We all know that war is hell. Perhaps that is why we are drawn to movies that dramatize or even alleviate the burden that wars place on our society. We want someone to make sense of everything. Here are the top five war movies ever made, now played on satellite television.
5. M * A * S * H *. As he tried to make the perfect martini and cracked elaborate practical jokes, he would be surprised that the M * A * S * H * doctors were involved in a war. Treating the whole thing as an absurd conspiracy carried out by invisible powers, Robert Altman makes a statement as bold as any “serious” war movie. You will laugh and start thinking later. This groundbreaking film is a staple of the Independent Film Channel in high definition.
4. From here to eternity. The film that launched Frank Sinatra’s return to Hollywood, From Here To Eternity, is a tense exercise in military politics set in Pearl Harbor before World War II, just before the Japanese attack. The viewer enjoys the brilliant performances of Montgomery Clift, Burt Lancaster and, of course, Sinatra, who won the Oscar for his portrayal of Maggio. For a behind-the-scenes look, look up Turner Classic Movies in your satellite TV show guide and watch host Robert Osborne present the best of Hollywood’s Golden Age.
3. The great escape. Probably the best representation of the word “blockbuster”, this film combines a cast of male stars (Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson) with a script that follows their attempts to escape from a Nazi POW camp during WWII. World. McQueen’s presence is electrifying, especially during his savage escape attempt on a motorcycle. Director John Sturges somehow managed to pull off this gigantic war movie.
2. Platoon. Director Oliver Stone served in Vietnam and used his experience to compose the best screenplay of his successful career. Following the journey of infantryman Chris (Charlie Sheen) as he sees the dark side of war, Platoon is a heartbreaking and brutal look at how war can turn a soldier into a bloodthirsty animal. Not for the faint of heart, this movie is a regular on premium movie channels on satellite TV, advised at the viewer’s discretion.
1. Revelation now. The film that heralded the arrival of a new kind of war movie, Coppola’s Apocalypse Now has an epic scope while maintaining its strict focus on one man: Willard (Martin Sheen), an army captain sent to find and kill Kurtz ( Marlon Brando), a rebel military man himself. We follow Willard on his journey down the river in Vietnam, slowly losing his mind as he goes. A gargantuan movie with some of the best explosions ever, Apocalypse sets an impressive visual and psychological tone and is the best of the war genre. Satellite television now features the director’s cut.