# Recommend (preferably non-WWII/Nam) war films



## DaveCinzano (Mar 8, 2010)

I'm interested in seeing a few more war films that I've not seen before, especially ones that aren't about the Second World War or Viet Nam, and especially ones that aren't filled with the same tropes we've all seen before (so no movies where some kid from the Mid West is writing a letter to his Gal Back Home shortly before he goes into action, or another Battle of the Bulge variation on 'Nuts!', or that sort of business, please).

So please feel free to champion lesser known or generally overlooked features.

Some from me:


_Talvisota_ - about the Finno-Soviet Winter War
_Pork Chop Hill_ - the futility of combat, Korean edition
_Kavkazskiy Plennik_/_Prisoner Of The Mountains_ - Russian soldiers captured by Chechen rebels react in different ways to captivity
_The Last Valley _- imperfect but interesting film (directed by doorstop author James Clavell) about the Thirty Years War, with Michael Caine and Omar Sharif


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## the button (Mar 8, 2010)

Starship Troopers.


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 8, 2010)

All three?


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## The Octagon (Mar 8, 2010)

Three Kings


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 8, 2010)

If you can't behave,then we'll all sit here in silence until Reno comes along and makes sensible suggestions.


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## Orang Utan (Mar 8, 2010)

blessed by fire is about the falklands conflict but it's from the argentinian perspective
the charge of the light brigade - the crimea
elizabeth is kind of a war film


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## cesare (Mar 8, 2010)

Kingdom Of Heaven. Then you can read about all that copyright wrangle too.


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## Orang Utan (Mar 8, 2010)

M*A*S*H*


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## cesare (Mar 8, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> If you can't behave,then we'll all sit here in silence until Reno comes along and makes sensible suggestions.


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## Orang Utan (Mar 8, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> If you can't behave,then we'll all sit here in silence until Reno comes along and makes sensible suggestions.



rambo iii


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## LC1980 (Mar 8, 2010)

Aces high


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## The Octagon (Mar 8, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> If you can't behave,then we'll all sit here in silence until Reno comes along and makes sensible suggestions.



Mine was a serious suggestion 

In what other films do they use an American Football as a missile and one of the main characters has to keep turning a nozzle in his chest to avoid his lungs collapsing?


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## selamlar (Mar 8, 2010)

Land and Freedom, or indeed Wind That Shakes the Barley


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## selamlar (Mar 8, 2010)

Or Jarhead, or Tigerland


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## MrSki (Mar 8, 2010)

Zulu


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 8, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> blessed by fire is about the falklands conflict but it's from the argentinian perspective



Now that sounds interesting, one to add alongside _Tumbledown_ and _An Ungentlemanly Act_ (and _Apartment Zero_ maybe).


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 8, 2010)

cesare said:


> Kingdom Of Heaven. Then you can read about all that copyright wrangle too.



When I watched that I was a bit bored by it, but then I was bored by the original studio epics like _Ben Hur_ and that as well. I shall give it another go!


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 8, 2010)

LC1980 said:


> Aces high



The aerial _Journey's End_? In my memory it was so-so, but came across like the _Biggles_ movie without the time travel and with extra dourness. _Wings_ is my WWI combat film of choice.


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 8, 2010)

The Octagon said:


> Mine was a serious suggestion
> 
> In what other films do they use an American Football as a missile and one of the main characters has to keep turning a nozzle in his chest to avoid his lungs collapsing?



Fair point 

I do actually like that film, and paid cash money to see it at the picture palace when it came out.


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## selamlar (Mar 8, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> The aerial _Journey's End_? In my memory it was so-so, but came across like the _Biggles_ movie without the time travel and with extra dourness. _Wings_ is my WWI combat film of choice.



Pfff.  The Blue Max by a country mile.


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## cesare (Mar 8, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> When I watched that I was a bit bored by it, but then I was bored by the original studio epics like _Ben Hur_ and that as well. I shall give it another go!



I quite liked it, but I think only because there was a slightly different twist to the bog standard Crusades storyline. I don't think I'd make any great effort to see it again or buy the DVD - but it was fine as a film to watch on telly iyswim.


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 8, 2010)

selamlar said:


> Land and Freedom, or indeed Wind That Shakes the Barley



I'll give you the first one, in a shamelessly-retreading-Orwell way; but the second is just a shillelagh-shaped remould!


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 8, 2010)

selamlar said:


> Or Jarhead, or Tigerland



Both decent enough (and nice sound design and photography in the former).


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## selamlar (Mar 8, 2010)

Not sure that they would qualify as lesser known, but Letters from Iwo Jima, and Thin Red Line are both worth a look.


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## Orang Utan (Mar 8, 2010)

selamlar said:


> Not sure that they would qualify as lesser known, but Letters from Iwo Jima, and Thin Red Line are both worth a look.



both WW2 films!


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## selamlar (Mar 8, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> both WW2 films!



Yup.  He said preferably not, not def. not.


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## Orang Utan (Mar 8, 2010)

but you picked two of the most famous films about wwii!


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## LC1980 (Mar 8, 2010)

Red Badge of Courage


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## cesare (Mar 8, 2010)

How about The Lives Of Others? (possibly too much WWII/post to be OK though)


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 8, 2010)

cesare said:


> How about The Lives Of Others? (possibly too much WWII/post to be OK though)



Oooh I've been wanting to see that for a while now, ta for reminding me.

(The non-WW2/Nam thing isn't hard-and-fast, I'm sure any recommendations will be welcomed by someone.)


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 8, 2010)

LC1980 said:


> Red Badge of Courage



Don't think I've seen that, Wikipedia makes it sound worth catching, cheers


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## cesare (Mar 8, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> Oooh I've been wanting to see that for a while now, ta for reminding me.
> 
> (The non-WW2/Nam thing isn't hard-and-fast, I'm sure any recommendations will be welcomed by someone.)



It's more Cold War than WWII but I always think of that 40-odd years as being very interlinked. I really enjoyed that film, but I have read criticisms along the lines that it disproportionately portrayed the Stasi type atmosphere ... good viewing though.


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## Griff (Mar 8, 2010)

Come & See. Yeah, I know it's a WW2 film but is a must see if you haven't already.


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## LC1980 (Mar 8, 2010)

Last of the Mohicans


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## London_Calling (Mar 8, 2010)

Paths of Glory - as someone who tends to know what he's talking about said:



> " . . . the most important political film of the 20th century. If anyone wants to look at "Paths of Glory" and think it doesn't speak to the essential triumph of institutions over individuals and doesn't speak to the fundamental inhumanity of the 20th century and beyond, then they weren't watching the same film as the rest of us. That film is essential, and as meaningful today as the day it was made."


Early Kubrick, with Kirk Douglas playing the kind of man he wished he was.


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## DotCommunist (Mar 8, 2010)

Soldier Blue  that's a war western with brutality and heart.


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## g force (Mar 8, 2010)

Okay so it's WWI but it's a) amazing and b) often overlooked


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## STFC (Mar 8, 2010)

9th Company - young Russian soldiers in Afghanistan (the boy from Come and See is in it).

Battle of Algiers - the Algerian resistance against the French occupation.


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## belboid (Mar 8, 2010)

Harlan County USA
Matewan
Oktober

classics from the class war.

alternatively:

Life & Death of Colonel Blimp (three wars for the price of one!)
Rome, Open City/Best Years of Our Lives/To Have & Have Not - all WW2, but very diff takes on it
Contraband/Spy In Black/La Grande Illusion - WW1
Ran - fuck knows which war, but a war it definitely is
Red Badge of Courage - US Civil War


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## ilovebush&blair (Mar 8, 2010)

Bashu, the Little Stranger its set during the Iran–Iraq War.


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## Reno (Mar 8, 2010)

The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth are both films about the Spanish civil war, as is The Spirit of the Beehive which was a big influence on those.


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## BlackArab (Mar 8, 2010)

Oh What A Lovely War - (WW1)
Glory - (US Civil War)
Voina (War) - (Chechnya)
Gallipoli - (WW1)
Assembly - (Chinese Civil War)
Alexander Nevsky - (medieval Russian)
Welcome To Sarajevo - (Bosnia)
Dr Strangelove - (Cold War)
The Beast - (Afghanistan)


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## LC1980 (Mar 8, 2010)

Troy!


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 8, 2010)

Griff said:


> Come & See. Yeah, I know it's a WW2 film but is a must see if you haven't already.



Congratulations, you win the Every Urban Thread About War Films Must Mention Idi I Smotri sweepstake!



LC1980 said:


> Last of the Mohicans



Good choice, and makes me think I'd like to see Day Lewis in a straight-up war film.



London_Calling said:


> Paths of Glory



No complaints here.



DotCommunist said:


> Soldier Blue  that's a war western with brutality and heart.



I said no Nam flicks 



g force said:


>



Somehow I appear to have never got round to seeing this 



STFC said:


> 9th Company - young Russian soldiers in Afghanistan (the boy from Come and See is in it).



I said no tired old tropes! It's just _Platoon_ in Cyrillic!



STFC said:


> Battle of Algiers - the Algerian resistance against the French occupation.



Another sweepstake victor!



belboid said:


> Harlan County USA
> Matewan
> Oktober



Should see/Want to see/Seen



belboid said:


> Life & Death of Colonel Blimp (three wars for the price of one!)
> Rome, Open City/Best Years of Our Lives/To Have & Have Not - all WW2, but very diff takes on it
> Contraband/Spy In Black/La Grande Illusion - WW1
> Ran - fuck knows which war, but a war it definitely is
> Red Badge of Courage - US Civil War



Affirmative
Deffo/Bit grim/At least you didn't suggest little-known _Casablanca_
An Archers blindspot/Ditto/Not seen for ages
Of course!
See up there ^




ilovebush&blair said:


> Bashu, the Little Stranger its set during the Iran–Iraq War.



That sounds just the sort of thing I'm looking for, ta 



Reno said:


> The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth are both films about the Spanish civil war, as is The Spirit of the Beehive which was a big influence on those.



Good stuff!


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 8, 2010)

BlackArab said:


> Oh What A Lovely War - (WW1)
> Glory - (US Civil War)
> Voina (War) - (Chechnya)
> Gallipoli - (WW1)
> ...



Some food for thought there - not seen _Voina_ or  _Assembly_, willdefinitely checkthemout, thanks 

_Welcome To Sarajevo_ - not one of my favourites, not one of my favourite Winterbottoms, and not even one of my favourite Woody-after-_Cheers_ films, but there's some great locations. _Cabaret Balkan_ was a more interesting FRY wars flick IMO.


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## LC1980 (Mar 8, 2010)

SAVIOR


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## LC1980 (Mar 8, 2010)

Pretty village pretty flame


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## Orang Utan (Mar 8, 2010)

what's that balkan film about the fellas in a crater bickering? they're from different sides and one of them is lying on a bomb that will explode if he moves?


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## LC1980 (Mar 8, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> what's that balkan film about the fellas in a crater bickering? they're from different sides and one of them is lying on a bomb that will explode if he moves?



Yeah.


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## camouflage (Mar 8, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> what's that balkan film about the fellas in a crater bickering? they're from different sides and one of them is lying on a bomb that will explode if he moves?



No Mans Land. Good choice.


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 8, 2010)

LC1980 said:


> SAVIOR



I still get a twinge when I drag out the meat mallet to tenderise a steak thanks to that film.


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## Johnny Canuck3 (Mar 8, 2010)

Hurt Locker. Saw it last night. It's a good movie.


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 8, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> what's that balkan film about the fellas in a crater bickering? they're from different sides and one of them is lying on a bomb that will explode if he moves?



I spent an unhappy few hours trying to tweak the timecodes and edit out the Americanisms on a subtitle file to that so it matched the video, only to belatedly realise I'd got myself an Italian dub


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 8, 2010)

camouflage said:


> No Mans Land. Good choice.



Seconded!



Johnny Canuck2 said:


> Hurt Locker. Saw it last night. It's a good movie.



Seconded!


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## BlackArab (Mar 8, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> Some food for thought there - not seen _Voina_ or  _Assembly_, willdefinitely checkthemout, thanks
> 
> _Welcome To Sarajevo_ - not one of my favourites, not one of my favourite Winterbottoms, and not even one of my favourite Woody-after-_Cheers_ films, but there's some great locations. _Cabaret Balkan_ was a more interesting FRY wars flick IMO.



Cabaret Balkan is a new one for me, I'll look out for it. Cheers.


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## Geri (Mar 8, 2010)

I imagine you've seen it already, but what about The Killing Fields? It's always worth another viewing.

Libertarias?


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 8, 2010)

LC1980 said:


> Pretty village pretty flame



Now that sounds excellent, just the sort of thing I'm interested in seeing, cheers


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 8, 2010)

Geri said:


> I imagine you've seen it already, but what about The Killing Fields? It's always worth another viewing.



True enough - a proper Sunday afternoon feelgood movie 



Geri said:


> Libertarias?



Never seen that, will seek it out, looks worth a gander, ta


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 8, 2010)

BlackArab said:


> Cabaret Balkan is a new one for me, I'll look out for it. Cheers.



AKA _Bure Baruta_ and _Powder Keg_; it's about the lives of a disparate bunch of people as they bump into each other in barely post-war (but pre-Nato bombing) Belgrade.


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 8, 2010)

A few more I'm interested in seeing:
_The Last Bridge_
_The Bridge_
_The Devil's General_
_Uomini Contro_
_Black And White In Colour_

First three are WWII, last two are WWI.


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## Zabo (Mar 8, 2010)

_Flandres_ - Bruno Dumont

Nothing to do with Flanders. An unamed war in an unamed place.

_Indigènes_ - The forgotten French. See Wiki for more info.

Welcome To Dongmakgol

Brotherhood - Taegukgi Hwinalrimyeo


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 8, 2010)

Zabo said:


> _Flandres_ - Bruno Dumont
> 
> Nothing to do with Flanders. An unamed war in an unamed place.
> 
> ...



Seen _Tae Guk Gi_, those others I shall have a dig around for them, thanks


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## Zabo (Mar 8, 2010)

All very good Dave. Flandres and Indigènes are quite political. Flandres could be Iraq.

Dongmagol is quite funny in places.

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

Enjoy!


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## LC1980 (Mar 8, 2010)

Che


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## Johnny Canuck3 (Mar 8, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> [*]_The Last Valley _- imperfect but interesting film (directed by doorstop author James Clavell) about the Thirty Years War, with Michael Caine and Omar Sharif
> [/LIST]



I loved that film.

Heartbreak Ridge is somewhat mainstream, but it's made enjoyable by Clint Eastwood's inimitable touch.


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## Orang Utan (Mar 8, 2010)

this is just like the good old days, when film threads were proper.


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## el topo (Mar 9, 2010)

Mihai Viteazul.


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## scifisam (Mar 9, 2010)

MrSki said:


> Zulu



Definitely. Course, the odds are the OP's seen it already. 

WWII but not hugely popular - Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence.


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 9, 2010)

Griff said:


> Come & See. Yeah, I know it's a WW2 film but is a must see if you haven't already.



I'm surprised O' Lynch didn't poke his head round the door to mention that one - perhaps you riled him into breaking cover elsewhere!


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 9, 2010)

scifisam said:


> WWII but not hugely popular - Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence.



I remember quite liking that, but haven't seen it in years. Did Ryuichi Sakamoto do the soundtrack too? Can't beat a bit of YMO


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## krtek a houby (Mar 9, 2010)

Galipoli


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 9, 2010)

el topo said:


> Mihai Viteazul.



Bless you.

Actually, that does look like one for the 'to watch' list, thanks


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## BlackArab (Mar 9, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> Did Ryuichi Sakamoto do the soundtrack too? Can't beat a bit of YMO



Yep he did. Firecracker..top tune!


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 9, 2010)

Zabo said:


> Welcome To Dongmakgol
> 
> Brotherhood - Taegukgi Hwinalrimyeo




Great films.

How about Bang Rajan, some good battle scenes in that although giving the characters western names so western audiences would be able to connect with them was a bit of a silly idea


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 9, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> I still get a twinge when I drag out the meat mallet to tenderise a steak thanks to that film.




Oh, I hate that bit.  I still flinch when I hear it even though I know it's coming


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 9, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> I remember quite liking that, but haven't seen it in years. Did Ryuichi Sakamoto do the soundtrack too? Can't beat a bit of YMO





It's my ring tone


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## Zabo (Mar 9, 2010)

*Mi Mejor Enemigo*

"Two bands of rival soldiers discover they have more in common than they imagined in this dark comedy. Rodrigo Rojas (Nicolas Saavedra) is a private in the Chilean Army whose outfit is called into action when a border dispute flares up with Argentina. Rojas and his fellow soldiers -- including level-headed sergeant Ferrer (Erto Pantoja), hot-tempered Orozco (Victor Montero), and luckless Almonacid (Andreas Olea) -- are marching to the front when their compass proves faulty, and the men end up in Patagonia without any idea if they're on Chilean or Argentinean soil. As the Chileans set up base, they discover a small company of Argentinean soldiers are waiting in a trench less than a football field away, but suddenly neither side is sure just what to do, especially when they realize their uniforms are all but impossible to tell apart from a distance. A stray dog appears that passes notes between the two camps, and before long a wary conviviality grows between them, though they're still not certain if they should regard one another as friends or enemies. Directed by Alex Bowen, Mi Mejor Enemigo (aka My Best Enemy) was inspired by an actual border skirmish between Chile and Argentina in 1976"


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## Chester Copperpot (Mar 9, 2010)

Southern Comfort.

Not really a war film but it's got soldiers in it so it counts.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 9, 2010)

Chester Copperpot said:


> Southern Comfort.
> 
> Not really a war film but it's got soldiers in it so it counts.




JSA

Not really a war film but it's got soldiers in it so it counts.


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 9, 2010)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> How about Bang Rajan, some good battle scenes in that although giving the characters western names so western audiences would be able to connect with them was a bit of a silly idea



Looks spiffing, a touch of the _Seven Samurai_ by the sound of it, definitely on the list...



Zabo said:


> *Mi Mejor Enemigo*



...And this.



Chester Copperpot said:


> Southern Comfort.



No Nam, and that includes allegories  



Minnie_the_Minx said:


> JSA
> 
> Not really a war film but it's got soldiers in it so it counts.



Are you talking about this one?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Security_Area_(film)

So far the Korea-related films mentioned all sound far more promising than _Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis Of Evil_


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## scifisam (Mar 10, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> I remember quite liking that, but haven't seen it in years. Did Ryuichi Sakamoto do the soundtrack too? Can't beat a bit of YMO



Yup. Some of my favourite music in the world, ever.


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## 100% masahiko (Mar 10, 2010)

Zabo said:


> Brotherhood - Taegukgi Hwinalrimyeo



This


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## belboid (Mar 10, 2010)

shit film tho


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## maomao (Mar 10, 2010)

'Zulu Dawn' is better than 'Zulu' 'cause the good guys win.

I like the film 'Waterloo' but it is pretty much just a film of the battle with no other plot.


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## BlackArab (Mar 10, 2010)

DC, I have to break the Nam embargo and recommend R-Point. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-Point

I don't scare easily but this....


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 10, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> Looks spiffing, a touch of the _Seven Samurai_ by the sound of it, definitely on the list...



It's great fun and has a pretty impressive buffalo 





> Are you talking about this one?
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Security_Area_(film)
> 
> So far the Korea-related films mentioned all sound far more promising than _Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis Of Evil_



Yes, Joint Security Area.  The Koreans make loads of good films.  

Memories of Murder is a good one although it's not a war one.  There's lots of them.  Do a search on Korean films somewhere.


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## Fedayn (Mar 10, 2010)

Zvezda - WW2 Russian unit behind enemy lines
Beast of War - Russian invasion of Afghanistan
All quiet on the Western Front (silent preferably) - WW1 German soldiers
9th Company - Another Afghan War story
Went the day well - Old b&w story about a German invasion
It happened here - Drama/doc, what if the Germans won WW2 and invaded.
Come & See - Brilliant Belarussian WW2 film
Army of Crime - WW2 French resistance
Army of Shadows - BRILLIANT WW2 French resistance
How sleep the brave - Vietnam
Hamburger Hill - Vietnam
Brotherhood - Korean War 
Gettysburg/Gods and Generals - American Civil War
Rome: Open City - Last days of German occupation of Rome in WW2
Gallipoli - WW1 even Mel Gibson doesn't stop it being a great film.


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 10, 2010)

BlackArab said:


> DC, I have to break the Nam embargo and recommend R-Point.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-Point
> 
> I don't scare easily but this....



Afraid I thought that was terrible!


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## belboid (Mar 10, 2010)

odd take on WW2, which you've probly seen, but if not....

Went The Day Well.  Piece of genius, with an almost sexy Thora Hird

(E2A: oh...feck)


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 10, 2010)

Fedayn said:


> Zvezda - WW2 Russian unit behind enemy lines
> Beast of War - Russian invasion of Afghanistan
> All quiet on the Western Front (silent preferably) - WW1 German soldiers
> 9th Company - Another Afghan War story
> ...



Despite your flagrant disregard for the WWII/Viet Nam War embargo, and your predilection for mentioned already-suggested films (  ), I shall concur with you on _It Happened Here_ and _Went The Day Well_, and _Idi I Smotri_, and _Roma, Città Aperta_ (might work well in a double bill with _Paris Brûle-T-Il?_), and _L'Armée Des Ombres_...

I didn't really go for _Gods And Generals_, so didn't bother with _Gettysburg_ as I thought it would be more of the same (lots of stodginess and speechifying).

_L'Armée Du Crime_ on the other hand looks most tempting (so long as it's not another in the mould of _Les Femmes De L'Ombre_).

_Zvezda_ is a film I've been recommended before - I think I had a scout around for it, couldn't find it, and so gave up - so thanks for reminding me 

The IMDb user reviews for _How Sleep The Brave_ are intriguing! Definitely sounds like one to check out.


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## 100% masahiko (Mar 10, 2010)

Red Cliff is an awesome war movie. But make sure you get the original and not edited two-parter. Don't understand why they allowed the edited version - killed the story imo.


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## ernestolynch (Mar 10, 2010)

If we are going 39-45 now them The Eagle Has Landed must be shown.


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 10, 2010)

belboid said:


> shit film tho



I wouldn't go quite that far - it's not really my cup of tea, and the mawkish _Titanic_-teefed emotional bookends do grate, but there's plenty of interest in there. And the best hand-separating-from-arm scene I've seen in a war movie.


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## 8den (Mar 10, 2010)

Ride with the Devil.


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 10, 2010)

ernestolynch said:


> If we are going 39-45 now them The Eagle Has Landed must be shown.



Steady on, teach! The auld fella has had a ruler across his knuckles, no need for you to set a bad example too.

But yes - one-eyed Duvall, Caine doing his serious film Diana head-lean, Sutherland a wonky toothed sex agent, honourable Germans, JR fucking up, the Channel Island cruises - almost too much good stuff to cram into one film.


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 10, 2010)

ernestolynch said:


> If we are going 39-45 now them The Eagle Has Landed must be shown.



Incidentally, this is one of the least convincing film-to-toy conversions I've seen:







From Packrat Toyz


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## ernestolynch (Mar 10, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> Incidentally, this is one of the least convincing film-to-toy conversions I've seen:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Wow. Someone made toys from that film? Is there a saucy Jenny Agutter one?


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## DotCommunist (Mar 10, 2010)

second recc for Hamburger Hill. It is probably the second best 'nam film from a US perspective


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## ernestolynch (Mar 10, 2010)

DotCommunist said:


> second recc for Hamburger Hill. It is probably the second best 'nam film from a US perspective



I still love FMJ


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## belboid (Mar 10, 2010)

who's seen Diên Biên Phu?  Worth a watch?


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 10, 2010)

DotCommunist said:


> second recc for Hamburger Hill. It is probably the second best 'nam film from a US perspective



You need to see more films then, methinks. It's not bad, but it's hardly great.

The fight-for-hill-with-no-value film has been done before (Korean War flick _Pork Chop Hill_ springs to mind), as has the bonding-of-the-unit film, the FNG film, the war-is-hell film, the you-weren't-there film, etc. 

VNW-wise, I think _Go Tell The Spartans_ and _The Boys In Company C_ are worth seeing (they each have their faults, not least the presence of Craig Wasson).


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## ernestolynch (Mar 10, 2010)

So many great Nam films though.


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 10, 2010)

ernestolynch said:


> Wow. Someone made toys from that film? Is there a saucy Jenny Agutter one?



Unfortunately she got in a cat fight with Barbara Bach from the _Force 10 From Navarone_ De Luxe Action Figure Playset - plastic mouldings and nylon hair all over the walls, I'm telling you


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## 8den (Mar 10, 2010)

Heartbreak Ridge... Sorry Did you mean, good films?


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 10, 2010)

8den said:


> Heartbreak Ridge... Sorry Did you mean, good films?



JC2 has already covered that particular base. And besides, I think that in terms of gung ho, misfits-bonded-by-service American films seasoned with a flag-waving fistful of USA!!! USA!!! go, this is a decent enough ninety minute diversion, up there with _Noriega: God's Favorite_ in the historical-accuracy-be-damned stakes.


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## ernestolynch (Mar 10, 2010)

What about the hilarious Black Hawk Down if we are trying to get all the wars.


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## belboid (Mar 10, 2010)

fuck Black Hawk Down, we need the Green Berets!


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## ernestolynch (Mar 10, 2010)

Nothing personal a good film about norn iron


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 10, 2010)

ernestolynch said:


> Nothing personal a good film about norn iron



100% agreed.


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## BlackArab (Mar 10, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> Afraid I thought that was terrible!



different strokes I guess


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## BlackArab (Mar 10, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> _The Boys In Company C_ are worth seeing (they each have their faults, not least the presence of Craig Wasson).



A must see indeed! Full Metal Jacket meets Escape To Victory


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## DotCommunist (Mar 10, 2010)

ernestolynch said:


> What about the hilarious Black Hawk Down if we are trying to get all the wars.



Everyone enjoys seeing US marines getting pwnt


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## maomao (Mar 10, 2010)

DotCommunist said:


> Everyone enjoys seeing US marines getting pwnt



It's the ultimate feel good movie if you're rooting for the Somalians.


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 10, 2010)

BlackArab said:


> different strokes I guess



I did like the cameo by the Americans - seemingly played by gap year students or somesuch


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 10, 2010)

BlackArab said:


> A must see indeed! Full Metal Jacket meets Escape To Victory



An excellent (and accurate) precis


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 10, 2010)

I've just remembered, recently I rented _The Blockhouse_, having come across it whilst browsing IMDb.

It's about a group of forced labourers in France who find shelter in an underground bunker during a bombardment at the beginning of Overlord; they get trapped there. It features Peter Sellers in a very straight role, as well as Peter Vaughan, Charles Azvanour, Alfred Lynch, Per Oscarssen and others. I believe it never actually received a full theatrical release, and that there is a longer director's cut which includes several entire scenes trimmed from this version.

Anyway, I'm about halfway through - it's rather downbeat - but am quite impressed with it. Not exactly a barrel of larfs, though. Possibly one for a 'subterranean war' season, along with _Kanał_ and _1968 Tunnel Rats_. Oh, wait - sorry, my automatic Uwe Boll filter wasn't switched on. I'll repeat that: Possibly one for a 'subterranean war' season, along with _Kanał_.


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## Chz (Mar 11, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> A few more I'm interested in seeing:
> _The Last Bridge_
> _The Bridge_
> _The Devil's General_
> ...



Someone recommended The Bridge on here a few months back, so I picked it up from Lovefilm. Superb.


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 11, 2010)

DotCommunist said:


> Everyone enjoys seeing US marines getting pwnt



Except _Black Hawk Down_ is about Army Rangers and Delta Force operators.


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 11, 2010)

I see that there's a film about the Continuation War, based on a novel by the author who provided the source material for the excellent Winter War flick _Talvisota_ - it's called _Rukajärven Tie_ (AKA _Ambush_). Has anyone here seen it?


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## camouflage (Mar 11, 2010)

Fedayn said:


> Zvezda - WW2 Russian unit behind enemy lines
> Beast of War - Russian invasion of Afghanistan
> All quiet on the Western Front (silent preferably) - WW1 German soldiers
> *9th Company* - Another Afghan War story
> ...



Good call, top film.


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## sim667 (Mar 11, 2010)

Has anyone mentioned Hot shots and hot shots part deux yet?


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 12, 2010)

sim667 said:


> Has anyone mentioned Hot shots and hot shots part deux yet?



Which war are they about then?


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## lobster (Mar 12, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> _Talvisota_ - about the Finno-Soviet Winter War





I recommend Tuntematon sotilas (1955) aka The Unknown Soldier, its shown on Finnish tv every independence day (6th December)


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 12, 2010)

Thanks - I shall look out for that


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 12, 2010)

Not strictly a war film, but you might want to try Bullet in the Head.


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 12, 2010)

lobster said:


> I recommend Tuntematon sotilas (1955) aka The Unknown Soldier, its shown on Finnish tv every independence day (6th December)



Can I assume that you have Finnish connections? If so can you point me in the direction of any films about the Finno-German Lapland War?


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 12, 2010)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Not strictly a war film, but you might want to try Bullet in the Head.



I don't know, the Wikipedia page makes it sound bang on the money.



> Woo has described this project as his equivalent of _Apocalypse Now_



Made I larf


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## Swan (Mar 12, 2010)

Hedd Wyn is a first world war film. I saw it years ago and found it really moving.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedd_Wyn_(film)


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## lobster (Mar 12, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> Can I assume that you have Finnish connections? If so can you point me in the direction of any films about the Finno-German Lapland War?




I don't know of any family Finnish connections ... and i don't know of any Finnish Lapland War films


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 13, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> I don't know, the Wikipedia page makes it sound bang on the money.
> 
> 
> 
> Made I larf




Yes, but it's memorable more for the characters and what they go through than the war itself IYSWIM


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 13, 2010)

100% masahiko said:


> Red Cliff is an awesome war movie. But make sure you get the original and not edited two-parter. Don't understand why they allowed the edited version - killed the story imo.



Sorry, don't think I saw this recommendation first time round. It looks worth a gander though - thanks


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 13, 2010)

lobster said:


> I don't know of any family Finnish connections ... and i don't know of any Finnish Lapland War films



Ah well, worth asking anyway.


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 13, 2010)

Swan said:


> Hedd Wyn is a first world war film. I saw it years ago and found it really moving.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedd_Wyn_(film)



Another interesting recommendation, thanks


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## ernestolynch (Mar 14, 2010)

Troy - Rose Byrne is hot.


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 14, 2010)

Well, this threads certainly helping me find some new films to watch...

So far cued up:

_Bure Baruta_ (post-FRY wars, pre-Nato bombing)
_Rukajärven tie_ (Finno-Soviet Continuation War)
_Flandres_ (unnamed war in Middle East)
_Jeux Interfits_ (French child refugees in WWII)
_Nobi_ (Japanese soldier on the Philippines towards end of WWII)
_El Laberinto Del Fauno_ (post-Civil War Spain)
_Kavkazskiy Plennik_ (First Chechen War)
...And tracking down:


 (Argentine junta/death squads background)
_L'Armée Des Ombres_ (French resistance in WWII)
_Gettysburg_ (American Civil War)
_Iluminados Por El Fuego_ (Malvinas/Falklands)
_Indigènes_ (French North Africans in WWII)
_JSA_ (Korean DMZ)
_Roma, Città Aperta_ (post-capitulation WWII Italy)
_Lepa Sela Lepo Gore_ (Serbian perspective on the Bosnian War)
_Libertarias_ (Spanish Civil War)
_Matewan_ (organised labour versus scabs and strikebreakers in 1920s America)
_Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence_ (WWII POWs)
_Mi Mejor Enemigo_ (1978 Argentine/Chile Beagle Conflict)
_Mihai Viteazul_ (Romanian prince Michael the Brave)
_Das Leben Der Anderen_ (Stasi in East Berlin)
_L'Armée Du Crime_ (French resistance in WWII)
_Tuntematon Sotilas_ (Finno-Soviet Continuation War)
_Uomini Contro_ (Italians - well, Sardinians - in WWI)
_Voina_ (Second Chechen War)
_Zvezda_ (Operation Bagration in WWII)

Thanks everyone, and keep those suggestions rolling in


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 14, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> Well, this threads certainly helping me find some new films to watch...
> 
> So far cued up:
> 
> ...




No _Brotherhood _or _Come and See_?


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 14, 2010)

I've seen both of those (and most of the other suggestions not mentioned in the post above).


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 23, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> _Iluminados Por El Fuego_ (Malvinas/Falklands)



99.39% 



DaveCinzano said:


> _Tuntematon Sotilas_ (Finno-Soviet Continuation War)



Watching the 1955 original - it's pretty decent - and have the 1985 version ready for comparison purposes too. _Rukajärven Tie_ was worth a spin, but didn't really grab me.

Any more Finnish flicks anyone would care to recommend?


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## Dr. Furface (Mar 23, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> Don't think I've seen that, Wikipedia makes it sound worth catching, cheers


See it AND read it. It's one of those rare examples of a great film from a great book.


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## Captain Hurrah (Mar 23, 2010)

Fedayn said:


> 9th Company - Another Afghan War story






camouflage said:


> Good call, top film.



Bit goofy with John Woo style action, with the insurgents disappearing down holes in rocks, in slow motion.  



Spoiler: 9 Rota spoiler



Also, before the last , where the Russian soldier is sketching a landscape of the Afghan mountains, and the baddies (led by a man wearing shades) creep up and shoot him in the head, his blood dripping on his picture.


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 23, 2010)

You might want to edit that into spoiler tags!


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## Captain Hurrah (Mar 23, 2010)

Ah, shit.  Don't know how to do them.  Sorry.


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## Captain Hurrah (Mar 23, 2010)

When it came to war films, the USSR really shone. 'Tis a pity a few of the really good ones aren't not about WWII.


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## DaveCinzano (Mar 23, 2010)

If you stick {SPOILER=9 Rota spoiler} and {/SPOILER} around the bit that says what happened, only with the { & } swapped with [ and ], all will be at peace in the world


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## Captain Hurrah (Mar 23, 2010)

Excellent, the whole of _The Ascent_ by Larisa Shepitko is on YouTube.  With English subs.  First part .

Oh, and her film _Wings_.  Found .

Good to catch them before they get sussed and removed.


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## STFC (Mar 24, 2010)

I watched Brotherhood last night. I thought it was pretty good, if a bit over-the-top at times.


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## Fedayn (Mar 24, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> and _Roma, Città Aperta_ (might work well in a double bill with _Paris Brûle-T-Il?_), and _L'Armée Des Ombres_...



That would be a great Sunday of films.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Mar 24, 2010)

STFC said:


> I watched Brotherhood last night. I thought it was pretty good, if a bit over-the-top at times.




Yeah, but still better than Saving Private Ryan


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## DaveCinzano (May 7, 2010)

Captain Hurrah said:


> Excellent, the whole of _The Ascent_ by Larisa Shepitko is on YouTube.  With English subs.  First part .



I now have that ready to watch, cheers 

I went on a bit of a hunt for Finnish war movies. As well as _Talvisota_, both versions of _Tuntematon Sotilas_ and _Rukajärven Tie_, I've also watched _Framom Främsta Linjen_ (_Beyond Enemy Lines_), which looks at the Continuation War from the perspective of a Swedish-speaking regiment. It's got some good elements, but overall it's too full of war film clichés.

_Raja 1918_, about the Civil War between Reds and Whites following independence, looks like it could be rather good, though.


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## DaveCinzano (May 11, 2010)

Orang Utan said:


> blessed by fire is about the falklands conflict but it's from the argentinian perspective



I finally managed to watch this today. I thought it was rather good in some parts, rather less so in others (a bit on the mawkish, clichéd side at times). But definitely worth catching, cheers


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## Minnie_the_Minx (May 11, 2010)

DaveCinzano said:


> I finally managed to watch this today. I thought it was rather good in some parts, rather less so in others (a bit on the mawkish, clichéd side at times). But definitely worth catching, cheers




Nothing on my list watched yet?


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## DaveCinzano (May 11, 2010)

Well, _JSA_ is ready to go, I've already seen _R-Point_ and _Tae Guk Gi_, and not got hold of _Bang Raja_ yet. And there's more than 130 films queued up at the moment


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## DaveCinzano (Aug 18, 2016)

Apparently what the world needs is a third version of_ Tuntematon Sotilas_ 

Tuntematon sotilas (2017) - IMDb


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## Reno (Aug 18, 2016)

Ultra tense !


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## DaveCinzano (Aug 18, 2016)

Reno said:


> Ultra tense !



One of the best I'll-give-it-a-go films I've caught on Netflix


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## fucthest8 (Aug 18, 2016)

DaveCinzano said:


> Apparently what the world needs is a third version of_ Tuntematon Sotilas_
> 
> Tuntematon sotilas (2017) - IMDb



Yeah, but there's kind of a reason - 100th anniversary of independence. Also, they're saying it'll be based on the original version of the manuscript.

Kajaki looks good. As in harrowing, will give that a go.


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## DaveCinzano (Aug 18, 2016)

fucthest8 said:


> Yeah, but there's kind of a reason - 100th anniversary of independence. Also, they're saying it'll be based on the original version of the manuscript.



Don't get me wrong - Mk I is brilliant, and Mk II has a suitably updated grittiness about it, but even Hollywood only dared throw two versions of _The Thin Red Line_ at us


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## fucthest8 (Aug 18, 2016)

DaveCinzano said:


> Don't get me wrong - Mk I is brilliant, and Mk II has a suitably updated grittiness about it, but even Hollywood only dared throw two versions of _The Thin Red Line_ at us



True, but _Finns _man. You ever met any?


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## DaveCinzano (Aug 18, 2016)

fucthest8 said:


> True, but _Finns _man. You ever met any?


Yes. Turns out the _liking vodka, a lot_ thing is not some cliché 

Well, maybe it is a cliché, just not an untrue one


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## DaveCinzano (Aug 18, 2016)

DaveCinzano said:


> Well, _JSA_ is ready to go...



Actually, confession time, Minnie_the_Minx - for some reason or other I never actually ended up watching it  Will have to dig it out sometime.


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## mod (Aug 18, 2016)

71


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## camouflage (Aug 18, 2016)




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