The Worst War Movies of All Time

[HMCS]

OK... here goes.

1. Pearl Harbor (2001) I still want my $10 and those 2hours, 4 minutes back.... pure crap.
2. The Conqueror (1956) "this Tartar woman is for me... my heart says, take her!"...oh, Duke, how could you?
3. Midway (1976) All WW2 footage with cuts to Chuck on the bridge of a carrier.... hmmm...
4. Vercingétorix (2001) Holy crap....this was bad.
5. They Died With Their Boots On (1941) propaganda never sat well with me...
6. Heartbreak Ridge (1986)...yack.
7. Iron Eagle II (1988) 'nuff said.
8. Braddock: Missing in Action III (1988).. the least you could do is to make the sequel story line follow the first two.... sheesh.
9. Red Dawn (1984) Reagan-era hysteria.
10. Invasion U.S.A. (1985) Because one Chuck Norris film in the list isn't enough...

[Duncan Idaho]

Odd you picked Midway, that is, to me, one of the greats, I still watch it every time it airs.

[HMCS]

I just think that the weak story line and the heavy use of stock WW II footage was a lazy-ass way to make a film.

Just an opinion....

[yankee-V]

Here's a couple more:

11. The Purple Heart (1944) Must be seen to be beleived, e.g. when the Chinese fellow murders his stoolie father in the courtroom.

12. Kelly's Heroes (1970) Don Sutherland as the "stoner" tank driver is pretty silly as is the rest of this "heist" flick.

[JScones]

Actually, despite saying I love all war movies on the other thread, I'd have to agree 100% with Pearl Harbor at #1. And I'd add in U-571 at #2.

There is a limit before historical inaccuracy just becomes plain distracting. Battle of the Bulge pushes it, but these two (and Bridge on the River Kwai) go too far...at least in my humble opinion.

[enigma-e]

U-571. Hands down.

[retired1212]

Crash Dive :down:

[Evil Duckie]

I thought Midway was pretty good actually.

Have only seen small parts of "Pearl Harbour", but those already confirm a top position in this list for me. I thought "Tobruk" was pretty bad too.

[Mike 'Red Ocktober' Hense]

U-571 definitely...

--Mike

[Egan]

A film I thought was really bad was 'When Trumpets fade' made by either the writer or director of 'Hamburger Hill.' I cannot explain why I hated it so much, becuase, in actual fact the setting (the Hurtgen forest,) is an interesting and much ignored part of WW2.

Oh, actually, I do know why I didn't like it; It was badly written, the action sucked and the acting blowed...

[Seminole]

Operation Petticoat

http://www.carygrant.net/fotogallery/operationpetticoat/op-lobby1.jpg


Ok...ok it was a comedy actually but lets don't split hairs.....PH was a love story in disguise

[Cdre Gibs]

Das Boot (1981)

[lafeeverted]

In Enemy Hands (2004) !!! Also known as U Boat in Europe.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0316824/


This is the worst war movie, and should rank as one of the worst movie ever. It makes U 571 look like a masterpiece. It has to take top honors because it was made only a few years ago, there is just no excuse for the factual errors as well as terrible acting, sets, effects........

[Duncan Idaho]

Das Boot (1981)

Wow, someone actually rates this as the worst? :huh:

That's more than a little surprising, considering just about everyone here, (and their mothers I bet), love that movie! :doh:

[Stealth Elephant]

Windtalkers.

[Catfish]

U-571
Terrible actors, H. Keitel in his worst role, and a rockstar in his probable best role, still much too bad for any film :rotfl:
Completely concocted history (Engigma etc.) AND still serving the WW2 allied propaganda German-U-boats-kill-shipwrecked" bullsh*t.
Greetings,
Catfish

[U-1966]

The Pearl Harbor (2001) Attack Scene Was good and accurate. RED DAWN alerted the USA to Communist Aggression, and that "Reagan Hysteria" won the Cold War..:)

[Jace11]

Pearl Harbour? What an utter crock of sh*t!

That film is aweful. Who directed it? Who wrote it?

Laugh? I nearly shat...

You can tell its a crap war movie, cause girls like it more than blokes...

Never seen U-571, think I'll give it a wide birth.

[HMCS]

Attack Scene Was good and accurate. RED DAWN alerted the USA to Communist Aggression, and that "Reagan Hysteria" won the Cold War..


Nope, sorry. You're wrong on two counts.

Communist aggression was known since the Korean War, and it hardly required a bad Patrick Swayze movie to sound the alarm. Red Dawn was only a hysterical and propogandist attempt at fearmongering and cashing in at the same time. Propoganda is propaganda.

A number of factors decided the Cold War. The Solidarity Movement in Poland, the instability of the Russian economy, the shortcomings of the Stalinist system, the Berlin Wall, and mutually assured destruction ensured the end of the cold war.

Hysteria never won any wars, so far as I can recall.

[HuntingBot]

Attack Scene Was good and accurate. RED DAWN alerted the USA to Communist Aggression, and that "Reagan Hysteria" won the Cold War..


Nope, sorry. You're wrong on two counts.

Communist aggression was known since the Korean War, and it hardly required a bad Patrick Swayze movie to sound the alarm. Red Dawn was only a hysterical and propogandist attempt at fearmongering and cashing in at the same time. Propoganda is propaganda.

A number of factors decided the Cold War. The Solidarity Movement in Poland, the instability of the Russian economy, the shortcomings of the Stalinist system, the Berlin Wall, and mutually assured destruction ensured the end of the cold war.

Hysteria never won any wars, so far as I can recall.

While I agree Red Dawn was just pure propaganda, Reagan pushed the Russians to the breaking point. He kept up the pressure on their economy, he made them decide between making food or keeping up with us in the arms race. Politics is my specialty, without Reagan's intervention the USSR would probably still be standing. Most of the people in the 80's were very apathetic towards the USSR, we didn't want to push them because we feared their push back. Reagan said f*ck that and made the USSR push itself more than it could sustain. Which obviously resulted in the collapse of the economy. Now if only Bush would follow Reagan's example and call Puttin a dictatorial Stalinist Russia may become a successful democracy.

[FesterShinetop]

Yes, Pearl Harbor is definately one of the worst war movies. I went there with my GF thinking I was going to watch a cool war movie (she wasn't too enthousiastic) and we came out of the theatre with me hating it and she thinking it wasn't that bad LOL :rotfl:
The action scenes were OK I guess but all the rest sucked really bad!
Also funny how nobody smokes in that movie... if you watch every other war movie they're usually smoking their lungs out, but I think this is made by Disney or something so I guess they didn't wanna set a bad example :roll:
Horrible movie... :nope:

[Beery]

9. Red Dawn (1984) Reagan-era hysteria.

Oh come on! Krasny Raccvet (Russian title) was brilliant. The Breakfast Club with Cuban paratroops, what more could anyone ask for in a war movie?

On a serious note, why wasn't 'Rambo; First Blood part 2' on that list? I mean, not only was it a horribly bad movie in its own right, but it has the added effect of tainting 'First Blood', which was actually a pretty good movie.

Regarding other comments related to politics, can we please avoid that? I don't even care what political persuasion players of this game ascribe to. In fact I'd prefer not to find out, because I'm sure that in most cases I won't like what I find.

[HMCS]

While I agreed that Reagan's policies were calculated, and the USSR could not keep up with the economic strain, Reagan's policies were only a a catalyst. I would argue that the rot had set in a long time before Reagan came along - all the way back to Stalin and Kruschev, and Brezhnev's policies ensured that the USSR couldn't win the cold war.

I strongly doubt that the USSR would have lasted much more than another 20 years or so after 1989, with or without Reagan.

[HuntingBot]

Agreed, Reagan's policies were calculated, and the USSR could not keep up with the economic strain, and they acted as a catalyst. I would argue that the rot had set in a long time before Reagan came along.

I strongly doubt that the USSR would have lasted much more than another 20 years or so after 1989, with or without Reagan.

Yes but 20 years means it'd still be around now :D I know I wouldn't want to be living in fear of a nuclear holocaust. I'm glad we can agree sometimes people just can't see what I'm talking about. It's just back then some people were thinking about dropping trade barriers with the USSR which would've stimulated their economy which would've been disastrous. I'm a conservative freak, so I had to jump in there to defend the only true conservative president.

[HMCS]

I disagree. The Russians were in no more hurry to die in a nuclear war than we were. From what I have read, we were in as much danger from the technology as we were from the Russians. There were a number of times when a war almost started from technical glitches at NORAD.

I also recall that Reagan and one of his cabinets were bleating on about the possibility of "winning" a nuclear war. One of his cronies said something about digging bomb shelters with a shovel and covering the hole with a door. It was insane.

I doubt that it would have even lasted 20 years. But that is a 'what if' which isn't a sustainable argument, and from what I have read I don't think that conservatives can take credit for Reagan winning the cold war. Even if the trade barriers were dropped, they didn't have anything that we wanted anyway. Vodka and Ladas. That's pretty much it.

So I disagree. Reagan did not single-handedly destroy the evil empire.

Sorry.

Read this article and think on it some more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonid_Brezhnev

BTW, I am as critical of Democrat Pres's as I am of Republicans.

[Duncan Idaho]

I disagree. The Russians were in no more hurry to die in a nuclear war than we were. From what I have read, we were in as much danger from the technology as we were from the Russians. There were a number of times when a war almost started from technical glitches at NORAD.

You said it. There's also a little point no one dares utter: Who is the only nation to actually use atomic weapons against an enemy? Who feared who? Seems to me the Russians had every reason to fear us, our leaders here in the US had no qualms about dropping a few nukes on Japan just to end a war we'd already won so 'our boys could come home for Christmas'...

Not trying to stir a controversy...just trying to add to one. ;)

Oh, and on bad War movies, add the latest Star Wars flick to the list. ;)

[The Avon Lady]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0783108974.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Dumber than dumb. And I'm a Kaye fan! :cry:

[Beery]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0783108974.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Who's that cutie next to him?

[Apocal]

I walked out of 'Pearl Harbor' dumber for having seen that movie. Windtalkers... three letters... W. T. F?

I thought 'When Trumpets Fade' was pretty good though. While it was definantly a budget title, it did a good job of showing just what a waste of life the Hurtgen Forest campaign was. I liked the method they used to depict just how much a meatgrinder it was, with the protaganist being promoted simply by virtue of being the last man left alive and the terrible irony of the ending.

[The Avon Lady]

Who's that cutie next to him?
I'm pretty sure it's Dinah Shore.

[Beery]

Who's that cutie next to him?
I'm pretty sure it's Dinah Shore.

She's lovely and I want to 'protect' her.

[satmax]

Pearl Harbor was a big flop because of it's director, Michael Bay.

Michael Bay is against violence in movies, which is wierd since he did direct the remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

I only liked the attack on Pearl Harbor, that was the best part of the movie, except the Zeros taking off from a modern American aircraft carrier was rather dumb... They could've done some CGI in that department to make it look at least a little more authentic. But why bother if the movie's crap anyway, right?


Red Dawn was one of my favorites when I was a kid.... now when I saw it again.... (puts face in hands) I can't believe I thought that was cool.

[c0sm1c]

Worst

U571 -- total distortion and badly made -- an opportunity missed as the reality of the first captured Enigma and the secret work at Bletchley Park is so much more interesting than this fiction.

Best

Das boot

...and for laughs

Down periscope - i just laugh when they sing this and then make Exec officer Pascal walk the plank :rotfl:

Sing me a duuuurge matey :arrgh!:

Come all ye young fellers that follows th' sea.
W-ay! Hey? Blow th' man down!
I'll sing ye a song if ye'll listen t' me.
Give us th' time an' we'll blow th' man down!

'Twas in a Black Baller I first served my time.
W-ay! Hey? Blow th' man down!
And in a Black Baller I wasted my prime.
Give us th' time an' we'll blow th' man down!

'Tis when a Black Baller's preparin' for sea.
W-ay! Hey? Blow th' man down!
Th'sights in th' fo' cas'le is funny t' see.
Give us th' time an' we'll blow th' man down!

Wi' sodgers an' tailors an' Dutchmen an' all.
W-ay! Hey? Blow th' man down!
As ships for prime seamen aboard th' Black Ball.
Give us th' time an' we'll blow th' man down!

But when th' Black Baller gets clear o' th' land.
W-ay! Hey? Blow th' man down!
It's then as ye'll hear th' sharp word o' command.
Give us th' time an' we'll blow th' man down!

Oh! It's muster ye sodgers an' tailors an' sich.
W-ay! Hey? Blow th' man down!
An' hear ye're name called by a son of a bitch.
Give us th' time an' we'll blow th' man down!

It's "fore-topsail halyards", th' Mate he will roar.
W-ay! Hey? Blow th' man down!
Oh, lay along smartly, you son of a whore.
Give us th' time an' we'll blow th' man down!

Oh, lay along smartly each lousy recroot.
W-ay! Hey? Blow th' man down!
Or it's lifted ye'll be wi' th' toe of a boot.
Give us th' time an' we'll blow th' man down!

[KodiakPA]

Has anyone ever seen the movie Below.

Its not horrible as a thriller, but it sucks as a war movie.

Think Ghost Ship on a Gato Class Submarine during WWII.

In the dark silence of the sea during World War II, the submarine U.S.S. Tiger Shark prowls on what should be a routine rescue mission. But for the shell-shocked crew, trapped together in the sub's narrow corridors and constricted spaces, this is about to become a journey into the sensory delusions, mental deceptions and runaway fear that lurk just below the surface of the ocean and deep inside the human psyche.

IMDB http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0276816/

[Beery]

I liked Below. It's not really supposed to be contending as a war movie. It's just a suspense thriller/horror movie. The war is just a prop.

[HMCS]

I'm pretty sure it's Dinah Shore

Yep. Dinah Shore. Pretty, but not a very good actress - so a good match for Danny Kaye. I like Kaye as a singer and stage preformer, but I never was much of a fan of his movies. Sam Goldwyn liked him enough to put him in alot of films.

How can you tell a guy is gay? He leaves this person for Danny Kaye.

http://www.dycks.com/vivienleigh/gallery/studio/2_copy.jpg

[Caseck]

I never saw Pearl Harbor. Is it really that bad?

Bad war movies, eh? How about:

1. Three Kings (Such potential... Such crap.)
2. Any sub movie except DAS BOAT.
3. Black Hawk Down. (Again, great potential, but such a crap movie. I wish those guys had just stuck to the facts, and not made crap up as they went along.)

[pampanito]

Did you see The Big Red One? (Mark Hamill as a GI after the first Star Wars). I couldn't believe it was signed by Samuel Fuller. There was a truly ridiculous scene with lots of people faking dead around a wrecked tank... I think German infantrymen were never depicted so stupid as in this film (you just wait behind a door and knock them down one by one as they line to enter...)

And speaking of Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor... I think a different version was shown in Japan, deleting all the scenes where people were machine-gunned in the water. I also believe there was a special edition DVD (just for Europe) which purported to include the scenes too 'gory' which did not make it to the final version (Disney policy).

[irishred]

Pearl Harbor was horrible, using MODERN WARSHIPS for 1940s era ships was a major joke.

[pampanito]

And don't forget 'Battle of the Bulge' with Robert Shaw. Lots of M-48 tanks with black crosses supposing to be Tigers and King Tigers... Best scene is when the Allied brass show a big model of the M-48 in a table... 'That's the German secret weapon etc etc'.
Perfectly blue skies all along the film... Wonder why the Allied air force was grounded. And the stunts were ludicrous.

[The_Pharoah]

now now hang on...

- I thought Red Dawn was an excellent movie for its time, and I'm a big war movie buff
- U571 was good also along with Kelly's Heroes.

Remember, before you 'rate' the movies, you have to know what the director intended it to be ie. representation of the real thing or just some fictional stuff eg. Kelly's Heroes - this was more a light hearted comedy than anything else.

Now, these are some of the REAL crap movies:

- Rambo (nuff said)
- Hell on the battlefield
- Iron Eagle
- 633 Squadron (all those paper planes)
- POW
- The Thin Red Line
- Windtalkers (those F6F's are a joke)
- Battle of the Bulge

Now here are the GOOD movies:

WW1
- Lost Battalion
- All quiet on the Western Front
- Gallipolli
WW2
- Saving Private Ryan ( :up: )
- Band of Brothers
- U571 (yes I know...still a good movie)
- Das Boot
- Tuskegee Airmen (meh....)
- The Cruel Sea (excellent b/w movie)
- Memphis Belle
- Tora Tora Tora
Vietnam
- Platoon
- Hamburger Hill ( :up: )
- Full Metal Jacket (mainly the Hue battle at the end)

[CWorth]

I personally dont care whether a movie is 100% accurate in content or what have you.I simply cant enjoy a movie if I am going to spend 90% of my time nit-picking every little detail of it.

I watch movies and rate them on their entertainment value and not on their historical value or accuracy.This way I can enjoy the movie for what it is supposed to be..a simple form of entertainment.If I want real history and accuracy I will go watch the History Channel or the Military Channel.

Pharoah states my opinion very well
"Remember, before you 'rate' the movies, you have to know what the director intended it to be ie. representation of the real thing or just some fictional stuff eg. Kelly's Heroes - this was more a light hearted comedy than anything else."
Not only the above statement but you also have to look at the budget they had available as well as what time constraints they were under to get the film done.

1.Pearl Harbor was made to be a drama NOT a war movie.They made this quite clear long before the movie came out.
2.Battle of the Bulge..I doubt you'd have been able to get many actual German tanks for the movie at least not in the numbers they needed.They had to make do with what they had available to them and their budget.


I have a list of least liked war movies but none I can put as worst(very short list)

1.Rambo series
2.Pearl Harbor( I hate girly flicks..BLECH)

Movies I enjoyed(just a few in my long list)

1.U571
2.Das Boot
3.Red Dawn
4.Kellys Heroes
5.Tora Tora Tora
6.Midway
7.Operation Petticoat..simply funny
8.Down Periscope..funny as hell
9.Final Countdown(Not a war movie as such but a good what if movie)
10.WindTalkers
11.Patton
12.Blackhawk Down
13.We Were Soldiers(excellent movie)

[Average Joe]

'The Green Berets' (1968) with John Wayne.

Politics aside, the movie is really bad! :down:

[Knotical]

Has anyone ever seen the movie Below.



Yeah I forgot about that one, just saw it a few months ago. Doesn't count as a war movie I guess. Not much action, but the scene when they had to go into the bilge or flood tank or whatever that was with the fish skeletons, jellyfish, and god knows what else hanging all over the place really freaked me out. Well written and directed that scene was.

[Twelvefield]

'The Green Berets' (1968) with John Wayne.

Politics aside, the movie is really bad! :down:

I dunno. I found The Green Berets to be almost ENDEARINGLY bad, like as if Ed Wood made a war flick. But it was politically charged, so that does make it a lousy movie for some. Beyond that, it had some pretty good action, a couple of memorable scenes, the Duke didn't just telephone in his performance (most of the time), and then there's a few screwball moments that just make you smile as they are so bad, even right down to the final scene where The Duke and the little boy go walking off into the sunset -- to the east.

My worst war film is perhaps "Platoon Leader" with Michael Dudikoff. If memory serves, at the end, his buddy falls on a live hand grenade to save the platoon. Instead of having his abdomen blown into hamburger, the guy lives long enough to get up, stumble into a jeep, find an American flag, and wrap himself in it before dying. And that was the high point of the film.

Of course, just to go slightly off topic, the only movie that was so bad that I walked out of it was "Showgirls" -- now I don't know how it ends. Does she get to be a showgirl or not?

I did sit all the way through "Gigli", which was much worse than "Showgirls", and deserves mention as quite possibly the worst Hollywood picture of all-time.

And by way of trivia, I actually worked in the place that they used as sets for "Maximum Surge", with Yasmine Bleeth and Walter Koenig. This movie didn't make it into mass-distribution, but I do consider it the Worst Movie Ever Made, Period.

[Kresge]

Thin Red Line -- must be the longest and most boring movie I've ever seen!

I know there are many fans, but I can't stand watching John Wayne for anything but a good laugh. Though I must admit my favorite battle scene is still Star Trek II: Wrath of Kahn.
:up:

[Stymnus]

I really have a hard time badmouthing any movies. I've never NOT watched a complete movie, certainly not walked out of one.

A 'best' I haven't seen mentioned yet (forgive me if I missed it) was 'Twelve O'Clock High', which dealt with the stresses of the American bomber pilots in the UK during WWII. Recommended, makes you think.

[The_Pharoah]

John Wayne? :rotfl:

*in best fake JW accent* 'well, ya better move that there Tiger tank before I move it for ya'

Thin Red Line for me was a MASSIVE disappointment, especially as it came out a few weeks after Saving Private Ryan. With all those 'big name' actors that you only see for 4 secs or so.

[Duncan Idaho]

Though I must admit my favorite battle scene is still Star Trek II: Wrath of Kahn.
:up:

Oh yeah, now you're talking. That was the ULTIMATE Trek battle. Probably my favorite movie, too. :|\

[Kondor77]

crap, wrong thread :doh:

[HMCS]

I am a big fan of John Wayne, but the film on my list of the worst was "The Conqueror", a musical in which he plays Genghis Kahn.

The last time I saw it on ebay a VHS was going for upwards of $150 USD.

My local specialty vid store has it, I saw it. Extraordinarly bad.

Pearl Harbor sucked. Both as a war film or a dramatic film.

Did anyone see Team America: World Police? There was a song called "I Love You Like Pearl Harbor Sucked"

[zombiewolf]

just about any Frank sinatra one. Ie "Von Ryans Epress" another one where he is a medic and crashlands on an island.



I loved Danny Kaye. great farces

[The Avon Lady]

Aw, c'mon! Von Ryan's Express is an OK movie! :yep:

Ages ago, I saw the movie "The Bridge at Remagen". Seems to have been long forgotten.

[FesterShinetop]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't like The Thin Red Line... everybody seemed so enthousisatic about it and I think it got some great reviews, but I thought it must be one of the most boring movies ever. Well... apart from Pearl of course :lol:

[Seminole]

The Pearl Harbor (2001) Attack Scene Was good and accurate. RED DAWN alerted the USA to Communist Aggression, and that "Reagan Hysteria" won the Cold War..:)


There was plenty of hysteria in the Reagan era all right. All of it from those who didn't then and still don't, can't, or won't appreciate or understand his leadership.

Red Dawn was the product of Hollywood as clueless and out of touch with reality then as now.

[Duncan Idaho]

just about any Frank sinatra one. Ie "Von Ryans Epress" another one where he is a medic and crashlands on an island.



I loved Danny Kaye. great farces

I'm with you on both counts there...

Sinatra never did anything for me. Now Bing Crosby...there was a voice to remember.

[Nagel]

I can't believe I didn't see Apocolypse Now in the list, despite Duvall's contribution, it's still a terrible (war film).
Granted, it's actually leftist propaganda anyway and should rank up there (or down there) with coming home by hanoi Jane.

[enigma-e]

"Apocalypse Now" was bad? You gotta be effin kiddin me! It was great, same with "The Deer Hunter"!

[Apocal]

I can't believe I didn't see Apocolypse Now in the list, despite Duvall's contribution, it's still a terrible (war film).
Granted, it's actually leftist propaganda anyway and should rank up there (or down there) with coming home by hanoi Jane.

Apocalypse Now will forever be noted as a brilliant work, if only for the fact that the Air Cav plays Wagner while assaulting a VC village. That scene, my friends, was pure filmmaking genius.

[Gammel]

Apocalypse now is one of the best movies ever made,
but i would not call it a war film.

Of course, there´s a war going on in that film.

Also i wouldn´t call it a leftist propaganda film.

I wouldn´t call it an antiwar movie also.

It´s much more...

This film has no easy message in (war is bad, war is good war is cruel, blablabla...) ;)

It´s a masterpiece.

Performed by brilliant actors

Watch it again Nagel, if you like. Do you already have seen the "redux" version?
Use a good TV if possible and good soundequipment...

ok, sorry enough evangelism :-j
and excuse my poor english

[CCIP]

Well in that case Das Boot is leftist propaganda, too. As is every other movie with an anti-war message.

Bleh. Anything that is not rightist is leftist propaganda :roll:

(<= mid-leftist, technically)

[Sarge McSarge]

Why on earth do you folks think that anthing that is anti war is automaticly "leftist" Pleanty of warmongers with communist or scocialist points of view. do the names Mao, Stalin and Ho mean anything?
As for bad movies
Bridge on the River Kwai (so inaccurate)
Pearl Harbour
and I can't remember the name of the Vietnam war movie with John Wayne playing a character that should have been at least 25 years younger.

Sarge

[Lannes]

I've tried on 3 different occasions to watch Thin Red Line and I think I made it to the 30 minute point once. I even tried to read the script one time and didn't finish it either...Too boring.

Windtalkers- Didn't finish this one either. When we got to the stereotypical redneck, I bailed....

Pearl Harbor- Beyond bad. I did actually watch this one to the end because Kate Beckensale is a dish ;)

I don't judge older movies very harshly because of the production standards at the time they were made.

[TLAM Strike]

and I can't remember the name of the Vietnam war movie with John Wayne playing a character that should have been at least 25 years younger. Was it "The Green Berets"?

[Kondor77]

I did actually watch this one to the end because Kate Beckensale is a dish ;)

So, so so so true. :yep:

[Sarge McSarge]

Yeah it was the Green Berets
and another on the crap list
Behind Enemy Lines
not a believeable character to be seen

[Kresge]

Just watched Gallipoli and am sorry to say I have to add it to this list. It had so much potential, but the 1980s synthesizer-crap soundtrack really killed it for me. Not enough for the 'worst' list, but enough to keep me from watching it again for a long, long time.


:rotfl:

[nikimcbee]

While I agreed that Reagan's policies were calculated, and the USSR could not keep up with the economic strain, Reagan's policies were only a a catalyst. I would argue that the rot had set in a long time before Reagan came along - all the way back to Stalin and Kruschev, and Brezhnev's policies ensured that the USSR couldn't win the cold war.

I strongly doubt that the USSR would have lasted much more than another 20 years or so after 1989, with or without Reagan.

Maybe the next time the Russians have their elections, everyone can vote for Gennady Zyuganov, and we can see how commumism does a second time around. :roll:

[Salvadoreno]

how the hell did u not like The Thin Red Line.. I wouldnt consider that a warfilm, more like a humanity film. The music and the interaction with th men and their experiences is awesome!! It shows more of the mens feelings rather then blood and guts. The part at the end when the main character dies. Oh! BRILLIANT!!!! If you actually pay attention to the film, you'll notice that cahracter talks about his mom dying in a nice peaceful death with birdies and the family and what not, and how he wants to die just like that.. And he does. When he is surrounded, he looks around at the trees and the birds singing and the sun.. And then dies. OH!! AWESOME! What a MOVIE!!!

[Type941]

Reagan said f*ck that and made the USSR push itself more than it could sustain. Which obviously resulted in the collapse of the economy. Now if only Bush would follow Reagan's example and call Puttin a dictatorial Stalinist Russia may become a successful democracy.

OK, no more Fox News for you. :up: :rotfl: What is it with you trying to convert every county to a way you want things to be run. Can't you see it doesn't work?!

Anyway, regarding the movies - for sure the Pearl Harbour was lame but all war movies are bound to have a large degree of bias and propoganda. They are never a historica account of what happened, rather a reinforcement of steriortypes/propoganda from the actual war era.


Enemy At The Gates? Have you seen that one, about the sniper in Stalingrad? Omg. Give me a break!

[Mouseketeer]

Anyway, regarding the movies - for sure the Pearl Harbour was lame but all war movies are bound to have a large degree of bias and propoganda. They are never a historica account of what happened, rather a reinforcement of steriortypes/propoganda from the actual war era.

I agree, but even in historical books you will be presented an author's point of view, right?

[Type941]

Anyway, regarding the movies - for sure the Pearl Harbour was lame but all war movies are bound to have a large degree of bias and propoganda. They are never a historica account of what happened, rather a reinforcement of steriortypes/propoganda from the actual war era.

I agree, but even in historical books you will be presented an author's point of view, right?

You know what the say about History - the winners write it. :|\

[Mouseketeer]

You know what the say about History - the winners write it. :|\
:yep:

[XXi]

I`m sure I`ve forgotten about some craps, but the worst war films i`ve seen are as follows:
U-571. I couldn`t believe that such a bad film can be made and, moreover, can be advertized as a solid piece of good war movie. Argh....
Enemy at the gates - for few scenes, a good NKWD ( Jeez, didn`t THEY know what the 10.th NKWD Division actually DID in Stalingrad ? What was their role in the battle ???? ) and few other things.
pearl Harbor - we can argue if the attack scene was good, bad or average but I don`t doubt all the rest WAS awful.
The bridge at Remagen - nothing special at ALL.
Some Russian war movies, with ultimately brave Red Army... propaganda pointers running beyond measure...

[ICBM]

1. U-571 - A ludicrous piece of ****e, an ansult to everyone's inteligence.

2. Behind Enemy Lines. - H.o.l.y s.h.i.t.e what a load of BS, 360 degree tracking active AA misiles, the final rambo scene etc etc.. :roll:

3. Pearl Harbor - 70% lovestory crap, 30% reasonable atack scenes.

[Kondor77]

Enemy At The Gates? Have you seen that one, about the sniper in Stalingrad? Omg. Give me a break!

It is based on a true story, just has the effects of a Hollywood picture. But think about it, its definately not as bad as it could've been. It is still one of my favorites. I mean the opening scenes really capture the brutality of the Eastern Front, and Stalin's order for 'Not one step back'.

And the duel with the other German sniper is also 100% true, just that there was only one encounter and not multiple.

Oh, and the love story, yea its crap, but I tend to ignore that.

[toryu]

Worst war film... h'mmmm..
Any of the Rambo films. Awful, juvenile wastes of celluloid. M60 one-handed. Flimsy Mi24 Hinds. Stallone's inability to keep his t-shirt on, much like a go-go dancer at a gay bar.

Navy Seals (I think that was the name). Macho, one-dimensional faeces. Wooden place-holder characters, outrageously stupid scenes - one of the Seals gets machinegunned - he staves off dying just long enough to pull his crucifix out of his shirt, and kiss it. Then his head drops back, like the tragic heroine of a silent movie. Spew.


Enemy at the Gates. Holy Mother of 12 B@stards, that was a total hound of a picture. Hollywood at its very worst. The occasional eye-catching scene only highlights how bad the rest of it was. Jude Law and Rachel Weisz courting each other in these ridiculous Little Lord Fauntleroy accents:
"Oh Vassily, when shall I see you again?"
"Hush my deah, I shall return from dueling with the Hun forthwith. Toodle-pip!"

Ed Harris looked constantly like he wanted to use that rifle on himself.


Oh, and I hate U571 also. It symbolizes everything that disgusts me about Hollywood. Revionism, juvenility, banality, movie star casts, thin storylines, bad dialogue. And lots and lots of special effects. All tied up in a script written by the sort of bib-wearing maniac who never lets pesky things like facts get in the way of patriotism. The US has enough things to be proud of without having to make things up. Where are the movies about the 5th AF in the Pacific? Or any other number of things?

I'll tell you something else, there's only half as much dialog in movies these days as there was 20 years ago. And the actors mostly suck as well. What makes these dolts into stars? Compare Ben Affleck to someone like Gene Hackman? NO comparison. Hollywood is ripping us off, I tell ya.

[Nagel]

Apocalypse now is one of the best movies ever made,
but i would not call it a war film.

Of course, there´s a war going on in that film.

Also i wouldn´t call it a leftist propaganda film.

I wouldn´t call it an antiwar movie also.

It´s much more...

This film has no easy message in (war is bad, war is good war is cruel, blablabla...) ;)

It´s a masterpiece.

Performed by brilliant actors

Watch it again Nagel, if you like. Do you already have seen the "redux" version?
Use a good TV if possible and good soundequipment...

ok, sorry enough evangelism :-j
and excuse my poor english

I do agree it's a brilliant work, but it's still leftist propaganda. just take that one scene where the can comes in playing Wagner, come on! Wagner for God's sake, and attack the "peaceful" village where the children are sitting down in school? We're portrayed as the invading horde. that movie is a blatent piece of antiwar propaganda. I do love the air cav scene, and I do really really enjoy the redux version. the cinematography, and subtle underplots are intense, but it's still not a "war movie" inasmuch as it dipicts warriors in combat. Das Boot is a great war film, all quiet is a great war film. Anyone who says that Apocolypse is a great war film is too easily impressed by hollywood pyrotechnics.

[Type941]

Enemy At The Gates? Have you seen that one, about the sniper in Stalingrad? Omg. Give me a break!

It is based on a true story, just has the effects of a Hollywood picture. But think about it, its definately not as bad as it could've been. It is still one of my favorites. I mean the opening scenes really capture the brutality of the Eastern Front, and Stalin's order for 'Not one step back'.

And the duel with the other German sniper is also 100% true, just that there was only one encounter and not multiple.

Oh, and the love story, yea its crap, but I tend to ignore that.

I said what I said because i actually lived in Volgograd (was Stalingrad at the time of war). ;) Volga river doesn't have bloody mountains on its banks, that's for one.

no, of course it's hollywood and I know it's based on true story, and I know there are worse films. But I'm saying this from a perspective of someone who lived in the city portrayed and a lot is bollocks. But since it's a movie, it can be. Pearl Harbour is 120 times worse.

In fact, that Stalingrad battle had quite a number of moments that could have been depicted... The opening scene in boats reminded me of Omaha Beach. That worries me.

[Oberon]

And don't forget 'Battle of the Bulge' with Robert Shaw. Lots of M-48 tanks with black crosses supposing to be Tigers and King Tigers... Best scene is when the Allied brass show a big model of the M-48 in a table... 'That's the German secret weapon etc etc'.
Perfectly blue skies all along the film... Wonder why the Allied air force was grounded. And the stunts were ludicrous.

Finally!!
I spent the entirity of that film thinking to myself "Those German tanks look all wrong....they don't look box like enough to be Panzers!"
Now I can put my sanity to rest :rock:

As for U-571...what happened to the British?!!!!
That's one thing that does nark me, getting written out of our own battles...thank god for people who give us gems like Das Boot, or BoB!

Pearl Harbour? The actual bombing was pretty cool, and the Japanese planning the bombing...basically everything bar the stupid love story plot.

[Kondor77]

I said what I said because i actually lived in Volgograd (was Stalingrad at the time of war). ;) Volga river doesn't have bloody mountains on its banks, that's for one.

no, of course it's hollywood and I know it's based on true story, and I know there are worse films. But I'm saying this from a perspective of someone who lived in the city portrayed and a lot is bollocks. But since it's a movie, it can be. Pearl Harbour is 120 times worse.

In fact, that Stalingrad battle had quite a number of moments that could have been depicted... The opening scene in boats reminded me of Omaha Beach. That worries me.

Thats pretty cool, I'm planning a trip there hopefully in the next few years :rock:.

Can't argue with the geographic misportrayal of the city in the movie, you are also definately correct, with Pearl Harbor being much much much worse. That is why I don't find it necesary to add Enemy at the Gates into the same top 10 list as Pearl Harbor :P

[wetgoat]

Not knowing any better, one of my friends (a real WW2 freak) rented the vhs when it first came out. All we had heard, was the hype about what a great movie it was supposed to be. The entire first tape was 100% CHICK FLICK! Had we known better, we would have discarded the first tape and just started with the pt2 tape. As it was, by the time we got to pt2 , we were both about to puke. I have seen worse movies, but I actually had chipped in on the rental of this garbage. To sum this up, it was my all time worst waste of money on a movie rental.

[zombiewolf]

hey have you seen that rotten one with Mel Gibson trying to be a red neck in Vietnam.
Soo bad can't remember the name.

2 good ones tho based on real life

Audy Murphy "To hell and back"(played himself)

Gary Cooper "Sgt York"

Also remeber one with BOB Newhart where he is a clerk that ends up at the front.
He picks up the phone and pretends he is at the C.O.
talking to a bunch of people(is paul newman in this)

[Catfish]

Hello Nagel,
concerning "Apocalypse now" you wrote :

" ... I do agree it's a brilliant work, but it's still leftist propaganda. just take that one scene where the can comes in playing Wagner, come on! Wagner for God's sake, and attack the "peaceful" village where the children are sitting down in school? We're portrayed as the invading horde. that movie is a blatent piece of antiwar propaganda. I do love the air cav scene, ... "

People don't die in wars, this is all (leftist) propaganda. Maybe they did not play Wagner, but in original camera footages of Vietnam they indeed had mounted loudspeakers, only thing is they mostly played Rock'n roll going in, not Wagner. Why not say it ? A village "proven" to be a vietcong one was mostly erased, collateral damage with civilians. Sh*t happens. How could a frightened 18-year old farmer boy from Idaho possibly decide what to do when they found a gun in a hut in the jungle. Chewing gums when igniting a hut with a Zippo lighter maybe is leftist propaganda, as well as Americans dying at all, i know. (dropping atom bombs over civilian targets including schoolchildren is also leftist propaganda). I do not discuss whether it was necessary to do that, but to call leftist propaganda anything presenting what really happened without showing the US flag every two minutes and having a marine say "Yessir!" - B.S.! Leftist propaganda is something else.
I do not think the film really makes sense in a way the original author really meant, because the book Coppola got the idea from is no military or "leftist" one, Coppoly only transferred the story from another location and time to the far east into a war. And even the hidden story behind within the film is not about war.
Greetings,
Catfish

[Twelvefield]

Pearl Harbour? The actual bombing was pretty cool.

Except, of course, that the bombs fall straight down out of the planes.

Please to see:

http://www.intuitor.com/moviephysics/

... and scroll down to the Pearl Harbor movie review.

[enigma-e]

Thanks, Catfish, you beat me to it. Some people (Nagel, that is) do have a ... shall we say... simple way of viewing the world. :roll:

[John Channing]

Ahhh... I see politics has reared it's ugly head once again.

Now where did I put that thread lock key?

JCC

[KodiakPA]

I could stand the lousy chick flick parts of Pearl Harbor, only because of Kate B, but the bombing of modern ships by zeros lost me totaly.

[Type941]

Pearl Harbour? The actual bombing was pretty cool.

Except, of course, that the bombs fall straight down out of the planes.

Please to see:

http://www.intuitor.com/moviephysics/

... and scroll down to the Pearl Harbor movie review.

Eh.. Thanks for that, just killed 1 hour reading the whole page and all them movies. good read, but really, I must sleep now!!! :D

[FesterShinetop]

After 4 pages I think it's pretty safe to say that Pearl Harbor is considered to be the worst war movie of all time :D
:rotfl: And it really IS horrible... :hulk:

[KL Seestern]

hey have you seen that rotten one with Mel Gibson trying to be a red neck in Vietnam.
Soo bad can't remember the name.

I think this was 'We Were Soldiers' ... agreed, pretty awful!

Also remeber one with BOB Newhart where he is a clerk that ends up at the front.
He picks up the phone and pretends he is at the C.O.
talking to a bunch of people(is paul newman in this)

This is 'Hell is for Heroes' (with Steve McQueen, not Paul Newman), which also got mentioned in the 'Best War Movies' thread on this forum. Even if you don't like that scene with Bob Newhart (which I did), I seem to recall that the rest of the movie wasn't too bad, at any rate not a serious candidate for 'Worst War Movie of All Time' when you have turkeys like 'Pearl Harbor' contending for the title ;)

[ViperU48]

Agreed with most listed here, but especially U-571 and 'In enemy hands'.

I've seen more impressing stuff in a toilet...

[Catfish]

" ... but especially U-571 and 'In enemy hands'.

I've seen more impressing stuff in a toilet... "

:rotfl: :rotfl: :lol:

Greetings,
Catfish

[Payoff]

In Enemy Hands: whats up with the 1970's haircuts. Geeesh.