Amph Time Out NY's 50 Best War Films: 34. PLATOON (1986)

41. THE SUN (2005)

"In the final days of WWII, twitchy Japanese Emperor Hirohito (Issei Ogata in a spectacularly oddball performance) holes himself up in an underground bunker while Douglas MacArthur and his troops inch closer to the palace. Russian director Alexander Sokurov?s haunting character study is a dreamy and disquieting look at an enigmatic man sliding from power.?KU"

Haven't heard about this one, but I'd really like to see it.

 

40. MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD (2003)

"To audience members in love with the sea, this movie, taken from three of Patrick O?Brian?s popular Napoleonic War novels, will rank much higher. At its heart is the Kirk-Spock relationship between Russell Crowe?s fearless captain and Paul Bettany?s thoughtful doctor. The naval battles are an action fan?s wet dream.?JR"

Seen it, and enjoyed it. There's a giant plot hole, though.

 

I really enjoy, and can appreciate, the physical nature of the effects and stunt work in this film.
Despite it's faults, it has so much going for it that any weaknesses can be easily overlooked.

 

Loved this film when it came out. Haven't seen it in years though - hopefully it still stands up.

Out of curiosity, what was it?

 

This. It was nominated for TEN Oscars for a reason....

 

Very unique, a Peter Weir film through and through. This is probably Russell Crowe's best performance to date, and Paul Bettany does a great job as well. A unique pick for this list, and a worthy pick.

 

Yeah, I loved this movie. It had a great spirit of adventure about it. And I agree that Aubrey is Russell Crowe's best performance to date. Though it was weird seeing Blakeney bang his sister on the first season of Rome.

 

Re: the plot hole; I don't exactly remember, other than they disguise themselves as a French ship, but because they had a different shape, this wouldn't have fooled anyone.

39. BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989)

"Taking Tom Cruise seriously has always been a dicey proposition. But you can?t fault him for this open-throated effort, portraying real-life Vietnam vet Ron Kovic, who returned home to Long Island paralyzed from the chest down yet unencumbered mentally and ready to rage. Only three years after Top Gun, here was a real actor.?JR"

 

I thought they disguised themselves as whalers, but my memory is a bit hazy on that plot detail.

 

One of my favorite movies, it should be way higher in the list. Gets a fair bit of criticism with devotees of the boko series because of casting (bettany looks nothing like the description of Maturin in the books, and a Hobbit as Barrett Bonden borders on absurdity) and its leaving out key elements of the books (specifically (i) Maturin being a spy as well as doctor and (ii) the two leads' relationships with their wives). I really don't mind, though (yes, I read all 20 books): Weir and Crowe get everything else absolutely perfect, taking elements from various books to create a movie that, despite simplification, does a tremendous job of conveying the essence of the books and an incredible depiction of warfare n the age of sail. Not sure what plot hole you're talking about, Zaz: they disguise themselves as a whaling ship. Aubrey's use of disguise is a key element in many of the books.

And yes, it was Crowe's best performance, he was tremendous. Incidentally, Crowe spoke favorably of doing a sequel in a number of interviews, although talk of that has, unfortunately, died down of late.

 

38. FORBIDDEN GAMES (1952)

"This French heartbreaker popularized a storyline that would appear forever in war films: the strength of children to find a way through the muck. An orphaned five-year-old girl is befriended by a boy who helps her bury her dog. They tend to other dead animals in their small, makeshift cemetery, a poetic image that still wrecks.?JR"

 

37. AIR FORCE (1943)

"A master of all genres, Howard Hawks tried his hand at everything from screwball zaniness (Bringing Up Baby) to alien terror (ghost-directing The Thing from Another World). When he made his war picture, he embraced the patriotism of the moment, but brought along William Faulkner to pen a killer deathbed speech.?JR"

 

36. IVAN?S CHILDHOOD (1962)

"Andrei Tarkovsky?s devastating debut follows a vengeful Russian boy who takes on reconnaissance missions for the Soviet Army during the Second World War. Idyllic flashbacks of Ivan?s early years are deftly interwoven with his stark adventures on the front. It?s impossible to be unmoved by this unsparing depiction of lost innocence.?KU"

 

35. BATTLEGROUND (1949)

"If war movies have become sophisticated, critical responses to the illusion of the gung-ho supersoldier, we have this Hollywood drama to thank. Taking WWII?s pivotal Battle of the Bulge as its subject, director William Wellman?s chronicle found room for then-bold notes of uncertainty and fear?even a hint of desertion.?JR"

 

34. PLATOON (1986)

"Much of the cult of Oliver Stone rests upon this film, an impassioned and corrective countermyth to the official version of the Vietnam War. Released at a moment when America was finally ready to reexamine its involvement, Stone?s grimy drama?marked by complex motivations among the troops?wrung an emotional catharsis from Samuel Barber?s ?Adagio for Strings.??JR"

I despise Oliver Stone, but several people whose judgment I respect admire this film, so I guess I'll see it...sometime.

 

Countermyth? Platoon pretty much is the myth about Vietnam. "It was freakish and everyone was driven insane!" That's . . . the usual mythology around the war.