War Movies List
This isn’t the first war movies list I’ve done, and it probably won’t be the last. I can’t get enough of the genre, whether we’re talking new war movies or war movies of the 70s (or anywhere in-between). The following list contains some big names, as well as a few which may be a bit off the beaten path. I encourage you to share your thoughts by posting on the comments section.
1. Where Eagles Dare (1968) – Starring Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton, this war movie concerns a special forces team sent to infiltrate a castle high in the Alps and rescue a captured high-ranking Allied officer. Filled with intrigue and betrayal, the highlight of the film is a harrowing fight on a cable-car.
2. Missing in Action (1984) – Chuck Norris stars in one of the most popular war movies of the 80s. Colonel James Braddock (Norris) spent seven years in a Vietnamese prison camp, and now he’s returning to rescue fellow soldiers still held in captivity. A prequel and sequel followed, and perhaps they’ll be included in a later war movies list.
3. Sergeant York (1941) – Gary Cooper is outstanding in this bio about Alvin York, the most decorated American soldier during World War One. After trying to avoid service as a conscientious objector, York finally does his duty and famously ends up capturing 132 German prisoners and receiving the Medal of Honor. Truly a classic war movie.
4. The Alamo (1960) – Taking place during the Texas Revolution, The Alamo stars John Wayne as Davy Crockett. Wayne also produced and directed the film, and it’s especially thrilling for those of us who were born and raised in the great state of Texas. The rest of you might like it, as well.
5. Force 10 from Navarone (1978) – One of the great war movies of the 70s, it stars Robert Shaw, Harrison Ford, Barbara Bach and Edward Fox. Their mission: find a German spy named Nicolai who’s hiding amidst Yugoslav Partisans. There’s also a bridge that needs destroying, but our heroes will have to brave lots of gunfire and intrigue to do so.
6. Miles of Fire (1957) – A Russian civil war drama focusing on the Red and White armies. Considered an early example of the Red Western, which was a Russian film containing many elements of the American Western. In this example, a group of diverse travelers try to reach their destination by using machine gun carts.
7. Uncommon Valor (1983) – Vietnam movies were popular in the decade following the conflict, and Uncommon Valor ended up as one of the most talked-about war movies of the 80s. A retired Marine officer (Gene Hackman) sets out to find his son who’s been listed as MIA since 1972. To accomplish his mission, he assembles a team which includes Fred Ward, Patrick Swayze, Randall “Tex” Cobb and Tim Thomerson.
8. The Hurt Locker (2009) – Jeremy Renner gives a standout performance as an American bomb disposal expert serving in Iraq. This one will no doubt be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, and it’s a perfect example of how entertaining new war movies can be. There was no way I was going to put together a war movies list and not include this one.
9. Pork Chop Hill (1959) – Gregory Peck stars in this film set during the Korean War. After taking Pork Chop Hill from Communist forces, a group of American soldiers ready for the inevitable counter-attack. Also starring Woody Strode, George Peppard, Rip Torn, Robert Blake, Harry Dean Stanton, Norman Fell, Gavin MacLeod and Martin Landau.
10. Navy SEALs (1990) – One of the more star-studded war movies of the 90s, Navy SEALs features Charlie Sheen, Michael Biehn, Dennis Haysbert, Rick Rossovich, Bill Paxton, Cyril O’Reilly and Paul Sanchez. On the trail of terrorists who possess Stinger missiles, the SEALs must head to Beirut on a dangerous covert mission.
Now that you’ve waded through this war movies list, why not burn off a few more brain cells by reading the following:
This entry was posted on Friday, September 11th, 2009 at 11:03 am and is filed under Movie Megalists. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
4 Responses to “War Movies List”
hey any of you heard of a movie called cloverfield? its a great movie but not very long though
Yeah, Cloverfield is a great film. I’m still hoping they’ll make a sequel.
navy seals was a good movie but try souther comfort or tears of the sun other war movies too and green berets
Kalai Strode
“Pork Chop Hill” was a great war movie. The futility of dying for a hill that was a pawn in a political chess game is reminiscent of “Hamburger Hill” in Nam and “Khe San.” I wonder what movies will be made in the future of similar hills in Iraq and Afghanistan?