"The Most Underrated War Movie" Topic

Which for you is the best war movie that very few people have heard of, or you think deserves to be known better?

My choice would be "Battle of Algiers", which captures the war with a stark realism and manages to be even handed between the French and Algerians. It also doesn't pull any punches when it comes to action and brutality.

'Hell is for Heroes' which people seem to think is a comedy because Bob Newhart is in it. Actually an excellent study of heroes, heroism and it's effect on those caught up in the wake. Steve McQueen at his best.
I'd also say 'Battleground' as it's considered excellent by anyone who has seen it, just not many seem to have done so.

"Battleground" is the Battle of the Bulge movie.

For Vietnam – "Hamburger Hill".

Downfall

There are obscure war films which deserve a bigger audience and there are films which are panned but actually have their good points.

In the former category I might include Robert Aldritch's 'Attack' and 'They were not Divided', a wartime flag waver with a load of real kit including Tiger 1s. 'The Last Valley' is an interesting Micheal Caine film abut the 30 Years war, not a common subject for Hollywood. Possibly 'A Walk in the Sun', but I think a fair few people have seen that. I also have the book.

Battleground is an outstanding film, but not exactly obscure.

In the latter category, 'The Thin Red Line' I just love the scenes set on and around the bunker even if the the whole thing descends into silliness. I am also rather fond of 'Enemy at the Gates', you can't beat a commissar with a big megaphone:)

Vietnam: "Anderson Platoon" A documentary.

WWII: "Breakthrough" (Normandy with I believe the 1st Inf Division, maybe 29th, or maybe no named Division. Anyway, Frank Lovejoy at his best. Gritty and pretty well done for the time.

WWI: "What Price Glory" especially James Cagney's "Little boys! Little boys!" scene

Martin, I just watched Attack again about 2 weeks ago. The story is great but the production values pretty much suck. (I first saw it when I was about 11 in 1963 or so, and was absolutely shocked that there was any such thing as a cowardly US Officer in WWII, let alone one depicted in a movie.)

"The Beast" imdb.com/title/tt0094716

"Die Gans von Sedan" with Hardy Krueger in FPW.
"Der winter der ein sommer war" hessians in the AWI
"Am gruenen strand der spree" covers SWY and WW2 in the same movie with the same characters. Very avangarde.

Behind Enemy Lines!

I agree with 'Thin Red Line' and 'Enemy at the Gate'.

However, my winger would be 'The Three Musketeers' movies. The action and battle scenes are actually very well done, with enough feel about them to really paint the picture. Excellent.

Blues 4

Hell is for Heroes or A Walk in the Sun

What do you consider a War Movie? Does "Flesh & Blood" count as a war movie?

Chris

Go Tell the Spartans.

Hey Gray Ghost, I was gonna say "A Walk in the Sun."

Tunes of Glory.

Operation Daybreak – one of the finest war films made. In my opinion of course.

Does "The Duelists" count? Gorgeous scenery and amzing Napoleonic costumes…. spellbinding film.

The Lost Battalion, a tv movie about WW 1

"Went the Day Well?"

Terry

The Victors (1963)

The Lost Battalion with ricky Schroeder . A great film .
Hell is for heros is one of my favortes .

"Went the Day Well" is indeed an excellent film, but I also like "The Train".

I was very pleasantly surprised by Ricky Schroeder in that film.

War Requiem – (Wilfred Owen).
'All Quiet on the Western Front' remake was nice work.
Dark Blue World – wasn't too bad.
The Cuckoo. kinda Finland's answer to "Hell in the Pacific"
The battle scenes in Kurosawa's movies are great – but not really underrated!

A movie I never heard of that I found on You Tube was "Fortress" about B-17s flying out of Algeria to attack Italy. Massed B-17s, the flak, German fighters roaring through the formations, had to be CGI but the battle scenes were stunning. I came across this movie looking at a Finnish movie on the Winter War. I've lost the link but saw two Finnish movies on the Winter War, both very good, and one on the Continuation War, also very good. The Winter War movies had Russian tanks (T-26s?) and I'd swear the Continuation War movie had KV-1s.

If anyone knows the link to these You Tube movies I would appreciate having it again. If memory serves I think it was Armand who posted the link to the Winter War movies.

I agree about The Train. I had never seen this movie until last year. Burt Lancaster is great doing his own stunts and where do you get to see A-20's bomb a railyard as trains are trying to move thru it or watch a engine get derailed and lay over on its side. Watch it every chance I get.

Some have noted many of those that I have seen on other lists that are not well known.

Battle of Algiers
Fortress
The Lost Battalion
and Go Tell the Spartans

Tae Guk Gi, The Brotherhood of War. one of the best Korean War movies is not as well known that I would add to the list.

VR
James Mattes

Zulu

About half of the choices for "underrated" are very well rated indeed.

I have always disliked the term "most underrated" for that reason.

I liked Zulu Dawn.

Attack Force Z was a fav as a kid. And Mel Gibson was in it!

And Battleground is a classic.

The Snow Treasure, with James Franciscus.
imdb.com/title/tt0062282

Bataan – Made 1943 a detachment of American and Philipine soldiers hold out against the advancing Japanese.

imdb.com/title/tt0035664

Operation Burma (1945) – A company of American paratroopers land in Burma to destroy a Japanese Radar station, and then fight their way out.

link

633 Squadron – If for no reason other than without it we probably would not have seen the Death Star trench attack.

link

1941 (theatrical release) – Critics were luke warm to it, but I thought it crazy and hysterical. John Belushi as Capt. Wild Bill Kelso, P-40 pilot stole the show for me. It's on TCM this Friday night. (The Director's cut on DVD is awful.)

I saw one for the first time yesterday, rated at 2.5 stars, that was really good from a gamer's perspective. Dive Bomber with Fred MacMurray and Errol Flynn has some incredible interwar footage shot in Jan of '41 showing the Pacific fleet as it transfers to a war footing. The plot isn't all that inspiring, but the scenery is worth it.

The Vietnam movie Casulties of War.

Lots of good movies mentioned. I am also a fan of Go Tell the Spartans. 84 Charlie Mopic was pretty decent from what I remember. I also like Dark of the Sun, the Wild Geese and the Dogs of War. Throw in Zulu Dawn and you have some very good flicks.

Thanks,

John

underrated?

Zulu?
Downfall?

what sort of movie reviews are you exposed to that you consider these films underrated?

ACW – Ride with the Devil
imdb.com/title/tt0134154

WW-II – What Did you do in the war daddy
imdb.com/title/tt0061176

Vietnam – 84 Charlie Mopic
imdb.com/title/tt0096744

Second 84 Charlie Mopic

"Martin, I just watched Attack again about 2 weeks ago. The story is great but the production values pretty much suck."

Yes, the Stuart/Panthers just crack me up.

The story and performances are superb though, especially Jack Palance, just brilliant.

Siege of Firebase Gloria

The Odd Angry Shot
The Battle of Warsaw
The Star

All the best,

John.

I have a soft spot for Cross of Iron

Also the Duelists

For a really obscure one, Die Brücke (The Bridge) – a 1959 movie about a group of teenage German conscripts guarding a bridge against the Americans in 1945

Zulu Dawn is a bit of a sleeper.

Thin Red Line? Really? It was on the other days and one of my sons watched it. I thought maybe I just didn't get it but he aslo thought it sucked.

"Thin Red Line? Really?"

John Cusacks squad storming the bunker is a great sequence and I like all the arty photography:)

The Siege of Firebase Gloria.

@Frederick
Die Brücke is not considered obscure in Germany, but rather a classic. Good to see it's also liked cross the pond! :-)

Another thumbs up for "Go Tell the Spartans" with Burt Lancaster. Also "Sahara" with Humphrey Bogart.

317 Section is pretty good, French Indochina.

Saw one WW2 flick that was great, but can't remember the name. At one point, on GI (or maybe he was an Aussie?) was facing off against a Japanese sniper. He had an M1, and they were stalking each other. He did he old "fire a round and smack an empty clip against the breach" thing to trick the enemy and drilled him when he popped up. Later, he was chasing another Japanese soldier who had nothing but a sword. They ended up on a grass covered hill, surrounded by troops. The Jap cut his own throat rather than be captured, and for some reason the GI dove in and tried to save him rather than let him bleed out. It then shows 50 years later, the two meeting at some sort of reunion, and the former Japanese soldier has his granddaughter with him, and a huge scar across his neck.

Anybody know that one?

317 Section and The Anderson Platoon were made by the same director, who himself had fought at Dien Bien Phu.

The Victors is an interesting choice. A great cast and very downbeat and depressing….in fact, it's so downbeat that I ended up not liking it but I do respect it as a brutal and well made war movie.

Full Metal Jacket…Boot camp scenes-great,however Pyle would have been recycled a week into training.There is no possible way Pyle was still with his m14 at Graduation.At the rifle range an instructor is between every 2 riflemen.Every round is accounted for.All brass returned. Apparently Joker skipped Camp Geiger,MOS school,30 day leave and Infantry advanced at Camp Pendelton and promoted to Corporal 2months upon graduation.Amazing!Xmas 1967 to Hue City February 1968.Danang 1968 REMFs had shined jungle boots (all Marines in this film had statesides),short haircuts(the LT would of endured"office hours"with the MAN). Way too much saluting in a combat zone!Point man seperation..ah there's more but oh yeah I did like "Black Hawk Down"and small unit tactics were impressive in the USMC vs.knarly aliens via"Battle:Los Angeles"…..OUT.