War

Advantages: gritty, and realistic
Disadvantages: brutal

...Released first in 1986, Platoon received a rather mixed reception. The strange thing is, that it was both praised and criticised for exactly the same reason. Quite simply it was seen as being too realistic. Platoon is, in essence, a gritty and truthful vision of war. A lot of people thought that it went too far. However, I think that it was high time that a film was made that did not try and sugar coat war. Unfortunately, all too many people on ...
...can be felt by all. Platoon certainly does have that. And its realism is added to, by the fact that its director was using life experience to base his direction, not the views of others. Neither was he basing the movie on what other directors had done before him. Feelings for him were raw, and this shone through in the film itself. The film is harrowing. The film is convincing. Quite frankly, the film is brutal. In my opinion, though that makes ... Read review

Advantages: Strong cast, decent writing and capable direction.
Disadvantages: It is overlong.

As the American forces advance on the strategically important island of Iwo Jima, during the Second World War, General Tadamichi Kuribayashi is sent to lead the defence. His travels in the US mean the general has no hatred of the enemy, but has a strategic insight into the minds of the opposition. Using the very rock of the island itself, Kuribayashi's tactics change what had been predicted as an easy victory for the Americans into almost forty days ...
...the companion piece to director Clint Eastwood's "Flags of Our Fathers", this time chronicling the battle of Iwo Jima from the Japanese side. He employs many of the same techniques as in the other movie. The film he uses is grainy and desaturated to such an extent that it is almost black and white. It highlights the barren volcanic landscape (with Iceland standing in for the real island), making it feel even more inhospitable. This monochrome palette ... Read review

Advantages: Visually beautiful; emotionally raw and deep; stunning battle sequences; reflective and poetic
Disadvantages: An acquired taste

Nature and philosophy is the trademark of Terrence Malick. He artfully presented it in his two films of the 70s, Badlands and Days of Heavens, but retreated from the directing scene to go on a sabbatical which would last for twenty years. The Thin Red Line emerged in 1999, more visceral than any of Malick's previous work, presenting audiences with an artfully crafted, beautiful film. This was Malick taking his films to a more ambitious scale, taking ...
...viewer enjoys the film, it is not to be denied that the Thin Red Line is sheer film making genius. Retrieved by the army from the exotic island of Melonesia, deserter Private Witt (Jim Caviezel), a humanistic, thoughtful man, is transferred directly back to his previous outfit; Charlie Company. A wide array of men, all with their own issues, make up the unit. They are thrown directly into the 1943 battle of Guadacanal, a turning point in the war ... Read review

Advantages: A good war film with a different perspective, a well made film, well directed
Disadvantages: At 3 hours and 20 minutes the film is quite long

...Academy Awards and an Oscar. Das Boot is a German made film and is about the German crew of a U-Boat who patrolled the Atlantic during World War 2. In most American or British World War 2 films the Germans tend to be dehumanised and looked upon as cold and evil, because Das Boot is German you get to see how normal most of the Germans really were. The characters on board the U-Boat are presented as people who are doing their military service, trying ...
...including Hitler and Churchill. Das Boot has been extremely well directed and put together by film director Wolfgang Petersen he uses certain shots in the film with great effect in helping to involve the audience. The extras in the DVD include being able to watch the film with directors commentary so you can see what Petersen was trying to achieve with certain techniques used in the film. A great effort has been made to make the film as realistic ... Read review

Advantages: all star cast historical realism
Disadvantages: an epic

I am a a big fan of war movies and I can claim I have seen the vast majority of them, so it is no small claim when i say this is my favourite. The reasons for this are plentiful, mostly because it is very accurate in historical terms and this is due in large part to the amount of research by Richard Attenborough. During filming they consulted with veterans of the actual battle, immensely adding to the credability of the film. Further to this the ...
...is very refreshing to see a war movie that dares to cover a battle such as this where the Allies do not win (and in fact it is probably the greatest mistake of Montgomery's career) and a great resounding victory is not the central theme of the picture. An excellent movie if you like war films in the slightest you will enjoy this and if you like epics you'll be in love. My reccomendation watch this film. The extras included with this dvd are two ... Read review