand brutal, but it is the bravery of the men involved that lives longest in the memory.

67. Napoleon, 1927Six hours' worth of the French legend courtesy of the revered silent film-maker Gance (designed to bewatched in two parts although this is so riveting you may well find yourself viewing the whole thing inone go), taking in everything from Boney's childhood, through his escape from Corsica and the FrenchRevolution, and ending with his 1797 invasion of Italy. Originally intended as a six-parter, financial

restraints prevented Gance from making the rest, but with a whole string of breathtaking set pieces thisstaggering epic achievement still puts a lot of modern blockbusters to shame in terms of originality andtrickery.

66. Enigma, 2001 Ace code-cracker Tom Jericho (Dougray Scott) must race against time if he is to uncover a spy, locatehis missing girlfriend and save 10,000 lives in this quality Second World War thriller. Produced byRolling Stone Mick Jagger, directed by Michael Apted and featuring a sumptuous score by John Barry,Enigma is an old-fashioned espionage thriller in the grand tradition of The Thirty-Nine Steps and TheLady Vanishes. Based on the best-selling novel by Robert Harris, it also pays tribute to the code-breakers of Bletchley Park whose tireless efforts foiled the Nazi U-boats wreaking havoc in the Atlantic.

65. The General, 1927When The General was released in 1926, the critics dismissed it and audiences stayed away. However,Buster Keaton's silent comedy has come to now be regarded as a masterpiece and one of the greatwar-comedies. It follows steam-engine engineer Johnnie Gray (Keaton) as he fights to regain his two

great loves: his trusty train, General, and his beautiful girl, Annabelle (Mack). The former has beenstolen by Union soldiers, who are hightailing it back to the North with Annabelle on board. Far morecinematic than anything Chaplin ever mustered and a damn site funnier, The General presents aforceful argument that it was Keaton, not the little tramp, who was the king of silent comedy.

64. The Battle Of Algiers, 1965Powerful documentary from Italian director Gillo Pontecorvo about the guerrilla war against the Frenchin Algiers. Banned in France for years because of its hard-hitting and heart-rending account of theactivities of a group of Algerian Liberation Front fighters, the film is still as shocking today as it was whenfirst released.

63. When The Wind Blows, 1986 A classic cartoon book is brought successfully to the screen in this desperately moving satire whichportrays the efforts of rural pensioners Jim and Hilda Bloggs to act upon the wisdom of thegovernment's once notorious nuclear war handbook, Protect and Survive. Their diligent removal of doors, collection of drinking water and discussion of the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction

doesn't save them when the missiles land.62. Ran, 1985The Japanese master director Akira Kurosawa tackles Shakespeare in this epic retelling of King Lear.Kurosawa sets the tale in 16th Century Japan. Aging warlord Hidetora (Tatsuya Nakadai) is preparingto divide his land up between his three sons. Refusing to take part in hypocritical professions of love for material gain, Daisuke Ryu fulfils the same role as Cordelia in Shakespeare's original. As the sonsbicker and argue over the division of the spoils, the aging lord is driven from his home and slowly goesmad. A landmark of world cinema, this is a rousing, staggering epic and a haunting drama of timelesssignificance.

61. La Grande Illusion, 1937One of the true classics of world cinema and a landmark anti-war statement by the great Jean Renoir,La Grande Illusion is less about the rigours of modern combat than its dehumanising influence on theparticipants. The story centres on two French soldiers, working class Lieutenant Maréchal (Gabin) andupper class Captain De Boeldieu (Fresnay), taken captive during the First World War. The significance

of the film lies not in this action, however, but in the relationships and class dynamics. The 'grandillusion' itself is that the upper classes are somehow exempt from the barbarity of war.



60. The English Patient, 1996Oscars for Best Picture, director Anthony Minghella and actress Juliet Binoche were among the manylaurels showered on this adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's 1992 book. Romance blossoms betweenstar-crossed lovers Count Laszlo de Almasy (Ralph Fiennes) and Katherine Clifton (Kristin ScottThomas) in desert outposts during the Second World War, the couple's affair related in flashback byamnesiac, charred and dying Almasy to sympathetic nurse Hana (Binoche). A really sense of doomhangs over the couple and The English Patient boasts one of cinema's most moving endings.

59. Reach For The Sky, 1956 A film with all the clichés of heroism and overcoming disability, still leaves one with no doubt thatDouglas Bader was a remarkable man. He had both his legs amputated after a flying accident in theearly 30s and when war came, he flew for the RAF, being forced to bail out over Germany where he wastaken prisoner, eventually placed in Colditz. This very British affair is made bearable by Kenneth More'shumorous and inspiring portrayal of Bader. The moments that are particularly powerful are those inwhich he attempts to walk again with artificial legs.

58. Stalingrad, 1993Vilsmaier's realist account of the battle of Stalingrad from the point of view of a weary and traumatizedGerman platoon does for the Eastern Front what Das Boot did for the war at sea. After losing 338 of their 400-strong unit in the capture of a ruined stretch of the city, the survivors decide to desert.Vilsmaier makes no attempt to explain broader matters of strategy or politics, focusing instead on thedisorientation, filth and terror that made up the daily life of the lower ranks.

57. In Which We Serve, 1942Noel Coward, who wrote, scored and co-ordinated this film, won a special Oscar for outstandingproduction achievement. The story of a sunken British destroyer, HMS Torrin, is told in flash backs bysurvivors as they cling to a life raft. Coward himself gives a characteristically clipped and somewhatexpressionless performance as the captain of a destroyer, but the film is still a huge achievement.

56. Life Is Beautiful, 1997This Oscar-winning comedy plays the Holocaust for laughs, with Italian Jew Guido (Roberto Benigni)turning the horrific reality of a concentration camp into a vivid fantasy land in order to his shield hisyoung son Joshua from the terrible truth. Although the film begins as slapstick, there are obviousundertones of darkness, and these ultimately serve to underline the atrocities committed within theconcentration camps.

55. Casualties Of War, 1989In Brian De Palma's brutal and disturbing fact-based Vietnam film, a Vietnamese women is kidnapped,raped and murdered by four GIs led by battle-scarred Sean Penn. But new recruit Michael J Fox is

determined they shouldn't get away with murder - unlike the rest of the American soldiers in Vietnam -and the battle lines are drawn between him and Penn, the leader of the gang.

54. From Here To Eternity, 1953Oscar-showered adaptation of James Jones' novel about military corruption, romance and boxing at anarmy camp on Hawaii, just prior to Pearl Harbor. A tough story on corruption in the military is setagainst America's lack of knowledge about the impending Japanese attack. Probably best remember for an infamous love scene on the beach between Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster and for reviving thecareer of Frank Sinatra, who turns in an Oscar winning performance as Private Maggio.

53. Troy, 2004Inspired chiefly by Homer's 'The Iliad', the film, set in 1200 BC, focuses on the few weeks surroundingthe destruction of the city of Troy. From the detailed costumes and weapons to the impressivereconstruction of Troy itself, everything has a remarkably authentic and textured feel, but the real feather in the hat is the cast. Wolfgang Petersen's effort truly deserves the 'epic' label - not only for its startlingbattle scenes but also for a series of powerful performances by three generations of world-class actors.

52. Hope And Glory, 1987John Boorman's nostalgic, autobiographical Second World War film is rich with humour and unashamednostalgia. Sebastian Rice-Edwards plays the nine-year-old child who makes the most of thedevastation, finding adventure in London's bombsites and comfort in the protective bosom of his all-female household. When the Nazi threat becomes too great he's evacuated to the riverside home of hisgrandfather (Bannen), in whom he finds a gloriously eccentric new playmate. Capturing the magicalexcitement of childhood discovery, the film also charms with its rendition of a matriarchy finding newindependence in their husbands' absence.

51. A Town Like Alice, 1956One of the greatest films about women in wartime, A Town Like Alice is based on a best-selling novel byNevil Shute. It follows a group of women and children who are captured by the Japanese, when theyoccupy Malaya during the 2nd World War. Forced to move from camp to camp, the film highlights their courage, suffering and personal relationships.

50. Three Kings, 1999Satirical Gulf War movie in which George Clooney and a trio of other US soldiers head into the Iraqihinterlands hoping to 'liberate' a stockpile of stolen gold and find themselves getting caught up in a



bloody and confusing civil war. Director David O Russell lets the brutal battle scenes speak for themselves, showing the bloody reality of bullets ripping through flesh. But there's more to this film thanfighting - the dialogue is humorous and highly satirical, while the farcical confusion of who's fightingwhom and why presents a strong anti-war message.

49. Carve Her Name With Pride, 1958Virginia McKenna shines as the English girl who marries a handsome young French soldier during theSecond World War. Soon after, she receives word that he has been killed in action in North Africa.McKenna is then herself approached to help the war effort, by becoming a secret agent, and get thechance to avenge the death of her husband. Keep your eyes peeled for a glimpse of the young MichaelCaine as an uncredited extra in this stirring account of gung-ho wartime exploits.

48. Gallipoli, 1981Peter Weir's highly effective retelling of the Anzac attempt to take control of Gallipoli in Turkey duringthe First World War is amongst the most moving of war films. Mel Gibson and Mark Lee are twosprinters who join the Australian army and become involved in their disastrous campaign to take controlof the Dardanelles. Weir's film intelligently places equal importance on the friendship of the two men,which increases the tragedy of the film's stunning denouement when the troops go over the top - a shotthat transcends cliché.

47. A Matter Of Life And Death, 1962Originally commissioned by the wartime Ministry of Information to bolster relations between Britain andthe US, Powell's compassionate and technically superb film about a pilot who cheats death has come to

be regarded as a masterpiece in its own right. David Niven is Peter Carter, an RAF pilot (and poet) whobails out of his plane over the Channel. By a clerical error on the part of the angel (Marins Goring) dueto escort him to heaven, Peter survives long enough to meet and fall in love with a young US woman(Kim Hunter), with whom he had been in radio contact in his fateful, fatal flight. As his life hangs in thebalance, Peter appears before a celestial court to plea for another shot at life.

46. Master And Commander, 2003Russell Crowe stars as the captain of a British warship, obsessively hunting down a superior Frenchvessel in this nautical 19th century adventure directed by Peter Weir. Russell Crowe stars as "Lucky"Jack Aubrey, captain of HMS Surprise, a Royal Navy ship patrolling off the coast of Brazil. Her ordersare to "intercept French Privateer Acheron", which has been harrying British interests in the area. Weir and his special effects team have done wonders with the battle sequences, which are terrifying, tenseand evocative.

45. 633 Squadron, 1964 A later version of The Dam Busters featuring a catchy theme tune, perilous mission, wooden acting,

posh accents and plenty of entertainment. The brave 633 Squadron have enjoyed many successfulsorties, but they are now assigned a seemingly suicidal mission - to bomb a water plant in occupiedNorway, which is shielded by mountain terrain and guarded by heavy, anti-aircraft artillery.

44. Patton, 1970Patton charts the tale of American hero General George S. Patton. Starting with Patton's appointmentto take command in North Africa in 1943 and ending with his 'retirement' after Germany's surrender dueto his refusal to tow the party line, George C Scott (who rejected an Oscar for the role, writing off the

Academy Awards as a 'meat parade') is frighteningly believable as the General lusting for glory.

43. Empire Of The Sun, 1987Spielberg's adaptation of J G Ballard's semi-autobiographical novel about his experience as a child in aJapanese PoW camp stars a young Christian Bale as Jim, an obnoxious British colonial child beingbrought up in luxury in China. When the Second World War breaks out he's captured by the Japaneseand interned in a camp, where he has to do his utmost to survive. An unusual war movie, in that it's toldfrom a child's point of view, Empire Of The Sun is a haunting film.

42. Catch 22, 1970Based on Joseph Heller's award-winning 1961 novel, Catch-22 tells the delightfully subversive tale of Yossarian, a World War II bombardier desperate to prove his own insanity so that he can be dischargedfrom the air force. Only problem is that his superiors know that anyone who wants to try to avoid fightingmust be sane. If you use the phrase 'catch-22' in your day-to-day speech, now you know where itcomes from.

41. The Cruel Sea, 1953Based on Nicholas Monsarrat's best selling novel derived from his experiences on the North Seaconvoys, The Cruel Sea is set during 'the battle of the Atlantic', as the U-boats attempted to destroyBritish shipping lanes and starve the country into surrender. The film follows the men of the CompassRose, a small corvette protecting the merchant shipping, as they deal with the unseen menace of thesubmarines.

40. Lawrence Of Arabia, 1962Superlative, multi-Oscar winning biography of T E Lawrence (Peter O'Toole), the Oxford-educatedlieutenant who united Arab tribes against the Ottoman Turks in the First World War. While the storycentres on the struggle of the unhinged anti-hero to help establish a united Arab nation, the vast,



exquisitely composed desertscapes and breathtaking battle scenes equally linger in the audience'smemory.

39. Tora! Tora! Tora!, 1970With a budget of $25 million (making it one of the most expensive films to date at the time), this epic war story recreates the events that led to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and the Americans'subsequent entry into World War II. Directors Fleischer, Fukasaku and Masuda give a spectacular,documentary-like account, told from both sides, of how key American personnel ignored warnings of possible Japanese aggression.

38. Salvador, 1986 A brutally powerful polemic from Oliver Stone based on the experiences of real-life journalist RichardBoyle, who found himself in a civil war in El Salvador in 1980. Stone hits hard at America's 'backyard'policies that allowed Central American dictatorships to flourish while death squads freely committedatrocities - Salvador features a powerful recreation of the assassination of Archbishop Romero and thesickening aftermath of the murder of several American nuns, committed with US approval.

37. Cross Of Iron, 1977Coming at the Second World War from an unusual angle for an American movie, Sam Peckinpah's taleof Germans retreating from the Russian front is as intelligent as it is violent. Peckinpah concentrates hisdirection on the conflict between two German officers in a platoon making the dash for safety, butexpands that to consider the importance of the individual against the necessity of everyone pullingtogether to survive. The cast (Max Schell, James Mason, James Coburn and David Warner) all play to

the best of their ability - which is considerable - and it makes you wonder what Peckinpah could haveachieved if he'd returned to warfare as a topic after this.

36. Henry V, 1944Laurence Olivier's definitive screen version of Shakespeare's most patriotic work tells the story of themedieval English King's famous victory over the French on the battlefield of Agincourt. Remarkably,Olivier somehow fitted directing and producing duties around his sensational leading turn. Soimpressive is the extent of Olivier's overall contribution that, rather as with Welles in Citizen Kane, youalmost forget how breathtaking his central performance is. The battle scenes are enough to stir theblood of even the calmest Englishman.

35. The Last Of The Mohicans, 1992Daniel Day-Lewis strides heroically through 18th century war and politics as the adopted white son of aMohican Indian in Michael Mann's adaptation of James Fenimore Cooper's novel. Day-Lewis playsHawkeye, a white man with a Mohican father, Chingachgook (Indian activist and actor Means), andbrother, Uncas (Schweig). Together they become involved with the war being waged over the colonies

by the British and French. Mann stages astonishingly realised battles and even throws in a littleromance for good measure between Day-Lewis and Madeleine Stowe.

34. Kelly's Heroes, 1970 An explosive, funny, silly Second World War film starring Clint Eastwood and a barking DonaldSutherland as GIs out to get a little more than experience out of the war. Kelly's Heroes concernsPrivate Kelly (Eastwood), who learns of $16 million worth of gold bars behind enemy lines, and reveals aplan to steal it to his fellow soldiers. Kelly sets the heist in motion, backed by a colourful cast of characters that includes Sutherland, anachronistically playing a hippy called Oddball. A massive hit onits release and still influential.

33. All Quiet On The Western Front, 1930Highly effective, award-winning adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque's novel about a group of idealistyoung soldiers getting destroyed by the barbaric conflict of the First World War. Decades beforePlatoon and Saving Private Ryan, director Lewis Milestone and his team created a film that remains oneof the most powerful screen comments on the horrors of war.

32. The Pianist, 2002Roman Polanski's greatest work since his heyday in the 1970s, a classically structured and shot moviethat undoubtedly rivals Schindler's List as one of the most detailed and shocking examinations of thetreatment of the Jews by the Nazis. Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody) is performing classical pieceson the radio as bombs begin falling on Warsaw. As the months role on, Szpilman witnesses therestrictions the Nazis place on Polish Jews - from compartments on trams they are not allowed to travelin to the startling sight of walls being built around parts of Warsaw to enclose the Jews into whatbecame the infamous ghetto.

31. Good Morning, Vietnam, 1987Robin Williams plays to his strengths as a wisecracking DJ sent to entertain the Marines in Vietnam inthe Barry Levinson film that made him a star. His crazy routines make him a big hit with the troops, but

Army think he's a loose cannon. The scenes in which Williams experiences the real war with theVietnamese people are a little contrived, but somehow the actor manages to carry the audience withhim. The film is also jam-packed with favourite 60s hits.

30. Casablanca, 1942



With nearly every line of its script engraved on the collective unconscious, and its central performancesfrom Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman defining iconic cool, Casablanca is an exultant classic. Withits romantic story, the songs performed by Dooley Wilson, a fantastic script and, of course, the incrediblypoignant climactic sequence at the airport, Casablanca has rightly become one of the most popular - if not the most popular - films of all time.

29. Battle Of Britain, 1969 A monumentally reverential treatment of the famous period of conflict which turned the tide of theSecond World War. A horde of British thespians, including Michael Caine, Trevor Howard, LaurenceOlivier and Ralph Richardson, plus numerous vintage aircraft, recreate the key event from the war todramatic effect. Stirring stuff.

28. Enemy At The Gates, 2001Jude Law, Joseph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz star as three slightly improbable young Soviet soldiers inJean-Jacques Annaud's spectacular drama-romance set during the Nazi siege of Stalingrad in 1942-3.The film's focus is a love triangle between Soviet political officer Danilov (Fiennes), sharp shootingfarmboy Vassili (Law) and educated soldier Tania (Weisz). Through his propaganda activities, Danilovmakes Vassilli a morale-boosting mythic hero. This draws Nazi attention, and expert marksman major Konig (Harris) is sent in. A duel amid the city's rubble ensues.

27. The Dirty Dozen, 1967With its 12 angry men, relentless pace and explosive violence The Dirty Dozen is a glorious, gung-ho,authority-baiting action epic. Robert Aldrich's direction repeatedly goes for the balls but he's also alert to

the ironies and hypocrisy of military politics. Big, brutal and expertly executed, the result is aquintessential, made-for-men war flick.

26. Ice Cold In Alex, 1958Fondly remembered as a Sunday TV fixture, this Second World War yarn about the crew of an armyambulance stuck in the desert achieves classic status through its powerfully straightforward storytellingand a quality supporting cast. John Mills is dying for a beer and allows a mysterious passenger (Anthony Quayle) onboard their lost vehicle simply because he's carrying a case of gin. Thecombination of an increasingly irrational Mills, the chance to Quayle might be a spy and the presence of the German army all around them makes for a tense war classic.

25. Spartacus, 1960The essential historical epic, and a forebear of Gladiator, this tale of a slave rebellion from StanleyKubrick and producer/star Kirk Douglas is a true classic. Having been trained up to fight to the death for the purpose of entertainment in the arena, Douglas' Spartacus revolts against his owners and leads theother slaves on to freedom. His socio-political cause is the point of the story, and this appealed to writer

Trumbo, who saw the gladiator who defeated Roman battalions as a political symbol.24. Gladiator, 2000Russell Crowe goes to war with a Roman Emperor in this mighty epic from director Ridley Scott. WhenGeneral Maximus' (Crowe) family are murdered by Joaquin Phoenix, he wants revenge. Sold togladiator trainer Oliver Reed, Crowe fights his way up through the ranks all the way to the Coliseum.The darling of the crowd, he soon gets the chance to go one-on-one with the Emperor. AlthoughGladiator is primarily a battle between two men, Scott's epic use of the camera lift the events to thescale of war.

23. Paths Of Glory, 1957Paths of Glory tells a story designed to make the blood boil: a botched First World War assault orderedby high-up French officers in order to further their own careers results in blameless French soldierscourt-martialled for cowardice. A work of genius from Stanley Kubrick; for all its chilly symmetry andbeauty, the sheer injustice shown will have your pulse racing.

22. M*A*S*H, 1974Robert Altman's anti-establishment comedy is set during the Korean War but actually satirises the USVietnam war effort. Based on a novel by Richard Hooker and following the fortunes of a group of rebellious surgeons stationed in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) during the Korean war,M*A*S*H is actually a thinly veiled indictment of the Vietnam conflict (Altman removed all references toKorea just to be sure). With its grainy, washed-out colours and documentary style camera-work, Altmanhas created a film that looks like authentic newsreel footage. The largely improvised script drips withsarcasm, and Sutherland and Gould spark off each other with rapier wit and devastating put-downs.

21. Where Eagles Dare, 1968 A classic Second World War thriller starring Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood as crack paratrooperssent deep behind enemy lines to rescue a captured Allied general imprisoned in a forbidding castlecommandeered by the SS. Alastair MacLean's script has more old-fashioned thrills, spills andhairbreadth escapes than 20 chapters of 'King Of The Rocket Men'.

20. The Longest Day, 1962This star-studded Second World War action-film is a big, long, loud spectacular from the days when'epic' filmmaking really meant something. With 42 international stars (including John Wayne, RobertMitchum and Sean Connery), The Longest Day depicts the D-Day landings at Normandy from both the



Allied and German perspectives, and its scope in story and production is nothing less than mammoth.

19. Born On The Fourth Of July, 1989Tom Cruise proved that he really is a top-notch actor with his mesmerising performance as a battlescarred Vietnam vet in Oliver Stone's gut-wrenching tale of the fall-out in America that followed theconflict. The movie, for which Stone landed the year's Best Director trophy (inexplicably losing the topprize to Driving Miss Daisy), is a powerful examination of the futility of war, and in particular thesenseless carnage of Vietnam.

18. Dr Strangelove, 1964Stanley Kubrick's celebrated satire on the cold war features Peter Sellers in three hilarious roles and adeeply cynical ending. When US Air Force Colonel Jack Ripper goes insane and orders his bombers todestroy the USSR. the Russians threaten to detonate the 'Doomsday Device' and destroy the world.Sellers sparkles as the three men that might avert disaster, British Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, USPresident Merkin Muffley and Dr. Strangelove. Kubrick turns the end of the world into the ultimateabsurdity as the world's most powerful men are caught in a trap of their own making.

17. Das Boot, 1981Film version of Wolfgang Petersen's superior soap set in the claustrophobic world of a World War IIGerman submarine. The director exploits his claustrophobic setting to maximum effect, paradoxicallyusing a steady-cam which rushes through the cramped interior only adding to the sense of isolation.Combined with the soap opera dramatics of the crew's life on board, Das Boot makes compulsiveviewing.

16. The Thin Red Line, 1998This is not a Second World War movie, nor an anti-war tract, rather Terrence Malick uses JamesJones's novel about the stupefying struggle for a key position in the battle for Guadalcanal as ameditation on the natural world and on humanity within it. He presents the young soldiers' struggle asextraordinarily ordinary. The guys die, go berserk, get bamboozled by officers and some end up drunkback at base. Using dazzling set pieces, a choppy narrative, and poetic voice-overs, Malick forces us toview life afresh.

15. The Killing Fields, 1984Perhaps the most harrowing and visceral film of the 1980s, The Killing Fields is unstinting in itscinematic and, more broadly, political intelligence. American journalist Sydney Schanberg (SamWaterston) remains in Cambodia after the Communist Khmer Rough takeover, but must leave when thesituation becomes too murderous. Tragically his aide and guide, Dith Pran (Hang S Ngor), is unable toescape, and is consigned to a Khmer Rouge death camp. It's a potent, enthralling story, alwaysintelligently told, with a palpable sense of moral outrage permeating every frame.

14. The Guns Of Navarone, 1961Gregory Peck leads a gang of mercenaries on the side of the allies in this much-loved Second WorldWar action movie. Their mission, to destroy two German super-guns on a Greek island, maybe a littlehard to swallow, but charismatic performances from Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn mean thatit's hard not to get carried away with the story. The blockbuster adaptation of Alistair MacLean's novelgarnered Oscar recognition for its special effects, and is considered by many a classic - a landmark inthe action genre.

13. Braveheart, 1995Mel Gibson produced, directed and starred in this fictionalisation of the story of William Wallace (andcopped a barrel-load of Oscars for his trouble). Braveheart is three hours' worth of gripping drama,which spares nothing on either the visceral or the emotional front. The ending, in which Wallace finallygets his come-uppance, is genuine lump-in-the-throat stuff.

12. The Deer Hunter, 1978 An at-once epic and intimate depiction of three buddies Michael, Nick and Steven (played by Robert De

Niro, Christopher Walken and John Savage) drafted to Vietnam, for which director Michael Cimino wonan Academy Award. The carefully described relationships in the film's opening section (almost an hour long) accentuate the horror of their subsequent capture by the Vietcong. Recognised by contemporarycritics as the most harrowing of all the Vietnam movies.

11. The Dam Busters, 1954Chocks away for a stirring tale of wartime heroics as the RAF hit the enemy where it hurts. Michael

Anderson's account of one of the most celebrated raids of the war, in which the 617 squadron destroyedthree German dams, is the quintessential British war film. Pipe-smoking boffins, clipped accents andhandlebar moustaches balanced on stiff upper lips abound. And then there's that unforgettablesoundtrack...

10. The Bridge On The River Kwai, 1957The true story of the superhuman efforts of Allied POWs, who amid inhuman conditions were forcedbuild a bridge to aid the Japanese war effort. When a plan is hatched to destroy the bridge, the POWsare faced with a dilemma - save the bridge that cost so many lives to build, or defend Allied interestsbuy demolishing it. It's the ironic complexity of the story, together with David Lean's trademark epic



visual style that places this among the best British war films.

9. Black Hawk Down , 2001Based on the infamous Battle of Mogadishu in 1993, Ridley Scott's vivid, visceral war drama tracks anelite American force who stir up a hornets' nest of murderous resistance on the streets of the city whentheir operation misfires. Scott sets out to depict - with unprecedented detail and intensity - one long dayof street warfare. Just imagine the opening 30 minutes of Saving Private Ryan extended to an entirefilm. The result is both horrific and exhausting.

8. Zulu, 1964"Zulus, sir. Thousands of them..." Well, 4,000 to be precise, and all of them heading towards acharacter-actor-packed stockade at Rorke's Drift, with their spear-points glinting in the sun. Anxiouslyawaiting them is small regiment of Wales' finest, keeping the British imperial end up in south Africanbackcountry, in 1879. Stanley Baker is the dignified officer, Michael Caine (in his first starring role), hissour lieutenant. The Zulus play themselves. And they're good.

7. A Bridge Too Far, 1977Innumerable stars from Britain, the US and beyond gather for this Second World War epic. Directed byRichard Attenborough and scripted by William Goldman, A Bridge Too Far is a remarkable, star-studdedattempt to commit to celluloid General Montgomery's ill-fated Operation Market Garden, in whichthousands of troops were parachuted into Arnhem, behind enemy lines, to hold key strategic positions(notably bridges) until the main force arrived to push into German territory.

6. Platoon, 1986

Oliver Stone's finest moment, Platoon pounds through the jungles of Vietnam churning up increasinglyshocking images of unmitigated horror. Charlie Sheen is the naive volunteer caught up in the massacre,experiencing and witnessing acts of 'bravery' motivated by fear and 'kill or be killed' mentality. Intense,humane and compelling viewing.

5. Full Metal Jacket, 1987Only the genius of Stanley Kubrick could get away with staging Vietnam in London's Isle Of Dogs.Matthew Modine is among the new recruits undergoing brutal training at the hands of drill instructor RLee Ermey. Dehumanised and turned into killing machines, they are then unleashed into the battle tosuffer the misery of war. Bleak and darkly funny, Full Metal Jacket suggests that there is so much war,because men enjoy it.

4. Schindler's List, 1993 Author Thomas Keneally won a Booker Prize for Schindler's Ark, but it took Steven Spielberg to tell thestory of shady Nazi industrialist Schindler (Liam Neeson), who saved hundreds of Jews from the Polishdeath camps, to a worldwide audience. It won buckets of Oscars, but its best tribute is the shocked,

tearful silence of audiences everywhere. An outstanding, harrowing piece of cinema.3. The Great Escape, 1963Steve McQueen is brilliantly opaque in this ace war film, about a mass breakout from Stalag Luft. Theall-star ensemble includes James Coburn, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasenceand James Garner. Once the boys have made their break-out, McQueen's attempt to motorcyclehimself out of trouble rates as one of the most memorable action sequences ever, while the rest of themovie ticks along just nicely with its finely tuned mixture of humour counterpoised with darkness whenmany of the officers are re-captured and summarily executed.

2. Apocalypse Now, 1979Francis Ford Coppola's epic hallucination of the Vietnam War, in which Martin Sheen journeys throughVietnam and Cambodia to terminate a flipped-out renegade US colonel played by Marlon Brando. Theshoot was notoriously troubled, but the result is a war movie unlike any other: a spectacular opera, astraightforward plot blown up by rampant imagination, and a deft comment on America's Vietnam folly.

1. Saving Private Ryan, 1998The first 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan is a visual assault, acclaimed as one of cinema's mostaccurate realisations of warfare. Capt John Miller (Tom Hanks) is among the US troops stormingOmaha Beach on D-Day. Thereafter, you follow this everyman soldier on a humanitarian militarymission to rescue the surviving brother of three soldiers killed in the same week. Spielberg crafts ashocking and moving illustration of the Second World War.

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