Brian Ross
|
The first third of Saving Private Ryan is excellent and intense simulation of combat. The second third is the typical Hollywood attempt at trying to show the traditional tensions they imagine exist within a fighting unit. The last third is a Hollywood caricature of battle. It's as if they've been reading too many war comics and decided to put it on screen.
Personally, I wouldn't bother. If you want an excellent war movie and one which doesn't fall into the usual tropes that Hollywood relies on, I can recommend several.
"Theirs is the Glory" - made by the survivors of the battle of Arnhem in 1945, just after the war ended, in and around Arnhem, it is an excellent recreation of that battle. No over the top heroism, just the sort of gritty determination that is needed when you're being besieged.
"Go tell the Spartans" - a telling portrayal of the futility of the Vietnam War, made on a low budget and without the spectacular special effects, it tells the story of one village and it's fight against the Viet Cong. Superb acting from Burt Lancaster.
"The Odd Angry Shot" - an irreverent but in many ways surprisingly accurate portrayal (and the only one as well) of the Australian war in Vietnam. Once you realise it is indeed a story, not an attempt to portray reality, it's an excellent movie. I served just after Vietnam and the fact the military advisors on the making of the movie had served there, meant most of the details are correct.
"Zulu" - an excellent movie about the stresses of battle. Often used by the Australian Army to portray the leadership qualities that it sought to instil in it's soldiers.
"Cross of Iron" - Sam Peckinpah at his best. "The Wild Bunch" in WWII, on the Eastern Front from the German perspective and all the brutality you could ever want to see, portrayed onscreen.
"Kelly's Heroes" - Very funny but quite well done. Good portrayal of how one determined man who refuses to conform can cut through the chaos of war and achieve his objective.
|