Favorite Scenes from War Movies

parts of it hold up real well, so long as John Wayne isn't chewing scenery, he's dreadful in it and his John Wayne character is ill-suited for the film. They also play for laughs with Red Buttons awkwardly and it's too long (irony).

Amazing film.

at the end in the military cemetery gets me every time I see it. The older Private Ryan has his family around him at the grave of the 101st Airborne Captain that led the team to 'save' him. When Private Ryan says, "tell him I was a good man" I lose it.

but the opening scene of Inglorious Basterds where the Jewish Family was hiding under the floorboards of the kitchen while Hans Landa was questioning the French farmer.

10 minutes or however long it was of pure stress and you knew it was going to end badly.

It's not my favorite because I liked the outcome (obviously), it was just so well acted.

where the Nazis in the pill box see the invasion fleet for the first time sticks with me and puts a smile on my face.

is the one where Kevin Dillon (Bunny) was harassing the local villagers and kept shooting at the mentally impaired one making him dance and then killed the old lady with the butt of his rifle to the head.

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Holy shit! You see that fucking head come apart, man? I never seen brains like that before, man. I bet you the old bitch runs the whole fucking show, man. She probably cut Manny's throat. She would probably cut my balls off if she had the chance.

again, not the outcome, but the scene was well done. the whole theater cringed.

Buddy Ebson killing Eddie Albert in a basement in "Attack". Then the rest of the squad putting a round in him as well. Intense. Especially in those days.

And the snowball scene on Christmas in "A Midnight Clear". Singing carols both sides. Very sad.

Mitchum & Jurgens at the end of "The Enenemy Below".

Brecourt Manor, Carentan, Breaking Point and Crossroads.

Almost all of Gettysburg - fantastic.

where he is running upright through the jungle snapping twigs with every step, and basically doing what probably would have gotten him wiped out within 100 yards of camp.
The 'jungle' also looked a lot like a forest in North America.
This may be geographically wrong, but I loved at the end when he watches the sunset over the ocean. Doesn't Viet Nam's coastline face East?

When the recruits are sitting in the barracks introducing themselves.

The US of A could use a little GSP mentality right now.

Lee Marvin goes ape shit on Eddie Albert!!......1:12:15

sorry....
Link - ( New Window )

Just was watching the Peleliu and Guadalcanal scenes recently. Great stuff.

In comment 12971340 Greg from LI said:

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Maybe I should give it a chance.

Ok. You missed out on a good film, Shia does a hell of a job BTW. Not sure I understand the hate.

.

maybe not in same vein as some of others listed here but

- steve mcqueen bouncing baseball against wall in The Great Escape

- alec guinness emerging from oven in Bridge Over River Kwai

- lots from Guns of Navarone

- opening scene in Patton

In comment 12971421 OC2.0 said:

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Buddy Ebson killing Eddie Albert in a basement in "Attack". Then the rest of the squad putting a round in him as well. Intense. Especially in those days. And the snowball scene on Christmas in "A Midnight Clear". Singing carols both sides. Very sad.

Love the snowball scene in A Midnight Clear.

as well. Midway was a little more Hollywood versus good battle scenes, but I was always an aircraft carrier buff so love that one especially since it turned the tide of WW2 in the Pacific.

Other good war movie scenes...opening to Saving Private Ryan, speech in Patton, training in Full Metal Jacket, some good tank scenes in Fury (really), and anything in Band of Brothers is pure gold.

mountain battle scene in Lone Survivor is fucking still tough to watch.

I guess we are talking modern warfare battle scene? Because Braveheart?

The opening scene from Enemy at the Gates where half the Russian soldiers were running into battle with no weapon and told to pick one up if their partner got shot.

Both the first battle and last battle in The The Last Samurai.

Also Big Red One with Luke Skywalker is a great movie...

Lone Survivor when Michael Murphy make the call to get pulled out. Actually that entire firefight is incredible.

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parts of it hold up real well, so long as John Wayne isn't chewing scenery, he's dreadful in it and his John Wayne character is ill-suited for the film. They also play for laughs with Red Buttons awkwardly and it's too long (irony).

Wayne has a monologue where he praises the British. That didn't age well. Too preachy - let's remind the dumb American audience of the sacrifices the Brits made. Other than that I liked Wayne in this movie. Not as good as Mitchum of course. Loved the scenes with Mitchum on Omaha Beach.

I think Doctor Zhivago has some good scenes from WWI in addition to also showing some from the Russian revelation

I also thought War Horse had some good WWI scenes

In comment 12971462 Jimmy Googs said:

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as well. Midway was a little more Hollywood versus good battle scenes, but I was always an aircraft carrier buff so love that one especially since it turned the tide of WW2 in the Pacific. Other good war movie scenes...opening to Saving Private Ryan, speech in Patton, training in Full Metal Jacket, some good tank scenes in Fury (really), and anything in Band of Brothers is pure gold.

Love Midway...dating myself but I saw that in the theater in "sensurround".

In comment 12971451 BillT said:

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Just was watching the Peleliu and Guadalcanal scenes recently. Great stuff.

In many ways, Pacific is probably a much more realistic war series than Band of Brothers, but it is VERY dark and disturbing at times.

In both series, I like the end where you find out what happened to those who survived.

To the Maine deserters about returning to join the upcoming battle at Gettysburg to fight "for the freedom of others" moved me to tears the first time I saw it, and it still moves me today, more than 20 years later.

threw Peter Graves into the compound

from the Longest Day too. Especially when he is asked "where are those 5000 shops headed " and his hysterical response "right for me!" And the shelling starts and moments later he is asked without the bunker being pounded " Pluskat do you hear me" and his response is priceless " those 5000 ships you say the Allies don't have well they've got them! " powerful powerful scene.

in Kokoda and Thin Red Line.

In comment 12971503 Dave on the UWS said:

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from the Longest Day too. Especially when he is asked "where are those 5000 shops headed " and his hysterical response "right for me!" And the shelling starts and moments later he is asked without the bunker being pounded " Pluskat do you hear me" and his response is priceless " those 5000 ships you say the Allies don't have well they've got them! " powerful powerful scene.

Good stuff, especially in the original German.

In comment 12971496 BlueLou said:

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To the Maine deserters about returning to join the upcoming battle at Gettysburg to fight "for the freedom of others" moved me to tears the first time I saw it, and it still moves me today, more than 20 years later.

Gettysburg is still my favorite war film. There are little things in that film that are small but historically accurate, like when Cushing is told to "give them the double canister."

Cushing isn't really in the film except that one line, but here is his story...

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Cushing commanded Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery at Gettysburg, and was hailed by contemporaries as heroic in his actions on the third day of the battle. He was wounded three times. First, a shell fragment went straight through his shoulder. He was then grievously wounded by a second shell fragment, which tore into his abdomen and groin. This wound exposed his intestines, which he held in place with his hand as he continued to command his battery. After these injuries, a higher-ranking officer said, "Cushing, go to the rear." Cushing, due to the limited number of men left, refused to fall back. The severity of his wounds left him unable to yell his orders above the sounds of battle. Thus, he was held aloft by his 1st Sergeant Frederick Füger, who faithfully passed on Cushing's commands. Cushing was killed when a bullet entered his mouth and exited through the back of his skull. He died on the field at the height of the assault. He was 22 years old.[8][9] His body was returned to his family and then interred in the West Point Cemetery in Section 26, Row A, Grave 7. His headstone bears, at the behest of his mother, Mary, the inscription "Faithful unto Death."[10] His grave is next to that of Major General John Buford, another hero of Gettysburg, who had chosen the battlefield that Cushing had died defending.

Alonzo Cushing - ( New Window )

We're gonna keep fighting. Is that CLEAR? We're gonna attack all night, we're gonna attack tomorrow morning. If we are not VICTORIOUS, let no man come back alive!

George C. Scott as Patton

In comment 12971363 Nitro said:

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the action scenes in Children of Men (One of the movies of the 21st Century) are pretty breathtaking. Here's part of one, counterinsurgency fighting. Link - ( New Window )

My favorite movie ever. The scene at the end while the bombings were going on was the best thing I've seen this last decade plus.

The one Nitro linked

In comment 12971362 Eric from BBI said:

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one movie that has held up well over time is The Longest Day... I still like the scene where the German officers sees the 5,000 ships coming at him.

That's such a great scene. I want to believe it really happened that way.

with Joshua Chamberlain's defense of Little Round Top in "Battle of Gettysburg". Still blows me away.

My cousin was in Easy Company, but he didn't make it. He was shot during Operation Neptune after several days of clearing out the enemy. He was patched up in time for Operation Market Garden and then lost his life in the Bois Jacques woods of Foy during the Bulge. I have some of his items (not his purple hearts in which my cousin has locked up). He was my mother's first cousin and she made cookies and homemade candy and sent them to him. They were very close. He's on the website Find-a-Grave which has a bio on him and a dozen or so pictures (on a different tab) if anyone is interested. He was an outstanding young man. The site allows you to leave virtual flowers and a thank you if interested.
Kenneth J. Webb - ( New Window )

Battle of the Bulge ... Robert Shaw - one word ... "Sing"
Illustrated the understanding of the duty of a soldier to his country and his fellow soldiers no matter what side he's on ...

In comment 12971519 Pete in MD said:

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In comment 12971362 Eric from BBI said: Quote: one movie that has held up well over time is The Longest Day... I still like the scene where the German officers sees the 5,000 ships coming at him. That's such a great scene. I want to believe it really happened that way.

I believe it did. I'm 90 percent sure I read that.

When John Wayne and Fess Parker both die at the end Then the final song is played

In comment 12971502 PEEJ said:

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threw Peter Graves into the compound

That was awesome!

The Breaking Point. Heartbreaking wpisode.

In comment 12971372 JOrthman said:

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I always love the scene where they ask the German Officer to go back to the beach and Normandy and look one last time to make sure he did not see an invasion. He is reluctant, but looks again anyway. Right as he looks, the entire horizon is filled with ships and shells start coming in.

great scene ...

In comment 12971550 snumber6 said:

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Battle of the Bulge ... Robert Shaw - one word ... "Sing" Illustrated the understanding of the duty of a soldier to his country and his fellow soldiers no matter what side he's on ...

That's the scene I was thinking about! BTW The Longest Day was a fantastic book.

The assault on the farm house in "A Walk in the Sun".

When Shughart and Gordon are defending Durant after Durant's Blackhawk is shot down.

While not my favorite but the most realistic scene that I enjoyed but also just had to laugh at and shake my head was during the final raid to kill OBL in Zero Dark Thirty. The way everything went to shits (the scene with everyone ending up in a single room waiting for the final door to be taken down broughy back memories of similar shit situations for me) while still being able to accomplish the mission was just so authentic to me. Even our deadliest special ops teams go through their own snafus...was good to see that.