War > Bronson, Charles War

Advantages: Everything, seeing Steve McQueen lots is a bonus =]
Disadvantages: none!

...of this movie but never the whole film, I decided to buy it on DVD. I bought it as part of a 'Great Films Starring Steve McQueen' box set. What an investment! Produced in 1963, this DVD is based on a true story of a group of Allied P.O.W's who planned an escape from an 'escape proof' camp. This was the largest planned Allied escape attempt from a German POW camp. This film features some famous names such as: Steve McQueen James Garner Charles ...
...The first half of the film focuses on various escape attempts made by the POWs, as well of the planning of the escape and digging the tunnels, Tom, Dick, and Harry. This half of the film is quite comedic, and the characters work well together. The second half of the film follows the escape of the prisoners, and follows their various journeys as they try and get back to Britain safely. It is much more dramatic than the first half, and is quite fast ... 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: 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: 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: Star studded cast, Based on a true story, Funny, And that motorcycle chase which everybody loves
Disadvantages: I cant think of one honestly

The Great Escape, written by James Clavell, W.R. Burnett, and Walter Newman (who went uncredited for this film), and directed by John Sturges is a popular 1963 World War II film starring Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough and James Garner, based on a true story about Allied prisoners of war with a record for escaping from German prisoner-of-war camps. The Luftwaffe placed them in a new more secure camp, Stalag Luft III, from which they promptly ...
...film was based upon the factual book of the same name by Paul Brickhill, who observed the actual events as a prisoner, as did George Harsh who supplied the introduction. Harsh, one of the few Americans in the British section of Stalag Luft III, died in 1980 at age 72, according to a 1980 page of obituaries in Time magazine. Featuring an all-star cast including McQueen (whose motorcycle chase is the film's most remembered action scene; he also did ... Read review