War > I War

Advantages: Realistic depiction of war, plenty of action
Disadvantages: A bit slow in places, very graphic violence

Hamburger Hill is the supposedly poor cousin of the two highly acclaimed Vietnam War films, Platoon and Full Metal Jacket. While the latter two films were released to critical acclaim, Hamburger Hill received a somewhat mixed reaction from the press. Hamburger Hill is directed by John Irvin and was released in 1987 and unlike the other two films is based around an actual battle that occurred during the war. The film follows the fortunes of the 101st ...
...commanders during the war. Hamburger Hill aims to retell the story of the battle and highlight the ferocity of the fighting that took place during those ten days. The film starts with a group of soldiers bogged down in the A Shau Valley, (the area where the hill is located) and under heavy enemy fire they are forced to retreat back to their camp. The camp is then the setting for the first half of the film and we are shown how the American soldiers ... Read review

Advantages: Looks & Sounds great
Disadvantages: A Tad Gorey

I saw this with my 3 brothers when it was released. It was the first time i've ever sat all the way through and not uttered a sound until the film was finished. That's saying something. the film was incredible in the cinema. Next watching was on DVD. the whole film all the way through with no breaks. again, the film was awesome. And today i've just seen it again on the TV. The film does get better each time I see it. I notice more and more things, ...
...me. Hanks salutes his superior when he goes for his "find Ryan" briefing but his translator is chastised for doing the same, why? The men that don't spot the Panzerfaust leaning against the wall when their trying to stop the 25mm gun from flanking them. It's right there in plain view in the middle of the screen leaning against a wall and not one of 4 men spotted it. This time I did see Ted Danson and that Vin Diesel. Second time in a week for the ... Read review

Advantages: Moving story, great scenes
Disadvantages: Bloody

Saving Private Ryan "In the last great invasion, of the last Great War, the greatest danger for eight men…..was saving one." This film starts with a bang, literally, on the beaches of World War 2's historic D-Day invasion, a very intense and moving scene. If you are at all squeamish this is not really a film for you as, the beginning in particular and actually much of the rest of film is brutal and bloody and features blood, guts and missing limbs, ...
...look past all the gore to experience this wonderful movie. This 1998 film is described as a poignant and powerful homage to the soldiers of WW2. Like I said it starts on the beaches depicting the D-Day landings. If you are not familiar with the D-Day landings they are described as the first operations of the Allied Powers' invasion of Normandy, also known as Operation Neptune and Operation Overlord, during World War II. D-Day for the operation, ... 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