Ten of the most powerful war epics

The Bottom Line All of these films are gripping and telling - they belong in everyone's film collection.

1. Saving Private Ryan (1998) - Steven Spielberg
WWII

This is definitely a given. When it comes to films like this and Schindler's List, Spielberg proves that he earns the hype. For the few who are unfamiliar with the story, it's about Capt. John Miller (beautifully played by Tom Hanks) and his mission to take a group of eight men and find and save Pvt. James Ryan. What makes Ryan so special is that he is the only son that is still alive during the war. All of his brothers have died and Miller and crew are sent to send him that news as well as inform him that he gets to go home. The most intense half hour of any film occurs in the beginning of this movie - the D-Day invasion of Normandy. We watch as Capt John Miller prepares for the massacre on the beach, when we first see him he takes a drink off his water flask and as he closes the top his hands shake uncontrollably. As a captain, he has to be strong and push any feelings aside during battle. All the performances from Hanks to Sizemore to Matt Damon are perfect. I am sure this film is hard to watch for WWII veterans. But it is a great contribution to their memory.

2. Casualties of War (1989) - Brian DePalma
Vietnam

This movie tells some brutal truths about Vietnam and I think this film needs more recognition, hence why it's on my list. It stars Michael J Fox as the new private coming aboard a platoon in Vietnam. He was a yuppie back at home and now in war still plays by the rules and is haunted by his conscience. Sean Penn plays the cruel Sgt in charge. THe core of the movie surrounds an event where 5 men are in a village alone with a young Vietnamese woman. Four of the men torture and rape her and the fifth (Michael J Fox) refuses. Yet he can't save her from her destiny. We eventually find out that this story is based on a submission to a magazine which most likely is a true story. Regardless, it is one of those movies that exhibits horrific realities of Vietnam.

3. All Quiet On The Western Front (1930) - Lewis Milestone
WWI

Despite the fact this is a film about German soldiers who are played by American actors, it is still terrific. The beginning of the film starts in a classroom with a bunch of young high school students. The patriotic teacher persuades the boys to serve in WWI. The boys turned men find themselves unprepared for what they observe during war - mutilated bodies, tortured soldiers, and mayhem. One of the most powerful scenes finds one of the main characters stuck in a trench with a dead French soldier whom he has killed. The soldier weeps fearing for his life and praying for life to be back to normal.

4. Glory (1989) - Edward Zwick
Civil War

Wonderfully poetic story about the first African-American company to fight in the Civil War. Matthew Broderick is well casted as the very young Colonel Robert Shaw who accepts to be their leader. The film begins with a group of poor ex-slaves and sharecroppers who all want to fight. Some have never fired a gun and some barely have clothes on their back but are more than willing to risk their lives for the union. Denzel Washington won an Oscar for his portrayal of one of the ex-slaves who rebels against the colonel and is punished by being whipped in front of the colonel. It is only then that Col. Shaw realizes what these men have been through. Washington's back is full of scars from previous whippings. The men suffer from racism, prejudice, and inequality. They are not paid as much as the white soldiers, they do not get proper uniforms, they have to beg to fight in a battle, and are forced to fight gangrene because the army would not supply them with appropriate shoes. Other great acts - Morgan Freeman and Cary Elwes.

5. Apocalpse Now (1979) - Francis Ford Coppola
Vietnam

This odd but brilliant movie is based off of a book by Joseph Conrad. Martin Sheen plays Capt Willard whose mission is to find Col. Kurtz (Marlon Brando). Kurtz and his men have been conducting dangerous missions, the army believes that Kurtz is now insane and is perceived as a god in the small village where he lives. Coppola had a hell of a time making this movie. Martin Sheen had a heart attack during the shoot in the muggy Philippines. A notoriously hard to work with Brando hadn't read the book, known his lines, and became overweight. Coppola lost reported 100 pounds and the shooting took over a year. In the end, the film became to be one of the best war movies in film history.

6. Born on the Fourth of July (1989) - Oliver Stone
Vietnam

Yet another Vietnam war film but from a different angle. Based on the true story of Ron Kovic. In the beginning Kovic is just out of high school and has the boy-next-door look and is anxious to join the military and go to war. Eventually he finds himself in the middle of a misleading war which is not at all what he thought it was. Kovic is wounded and becomes paralyzed from the waist down. This along with other events in the story has damaged him and when he finally comes home to his loving middle class family he is unrecognizable physically and emotionally. He suffers from PTSD and alcoholism. He is bitter and feels betrayed by everyone. Tom Cruise plays Kovic and everytime I see the movie I have a hard time believing it's Cruise. This is definitely his best performance. The film depicts Kovic before, during, and after the war and ends with him as a well known anti-war activist. Oliver Stone who has directed some sketchy movies did a great job with this one - Stone himself fought in Vietnam.

7. Das Boot (1981) - Wolfgang Petersen
WWII

This film works on so many levels it's hard to begin. ALl I got from it was that even the most stubborn and patriotic American can feel sympathy for the Nazis aboard a sub in this movie. This is told from the German side of the war - not Hitler or the camps but about Germans who were once everyday people until Hitler came to power. Whether they believed in Nazism or not, they had no choice. Aboard a U-boat, a bunch of German soldiers are stuck underwater battling inhygenic living conditions, boredom, filth, claustrophobia, and increasingly scary battles with both enemy AND ally ships. The ending scenes are haunting - the captain aboard the ship looks at the scene he is witnessing - Germans are letting other Germans drown and die in an explosion on the sea. Petersen gets us one more time by the last frame. Action packed and to the point, Das Boot does something that an American film can't.

8. Braveheart (1995) - Mel Gibson
Scotland vs. Britain

Gibson directs, writes, and acts William Wallace. Wallace aka 'braveheart', was a Scottish man from the 13th century who led a rebellion against British rule. In the beginning Wallace is a young boy who soon becomes an orphan - his older brother and father die in a battle against Britain. Wallace is taken to live with his uncle. Gibson plays the grown-up Wallace who comes back to his hometown and starts courting his childhood crush, Murron. They plan to marry despite two obstacles - her father and the British law that allows Lords to sleep with brides on their wedding night before the groom gets a chance. They marry in secret and are happy until their village is invaded by a bunch of Lords who end up murdering Murron. A distraught Wallace gets his vengence and becomes one of the most known Scottish heroes. The battle scenes are gory and thrilling, the drama is well told and played, and even brief moments of humor make their way into Gibson's masterpiece.

9. The Deer Hunter (1978) - Michael Cimino

One of my favorite movies is The Deer Hunter. Many people are familiar with the scary Russian Roulette scenes in which a captured Robert DeNiro plays against his best friend Christopher Walken (who won an Oscar for the role). What many people don't focus on or know is everything else in the story. Vietnam is just a third of the movie. Before the war, we see friends in a small town uniting over a marriage in a Russian orthodox church. The groom and 2 of his buddies will soon go to Vietnam and everyone's life is about to change. Everyone is great in the movie - Streep, DeNiro, Walken, and Savage. This is a must see that tells the full story of a small town that is deeply impacted by a war that takes place thousands of miles away.

10. Hotel Rwanda (2004) - Terry George

This is the true story of the Rwandan version of Oskar Schindler. Don Cheadle is heartbreaking as a hotel manager in the 90's during a coup in Rwanda against Hutu and Tutsi tribes which left over a million innocent people dead. Paul (Don Cheadle) is a Hutu who is married to a Tutsi. Amid the chaos, the war, and genocide Paul manages to save 1200 people in his hotel whilst putting himself and his family in grave danger. This is a true story about a man who used everything he could to save as many as he could. By his clever use of bribes, lies, and flattery he barely manages to survive. Nick Nolte also plays a key role as a Canadian peacekeeper whose job is obsolete. He helps Paul any way he can because he wants to save the people of Rwanda.