War Games. Review on Five Best Hollywood War Movies

I classify War movies in 3 categories. The First Category Would be of movies which are hard core war movies. Which means there would be just constant war scenes, battle plans, strategies. The second category would be movies which have just one major war/battle scene while a story would revolve around it. The third cateogory would be where the movie is set against the backdrop of a war but no battle or war is shown (The best example would be the italian film La Vita e belle or Life is beautiful). I have given a brief review of the movie and have not given the entire movie review. But I promise that I will write a full fledged movie review on these movies (in case I have not written) in the coming weeks. The reason why I am writing this review is becasue of a war atmosphere around us at this moment.

The First Category

Black Hawk Down

In my view this is the best war movie ever made. Highly intense movie about fateful day of 3rd October 1993 when 123 US soldiers Under Captain Mike Steele are dropped by air in Mogaishu, Somalia to capture War Lord General Mohammad Farrah Aidid and end a bloody civil war. The enitre plan was to take not more then 4 hours but everything goes wrong. Very Hard Hitting movie which does not take any side and does not show USA as the hero who saved the day. Directed By Ridley Scott. Based on true life incident.

Platoon

Best Picture Oscar Winning movie about a young army recruit who faces a moral crisis when he has to take side of either a sergant who has just ordered a brutal massacre of a vietnam village and a sergant who would rather give peace a chance. The ending lines of the movie still hold true to this day when he says, ''We Didn't fight the enemy. We fought ourselves. The Enemy was in us.'' Directed by Oliver Stone.

Saving Private Ryan

Its 6 June 1944. D-day. US troops have landed in the beach of normandy to battle against the axis forces. The captain of one troop has been given orders to find One Soldier James Ryan and bring him back alive as Ryan has just lost 2 of his brothers in line of duty on the same day. Long but still hard hitting movie. Please make it a point to watch this movie in theatre and not on VCD/DVD/VHS. Directed by Steven Spielberg who won the much deserved best director oscar but sadly lost the best film movie to a silly movie called Shakespeare in Love.

The Thin Red Line

Released in the same year as Saving Private Ryan and nominated for oscars but lost them to the former movie. Underrated yet hard hitting intense movie about the outcome of the battle of Guadalcanal which will strongly influence Japan's advance into the pacific. A group of soldiers are bought to bring relief to the marines but they grow less in numbers as soe of them form small groups ane get away from war and now ist fight for survival for the remaining soldiers. Directed by Terrence Malick.

Apocalaypse Now

Hard Hitting, intense, long in the making and extremely controversial movie about a Captain on his mission into Cambodia to assassinate a psychic General who has set himself up as a God among a local tribe. The Entire movie is about how he tries to find the general amongst the mayhem of the vietnam war and when he finally finds him that is the best part of the movie. Excellent sountrack and cinematography. Directed By Francis Ford Copolla.

Some other movies like Patton and The Longest Day come in mind but as I have not seen those particular movies I can not comment on them. Some movies which are good but just about missed being in top 5 in this category are D-Day the Sixth of June , U-571 and The Dirty Dozen.

The Second Category

Born on The 4th Of July

True Story about a patriotic Soldier Ron Kovic Who goes to fight in the vietnam war and accidntaly shoots his own colleague. He then gets a major guilty conscience and returns back home to apoligise to the soldier's parents. He then becomes a major anti-war activist. Directed by Oliver Stone Who won the best director Oscar for this movie. And yes..ron kovic was born on the 4th of july.

Braveheart

Another true life incident about the still ongoing rebel of the Scots against the English. Set in 13th Century when rebel William Wallace fights against the Cruel English King Edward who wants to inherit the scottish throne. He Decides to fight the english after his father annd his loved ones are killed by the english. He takes the aide of his assisitance Robert The Bruce. Hard Hitting movie and even a harder hitting Cimax. Deservedly Won the best picture and director oscar for Mel Gibson.

Forrest Gump

One of the best english movie ever made and perhaps the best acting performance by an actor (Tom Hanks) in the 20th Century. The story follows the life of a low I.Q. Forrest Gump and his meeting with the love of his life Jenny. The film chronicles his accidental experiences with some of the most important people and events in United States History from the late 1950's through the 1970's including a meeting with Elvis Presley, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Water gate scandal, End of proxy war with the communists, fighting in Vietnam, etc. The problem is, he's too stupid to realize the significance of his actions. Excellent movie. Deservedly won the oscars for best picture, best director (Robert Zemmicks) and Best Actor (Tom Hanks).

The Deer Hunter

Michael, Steven and Nick are young factory workers in a stell catory in Pennsylvania who get drafted in the vietnam war. Before they go, Steven marries his pregnant girl friend Angela and their wedding-party is also the men's farewell party. After some time and many horrors the three friends fall in the hands of the Vietnamese soldiers and are brought to a prison camp in which they are forced to play a dangerous game of Russian roulette against each other. Michael makes it possible for them to escape, but they soon get separated again. It deals with the experiences of the 3 friends, before, during and after the vietnam war. Excellent Movie. Won the best picture and best director (Micheal Cimono) award.

Tora Tora Tora

Intense Dramatic and true life based movie about the Japanese attack on Pearl harbour. Told from the US and the Japanese View Points. The Japanese Part was directed by Kinji Fukasaku and Toshio Masuda. The US version was directed by Richard Fleischer. Pearl Harbor Made much later in 2001 was not even a patch on tora tora tora. By the way Tora Tora Tora was a war cry by the Japanese Air Force Pilots.

The Third Category is in the comments section due to space constraint. Please Read the comments Section.