War > R War > Bronson, Charles

Advantages: Robert Shaw, action, good realism
Disadvantages: Hollywoodised story complete with history rewritten, ( again )

The Battle of the Bulge ( or The Battle of the Ardennes as it was really called ) was the last major offensive ever mounted by Hitler in the second world war and was one of the biggest battles the US forces ever fought. It was also the only battle where the US army suffered a defeat ( be it a short one ) and also the first time they were really pushed back and if Hitlers plan had been a little bit more realsitic, he might well have extended the war ...
...these were veterans and very battle hardened troops, in additional, although many units did retreat, a lot of them stood their ground and this held up the Germans and even though they were completely surrounded and outnumbered, these units caused major delays and some very heavy casulties to the Germans, worse still they caused them to use a lot of fuel and ammunition which they could not afford. However, the allies did have some major fuel dumps ... Read review

Advantages: Great performances, Lee Marvin, superb dramatic tension
Disadvantages: Goof ups in depicting war games

The 60's was a period when we had great war flicks like Where Eagles Dare, The Dirty Dozen, Guns of Navaronne, The Great Escape, The Longest Day to name a few. My dad was a lover of such movies, and he would take me along as a kid, and that's how I grew up loving such cinema. Dirty Dozen is a typical lets get together guys and go on a mission, spot the star World War II movies which appeared regularly during that period. But this is one movie which ...
...and superb pacing. With the advent of D-Day, the US Army has come up with a plan to interrupt German chain of command. Raid a secluded mansion where most of the high ranking Nazi officers come to party with their mistresses and kill every one there. It's a suicidal operation, and so the army decides to make use of convicted criminals who are either on death row or facing life imprisonment. It's a win win situation, if they die, they would have the ... Read review

Advantages: A classic war, action movie
Disadvantages: Very thin storyline

Synopsis *********** Set during the second World War, rebellious Major John Reisman (Lee Marvin) is facing disciplinary action for his attitude but is given an opportunity to escape the impending punishment if he agrees to take on a very peculiar mission. Reluctantly he is put in charge of a mission to pick 12 soldiers facing the death penalty in prison and to train them up for what is effectively a suicide mission to destroy a chateau where prominent ...
...back and escape than complete the mission. Opinion ********* Certain films over the years seem to become perennial favourites of TV, films such as "Star Wars" and "The Great Escape" always seem to be on the screen and so is the fact with "The Dirty Dozen". Set in World War II, the film is predominantly aimed at a male audience with copious amounts of action, although it is still very popular with female audiences. Unlike many war films which rely ... Read review

Advantages: A true story and a very interesting one
Disadvantages: I am British and we are pretty much the bad guys

...best tactics for fighting the Zulu and watch the Zulu king and tribe counter these tactics and use a fair bit more cunning than has been expected of them. A one armed hero leads the British army into battle, with many of them rightly fearing for their lives unlike their officers who feel it was a matter of when not if they would win the battle. Historians will enjoy this movie immensely, for everyone else though I am still sure its worth the time ... Read review

Advantages: A story worth telling...
Disadvantages: ...but a story badly told

~~ Flags of Our Fathers ~~ Film Review Only Director: Clint Eastwood Screenplay; William Broyles Jr. and Paul Haggis Actors: Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, Adam Beach, John Benjamin Hickey, John Slattery. Classification: 15 Run Time: 127 minutes ~~ Introduction ~~ I've been impressed with recent films directed by Clint Eastwood (Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby) and I really wanted to like this film, but unfortunately I found the outcome ...
...days. Furthermore, there were to flags hoisted that day and although the three soldiers named above did actually hoist the stars and stripes, they weren't part of the group that hoisted the first flag. The original flag was put up by soldiers who were later killed in combat and who were never given credit whilst other soldiers who had nothing to do with the event were treated as heroes. If that seems confusing you'll be even more confused after watching ... Read review