My favorites:
1) Winter War
2) Das Boot
3) Band of Brothers
4) Unknown Soldier
5) Enemy At The Gates
6) Bridge Too Far
7) Midway
Saving Ryan's Privates

For me, the better war movies are characterized by accurate portayal of characters and equipment. I'm turned off by propaganda, and "we're all heroes, and they're all war criminals"

Mika

Nev

a bridge too far,enemy at the gates,the great escape,stalag 17,the battle of britain(a spit is just the most beautiful aeroplane EVER!),and windtalkers.

Oh yeah! Also: Stalag 17, A Bridge Too Far, "Das Boot" (Director's version!), The Longest Day, Thin Red Line, Windtalkers, The Big Lift, Hart's War, U-571, Flying Tigers, The Sands of Iwo Jima. I'll probably remember more later..... :-)

I like

A Bridge Too Far (most of my dios are based on one of their battles)
The Longest Day
Zulu (someone else mentioned it)
Kelly's Heroes (I don't know how accurate it is but it's very enjoyable)
Saving Private Ryan
Platoon

However I do have to say if there is a war movie on, I'll probably watch it even if it's not on my list.

War movies I like, by kglack43...

633 squadron, cause my mother was one of the radio room girls talking to the pilots...
Full Metal Jacket, cause it has M41 Walker Bulldogs in it.
Pork Chop hill...
Boys of Company "C"...the BEST Vietnam era flick ever...
Black Hawk Down...
Bridge at Remagen...the shermans and flak 88's are too cool...
The Dirty Dozen...for the vehicles...
Enemy at the gates...just because...
Kelly's Heros...too damn funnie...
The Blue Max...another too cool movie from my youth...
Patton...
and...

Johnny Got His Gun....a wonderful anti-war movie

WW2 Movies Favs:
Saving Private Ryan (Great Cinematography, The Tiger is great!)

Band of Brothers (I just wish it never end, notice that the 2 cast, Donnie Wahlberg and Neal McDonough are both in the series "Boomtown")

Enemy at the Gates (It's very nice because for a change, it's about the red army)

Thin Red Line (look at the casting man!)

When Trumphets Fade (HBO production right?)

Pearl Harbor (though its kinda a love story)


Regarding old movies i like "Kellys Heroes"

Ive seen this movies but ill say they are fair:
The Tanks are Coming!
Battle of the Bulge
Midway
Tora Tora Tora

Im just wondering when will they produce a high budgeted movie for Battle of Bataan and Corregidor. Hey, im from the Philippines anyway, and i beleive its one of the fiercest if not the fiercest battle in WW2. No to mention the most strategic victory for the japs.

All
of the above are on my list, but a special mention for Too Late the Hero, Bridge over the River Kwai and Das Boot.
Das Boot is one of the best movies ever made!

Sam

*Kelly's Heroes*: cause when I was a tanker we constantly quoted it, I also Have a pic of me in the field as Moriority.
*Glory*, *Zulu*, *Gettysburg*, *Gods & Generals* and of course *Waterloo*. I like pre-20th Century combat and these films are just amazing.
*Memphis Belle* & *Battle of Britain* are also two of my favs for a/c movies.
My favorite of all time still remains *Waterloo* though.

Twelve O'Clock High with Gregory Peck.

Patton with George C. Scott

The Longest Day (with just about everybody :-) )

World War II
The Longest Day
A Bridge too far
Guns of Navarone
Battle 0f Midway
Battle of the buldge
Patton
Saving Private Ryan
Band of Brothers & etc

Favourite war movies? Hmmmm..... Well, have to go top three by era:

Ancient/Medieval:
- Gladiator
- Battle of Kosovo
- Spartacus

Early Modern:
- Waterloo
- Cromwell
- Horatio Hornblower series

19th Century:
- Gettysburg
- Zulu
- Charge of the Light Brigade (1968 version)

World War One:
- March to the Drina
- All Quiet on the Western Front (1979 version)
- Anzacs: The war down under

World War Two:
- Enemy at the Gates
- Saving Private Ryan
- The Great Escape

Post WW2:
- Full Metal Jacket (you gotta love the Gunney!!)
- Lepo Selo, Lepo Gore (Pretty Village, Pretty Flame)
- Hamburger Hill

Those are generally my favourite movies in these categories though there are others that are about as great.

As for real stinkers:
- Behind Enemy Lines (Bull@#$% from beginning to end)
- U-571 (Americans taking credit for a British achievement, and besides, "Das Boot" and "Run Silent, Run Deep" are better at portraying life aboard a submarine)
- Most Mel Gibson and Kevin Costner movies.

My favorite WW2 movies, in no particular order: Bridge to far, Band of brothers, Saving Private Ryan, Patton, Kelly's Heroes, The eagle has landed, Midway, The empire of the sun, Enemy at the gates, Schindlers list, When trumpets fade, Midnight Clear
Non-WW2: Blackhawk down, Apocalypse now, Hamburger Hill, Heartbreak Ridge, Glory, The Patriot, Gettysburg, The Boys in Company C, Full Metal Jacket, The Hunt For Red October, Red Dawn, By Dawns Early Light, We Were Soldiers Once, Tears of the sun, 13 Days
And there are probably more that i will think of later

PATTON George C. Scott gave one heck of a performance.

Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan. I thought Enemy at the Gates was completely ruined with the love story and lost it's credibility will everyone having English accents. Pearl Harbor was pretty much the same. And Memphis Belle was a complete joke.

Tora Tora Tora, A Bridge too Far, Midway etc. are all good clasics but since Saving Private Ryan and BOB the bar has been raised.

Saving Private Ryan (RLTW!!!!) and Band of Brothers

I knew that I had forgot to list some.
Non WW2: Flight of the Intruder, Platoon, Crimson Tide
WW2: Tuskakeegee Airmen, Men of Valor

trdnfigrhead - You felt "We were soldiers" was a stinker?

I really was moved by it, but not only am I veteran, I grew up a brat, and I never saw another flick talk so well about the family impact of military service.

Fav WWIIs
Patton
Longest Day
Enemy at the gates
Pvt Ryan
Windtalkers

I never saw the dambusters, (is it on video, and common or tough to find???)
BUT
I saw a lengthy thing on them on the History Channel, what an amazing feat.
They showed scenes during the special.

My favorite SciFi is Star Wars - A New Hope.
I can tell a lot of Star Wars death star scene was lifted from dambusters, and I never knew that... but I knew Lucas reviewed a lot of WWII actual footage and movies for inspiration of the fighting scenes.

Dambusters must be a good movie. Certainly an incredible feat of flying and bombing.

Tora Tora Tora
A walk in the sun
Anzio
Most favorite WWII movies

Hey firemann816,

I did say "Most Mel Gibson and Kevin Costner movies", but not all, (well maybe all Kevin Costner movies). We were soldiers was not too bad, and Gallipoli was also good. But the Patriot (PEEYUUU!!) and Braveheart (fun, but historically way off the mark) are more action/feel good propaganda than history.

As for visuals and realism--Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan
As for more dramatic--Bridge on the River Kwai and Empire of the Sun

Hey, I guess im a Steven Spielburg fan

Sean

Anyone pick up the one glaring inaccuracy in "We were Soldiers" ?
My borther pointed it out to me... no one in the Stateside scenes had a starched uniform, not even the khakis were starched.
Some more of my favs (WW2)
Attack and Retreat (the Italians on the Russian Front)
Stalingrad
Enemy at the Gates
Sahara (Sgt Gunn is another prototypical tanker)
When Trumpets Fade
A Walk in the Sun

Guilty pleasures: (not great movies but I enjoy seeing them)
Battle of the Bulge
To Hell and Back
The Tanks are Coimng
Theirs is the Glory
Bridge Too Far

Guiltiest pleasure (everyone hates these movies it seems except me)
Red Dawn
Behind Enemy Lines #:-)

Films:
A Bridge Too Far.
The Great Escape.
Saving Private Ryan.
Enemy at the Gates.
and not quite a war movie:
Casablanca.

On UK TV:
BBC - The Secret Army and Colditz

On American TV:
Brothers in Arms
and
MASH

I think the opening sequence in Private Ryan gave me a real idea for the first time just what our fathers and uncles went through. Made me so grateful.
Cheers to all you movie goers.
Peter