Recommend (preferably non-WWII/Nam) war films

[DaveCinzano]

I'm interested in seeing a few more war films that I've not seen before, especially ones that aren't about the Second World War or Viet Nam, and especially ones that aren't filled with the same tropes we've all seen before (so no movies where some kid from the Mid West is writing a letter to his Gal Back Home shortly before he goes into action, or another Battle of the Bulge variation on 'Nuts!', or that sort of business, please).

So please feel free to champion lesser known or generally overlooked features.

Some from me:

• Talvisota - about the Finno-Soviet Winter War
• Pork Chop Hill - the futility of combat, Korean edition
• Kavkazskiy Plennik/Prisoner Of The Mountains - Russian soldiers captured by Chechen rebels react in different ways to captivity
• The Last Valley - imperfect but interesting film (directed by doorstop author James Clavell) about the Thirty Years War, with Michael Caine and Omar Sharif

 

[the button]

Starship Troopers.

 

[DaveCinzano]

All three?

 

[The Octagon]

Three Kings

 

[DaveCinzano]

If you can't behave,then we'll all sit here in silence until Reno comes along and makes sensible suggestions.

 

[Orang Utan]

blessed by fire is about the falklands conflict but it's from the argentinian perspective
the charge of the light brigade - the crimea
elizabeth is kind of a war film

 

[cesare]

Kingdom Of Heaven. Then you can read about all that copyright wrangle too.

 

[Orang Utan]

M*A*S*H*

 

[cesare]

If you can't behave,then we'll all sit here in silence until Reno comes along and makes sensible suggestions.

 

[Orang Utan]

If you can't behave,then we'll all sit here in silence until Reno comes along and makes sensible suggestions.

rambo iii

 

[LC1980]

Aces high

 

[The Octagon]

If you can't behave,then we'll all sit here in silence until Reno comes along and makes sensible suggestions.

Mine was a serious suggestion

In what other films do they use an American Football as a missile and one of the main characters has to keep turning a nozzle in his chest to avoid his lungs collapsing?

 

[selamlar]

Land and Freedom, or indeed Wind That Shakes the Barley

 

[selamlar]

Or Jarhead, or Tigerland

 

[MrSki]

Zulu

 

[DaveCinzano]

blessed by fire is about the falklands conflict but it's from the argentinian perspective

Now that sounds interesting, one to add alongside Tumbledown and An Ungentlemanly Act (and Apartment Zero maybe).

 

[DaveCinzano]

Kingdom Of Heaven. Then you can read about all that copyright wrangle too.

When I watched that I was a bit bored by it, but then I was bored by the original studio epics like Ben Hur and that as well. I shall give it another go!

 

[DaveCinzano]

Aces high

The aerial Journey's End? In my memory it was so-so, but came across like the Biggles movie without the time travel and with extra dourness. Wings is my WWI combat film of choice.

 

[DaveCinzano]

Mine was a serious suggestion

In what other films do they use an American Football as a missile and one of the main characters has to keep turning a nozzle in his chest to avoid his lungs collapsing?

Fair point

I do actually like that film, and paid cash money to see it at the picture palace when it came out.

 

[selamlar]

The aerial Journey's End? In my memory it was so-so, but came across like the Biggles movie without the time travel and with extra dourness. Wings is my WWI combat film of choice.

Pfff. The Blue Max by a country mile.

 

[cesare]

When I watched that I was a bit bored by it, but then I was bored by the original studio epics like Ben Hur and that as well. I shall give it another go!

I quite liked it, but I think only because there was a slightly different twist to the bog standard Crusades storyline. I don't think I'd make any great effort to see it again or buy the DVD - but it was fine as a film to watch on telly iyswim.

 

[DaveCinzano]

Land and Freedom, or indeed Wind That Shakes the Barley

I'll give you the first one, in a shamelessly-retreading-Orwell way; but the second is just a shillelagh-shaped remould!

 

[DaveCinzano]

Or Jarhead, or Tigerland

Both decent enough (and nice sound design and photography in the former).

 

[selamlar]

Not sure that they would qualify as lesser known, but Letters from Iwo Jima, and Thin Red Line are both worth a look.

 

[Orang Utan]

Not sure that they would qualify as lesser known, but Letters from Iwo Jima, and Thin Red Line are both worth a look.

both WW2 films!

 

[selamlar]

both WW2 films!

Yup. He said preferably not, not def. not.

 

[Orang Utan]

but you picked two of the most famous films about wwii!

 

[LC1980]

Red Badge of Courage

 

[cesare]

How about The Lives Of Others? (possibly too much WWII/post to be OK though)

 

[DaveCinzano]

How about The Lives Of Others? (possibly too much WWII/post to be OK though)

Oooh I've been wanting to see that for a while now, ta for reminding me.

(The non-WW2/Nam thing isn't hard-and-fast, I'm sure any recommendations will be welcomed by someone.)