What is your fav MEDIEVIAL WAR MOVIE ? [Archive]

Devastatin Dave

05-22-2006, 14:45

The Lion in Winter. Great flick. I didn't have the huge fights or anything, but it showed the infighting of royalty, backstabbing, etc.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063227/
I don't think Troy would be considered medieval and Kingdom of Heaven wasn't very good at all. If you're talking about overloaded CGI with a lot of booms and little character development and zero plot, then Kingdom of Heaven is your movie.

I would strongly suggest The Lion in Winter its a great movie.:2thumbsup:

cdeford

05-22-2006, 15:43

Mine has to be The Vikings, with Kirk Douglas. Everything is great about it, the battle scenes, the score, the scenery. Even Tony Curtis's acting didn't spoil it!

Alfred The Great is also pretty good, though more Dark Ages than medieval.

matteus the inbred

05-22-2006, 16:17

Branagh's Henry V is pretty good, lots of mud, blood and backstabbing, and even some culture too!
Olivier's Richard III is a classic too. Larry even managed to get shot in the leg with a crossbow during filming, and walked with a limp for a long while afterwards.

Hard to think of any decent reasonably modern non-Shakespeare 'medieval' movies though. Anything with word 'knight' in the title seems to suck.

Braveheart, inaccurate tosh though it is, is still a fine film with some of the best fight scenes and scenery use I've encountered.

Myrmidon

05-22-2006, 16:21

From the more recent films, Kingdom of Heaven was quite good.
BTW, Troy is not a medieval movie.

Ser Clegane

05-22-2006, 16:25

I actually liked "El Cid" quite a lot. Definitely one of the better "old-fashioned" medieval movies.

Alexander Nevsky (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029850/) is worthwhile as well

Regarding "Kingdom of Heaven" - I am looking forward to see the Director's cut which will be published later this year and which is supposed to dedicate much more time to character development (the cinematic release seemd indeed quite mutilated)

ShadesWolf

05-22-2006, 18:06

Has to be Henry V

But cant make my mind up if I prefer Branagh or Olivier.
I wish more films were based on the period.

Lord Godfrey

05-22-2006, 18:44

The War Lord with Charlton Heston as a Norman knight who battles Vikings and locals. Good siege and assault of the castle tower at the end.

Unforgivable-Fenrir

05-22-2006, 20:29

I don't really think that this counts as a MediEval movie but i liked the movie "BraveHeart" with Mel Gibson. That movie was great because it showed great fighting scenes.

Martok

05-23-2006, 00:08

For me, it's probably a toss-up between Braveheart and Henry V. Braveheart really gets my blood pumping and provides a good feeling of immersion, historically inaccurate though it was. On the other hand, I'm a pretty huge Kenneth Brannaugh fan. ~:)

Napoleon Blownapart

05-23-2006, 01:53

Erm, Monty Python and the Holy Grail...

Yeah, I haven't seen that many movies. I''ve got to rent Braveheart one of these days...

sacredband3

05-23-2006, 02:14

yea, monty python is funny, braveheart is good, and kingdom of heaven was pretty good.

El Diablo

05-23-2006, 03:01

Excalibur was pretty good. Not a huge amount of fight scenes but still entertaining.

Braveheart was fantastic. Sure it was grossy historically inaccurate, but if you want to wait for Hollywood to let fact get in the way of a good story you would never end up going to the cinema.

For example: List your least accurate Hollywood war flicks....

1. Braveheart
2. The Patriot
3. U561 (or whatever that U boat movie was)

All entertaining - none historically accurate.

I have not seen Alexander but I would wager that is not the best...

AwesomeArcher

05-23-2006, 03:55

Yes, Troy is alright, Braveheart is good, havent seen kindgom of heaven or alexander yet. I may rent Kingdom of Heaven.

P.S. to EL Diablo- The patriot and the u boat movie arent really from the medieval times. Alhougth the patriot is quite good. I like Mel Gibson. He apparently likes to kill the british. Sorry if that was off topic, i think you may have missed the whole medieval war movie that was in all caps for the thread name.

AwesomeArcher

05-23-2006, 03:58

JEEZ, i am really sorry el diablo. I didnt read your post all the way through. I just looked at the movies you listed and assumed that is what your fav movies were. sorry for the mix up and sorry if i offended you.

El Diablo

05-23-2006, 04:10

Ha ha not offended at all. I was just mentioning the lack of historical accuracy in about 99.9% of Hollywood movies. Especially as many here (in the .org) take historical accuracy very very seriously.

I have this image of some of the more serious players doning chainamail armour and sharpening a battle axe before booting up their computer. :laugh4: :laugh4:

Mind you that would be dangerous for me. If the computer crashed - well having an axe so handy could be the end for the computer...:skull:

Csargo

05-23-2006, 04:45

I really liked Braveheart and Henry V. Kingdom of Heaven was pretty good and Alexander was ok.

AwesomeArcher

05-23-2006, 04:47

Patriarch of Constantinople

05-23-2006, 05:10

Troy wasnt a medieval movie. But mine had to be monty pythons holy grail, and king arthur

AndyNgFL

05-23-2006, 06:39

Troy wasnt a medieval movie. But mine had to be monty pythons holy grail, and king arthur

My mistake

Anyway, looking around for some good war movies which I can watch during the world cup. It will be boring to wait for the next soccer match comin up, especially after the first 2 rounds of the finals.
I've edited the thread sot that we know what good war movies out there.
Hmmm .... can edit the thread title tough.

AwesomeArcher

05-23-2006, 14:12

The patriot is a good war movie. If you like World War II then i would recommend Saving Private Ryan or another good one is Windtalkers, although windtalker's combat is pretty unrealistic, it is a great movie about the navajo code that was never broken.

cdeford

05-23-2006, 14:36

Being part Scottish, I have to say that nothing is more guaranteed to get the Scots foaming at the mouth as mention of the film Braveheart, possibly the WORST medieval movie ever made :charge:

Somehow Gibson managed to offend both the English and Scots at the same time! Being also part English, I was doubly offended. :laugh4:

Take that, Braveheart lovers! :duel:

To get a more accurate picture of William Wallace, read Nigel Tranter's novel.

As for war films from other eras, I would put Zulu and Cross Of Iron at the top of my list.

Peasant Phill

05-23-2006, 16:14

Involving medieval war movies I can't really chose a favorite. I hate movies with protagonists/heros larger than life and lets face it almost any war movie coming from Hollywood has this 'flaw'. Still I liked the battle scenes in bravehart.

The war movies I like have anti-heros or better still no heros at all. "When trumpets fade" is one of my favorite war movies. It's about a WWII battle with a coward as the main character leading his squad of fresh recruits to their deaths. Of course there are also the classics: Platoon and Apocalypse now.

cdeford

05-23-2006, 16:23

Just thought of another one: By Dawn's Early Light, a brilliant anti-war film, excellent acting all round.

Devastatin Dave

05-23-2006, 16:33

Man I forgot about Zulu, now that's one of the best!!!:2thumbsup:

The Blind King of Bohemia

05-23-2006, 16:34

I have to say the new edition of Kingdom of Heaven with 45 mins of extra footage is wonderful and some great scenes have been added to make the a good film into an outstanding one imo

AwesomeArcher

05-23-2006, 17:48

i just remembered a few more. Band of Brothers is a great series. Also Good Morning Vietnam is a pretty good one too.

Martok

05-24-2006, 01:47

I have to say the new edition of Kingdom of Heaven with 45 mins of extra footage is wonderful and some great scenes have been added to make the a good film into an outstanding one imo

You don't say, BKB? Hmm, I may have to go pick it up then. ~D I actually enjoyed Kingdom of Heaven; but I admit it was lacking, most notably in terms of character development. Thanks for the mini-review! :bow:

Oh, and if we're expanding to include *all* war movies, then I definitely have to add Troy and Patton to my list. (George C. Scott rules!)

Banquo's Ghost

05-24-2006, 13:08

I have to agree with DD and vote for The Lion in Winter as my favourite mediaeval play/movie. It's war by diplomacy and intrigue and the acting is extraordinary - and the script wonderfully clever and well-plotted.

If we're moving beyond the mediaeval period, my favourites are both Napoleonic - Waterloo with Rod Steiger and Christopher Plummer as Napoleon and Wellington respectively - marvellous dialogue and battle scenes; and The Duellists, little known but very well worth seeing, a personal rivalry set against the Napoleonic campaigns (the retreat from Moscow is fearsomely accurate) and the best fencing scenes I've seen - as a former international fencer, I get pendantic about swordplay!

:duel:

matteus the inbred

05-24-2006, 14:47

If we're moving beyond the mediaeval period, my favourites are both Napoleonic - Waterloo with Rod Steiger and Christopher Plummer as Napoleon and Wellington respectively - marvellous dialogue and battle scenes

Yes, very much a Waterloo fan as well. Rod Steiger is Napoleon! I like the anecdotes concerning the use of the Russian army for the battle scenes...every time the director got them to form square for the charge of the French cavalry, they got frightened and ran away! You can see a couple of 'impregnable' British squares collapsing and running for it in the panoramic shots...keep meaning to see The Duellists. La Colonel Chabert with Gerard Depardieu is quite good also, not really a war film though.

My favourite overall war films definitely include Platoon and Private Ryan, but I also like Glory, Last of the Mohicans and the big lunky fratboy of a war film that is Starship Troopers...

Myrmidon

05-24-2006, 16:17

ShadesWolf

05-24-2006, 16:21

I have to say the new edition of Kingdom of Heaven with 45 mins of extra footage is wonderful and some great scenes have been added to make the a good film into an outstanding one imo

That will be my next film purchase then
Thanks for the info BkB

AwesomeArcher

05-24-2006, 22:30

Concernig War movies in general, The Thin Red Line is my favourite, a great eye opener.
The Battle of Helm in the LotR: The Two Towers is one of the greatest battle scenes, but I guess that doesn't the movie a War movie...

Yea, it is quite sweet. The Horseman riding down the hill with gandalf is probably the coolest scene ever. Also the battle outside of Minas Tirith in the The Return of the King, with all of the cavalry charging and the oliphants are pretty cool. Sorry if that was off topic.

Martok

05-24-2006, 22:37

but I also like Glory

Doh! How could I forget Glory??! :oops: That's a great movie.

and the big lunky fratboy of a war film that is Starship Troopers
LOL. A very apt way of putting it, Matteus. :laugh4:

AwesomeArcher

05-24-2006, 23:53

Doh! How could I forget Glory??! :oops: That's a great movie.

LOL. A very apt way of putting it, Matteus. :laugh4:

Yea, i forgot that one. It was probably the best movie i watched in school. Another good Civil War Movie is Gods and Generals and the sequal to that Gettysburg.

matteus the inbred

05-25-2006, 10:08

Yea, i forgot that one. It was probably the best movie i watched in school. Another good Civil War Movie is Gods and Generals and the sequal to that Gettysburg.

Which would you say is the better film? I mean, I know they're both pretty long. I figure if I can sit through Lord of the Rings ROTK, I can sit through nearly anything...
I didn't know they were related films either, I thought they were stand alone...so maybe I'll have to watch both anyway! Reminds me of the time I attmepted a Star Wars Marathon, all six films in a row...

cdeford

05-25-2006, 11:33

This is probably a generation thing, but the computer-generated battle scenes in LOTR and Troy just didn't look real to me, though in Troy, the close-up scenes with real actors was pretty good. I can't help thinking, though, that Achilles penchant for spinning around and turning his back on opponents would have got him killed pdq in real life.

I think the best individual fighting scene I've ever seen was when Victor Mature took on four other gladiators in Demetrius And The Gladiators. That's how it probably was - short and brutal.

El Diablo

05-25-2006, 23:51

Das Boot (translated The Boat or something - appologies if wrong). I saw it years ago and it was either subtitled or voiceover as it was German film about the life and trials of a U-boat crew. Horrible stuff really.

Not a nice way to go to war (if there is indeed a good way)

Lemur

05-26-2006, 16:29

The Lion in Winter is the best medieval film ever made, period. But there are some other fun ones.

Excalibur is fun in a silly sort of way. Braveheart has some fun, muddy battle scenes, although I still can't get over all of the historical inaccuracies. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is possibly the funniest film ever made. I don't think anybody's mentioned all of those wonderful Japanese medieval films yet, either.

Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Ran, Throne of Blood, Hidden Fortress, Yojimbo, do any of these ring a bell? They're all classics, and they're all medieval.

Myrmidon

05-26-2006, 18:52

Another one of my favorites:

Ladyhawke

A rather undervalued film, but a classic IMHO.

Avicenna

05-26-2006, 19:06

Gladiator (Come on, it has one battle)
Saving Private Ryan (quite realistic and great movie overall)
LotR Trilogy (If those can be counted as war movies. I'm young, spare me from death by comments please)
Das Boot (shows the harsh realities and interesting view of the war)
K19 (Does nuclear era count?)

Sorry if none of these is Medieval :embarassed:

Ser Clegane

05-26-2006, 20:11

Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Ran, Throne of Blood, Hidden Fortress, Yojimbo, do any of these ring a bell? They're all classics, and they're all medieval.

Gah! ... completely forgot about them. Brilliant movies, all of them (Kagemusha definitely needs to be added, though ~:))

Banquo's Ghost

05-26-2006, 20:12

Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Ran, Throne of Blood, Hidden Fortress, Yojimbo, do any of these ring a bell? They're all classics, and they're all medieval.

Good point, Lemur! They are wonderful.

If you like Monty Python and the Holy Grail (and who doesn't) have you ever watched the French film Les Visiteurs? Starts in the mediaeval period, at least, and is hilarious.

The Blind King of Bohemia

05-26-2006, 23:06

Isn't this thread about medieval war movies? I love some of the film's mentioned, some are awful but still why are we talking about modern war movies?

The Spartan (Returns)

05-26-2006, 23:40

1.Gladiator(has one nice battle. but the rest is great too)
2.Troy(nice battles but i wish there was more)
3.Patriot(better than Braveheart)
4.Saving Private Ryan(good action)
5.Braveheart(first battle Stirling not long enough and wheres the bridge?)
6.Kingdom of Heaven(last battle was a dissapointment)
7.LOTR Triology second and third is like a big war film(i dont even like it! too much cgi hate dragons,boring action. what makes me really mad the most is the cavalry charges. in the Two Towers when Gandalf charges downhill with the cavalry the orcs had very long pikes (perhaps as tall as a phalanx) Gandalf use his staff to blind the orcs a short time of melee and they rout! third one the charge outside of minas tirith, orcs have a line of pikes. the Rohirrim charges breaks the line without even a horse dying at the pikes runs them down like grass! honestly LOTR doesent know what cavalry is! and they sure know what crappy morale is!)

sorry about flaming LOTR! no offense to LOTR fans.

i know i critizize these movies with action and battles. but if the movie has a bad story or dialouge then the battles or action can be the only thing backing it ip.

AwesomeArcher

05-27-2006, 04:20

Isn't this thread about medieval war movies? I love some of the film's mentioned, some are awful but still why are we talking about modern war movies?

Originally it was for medieval war movies, but the created changed it to just war movies in general. If you look at the first post on the thread you can see that.

1.Gladiator(has one nice battle. but the rest is great too)
2.Troy(nice battles but i wish there was more)
3.Patriot(better than Braveheart)
4.Saving Private Ryan(good action)
5.Braveheart(first battle Stirling not long enough and wheres the bridge?)
6.Kingdom of Heaven(last battle was a dissapointment)
7.LOTR Triology second and third is like a big war film(i dont even like it! too much cgi hate dragons,boring action. what makes me really mad the most is the cavalry charges. in the Two Towers when Gandalf charges downhill with the cavalry the orcs had very long pikes (perhaps as tall as a phalanx) Gandalf use his staff to blind the orcs a short time of melee and they rout! third one the charge outside of minas tirith, orcs have a line of pikes. the Rohirrim charges breaks the line without even a horse dying at the pikes runs them down like grass! honestly LOTR doesent know what cavalry is! and they sure know what crappy morale is!)

sorry about flaming LOTR! no offense to LOTR fans.

i know i critizize these movies with action and battles. but if the movie has a bad story or dialouge then the battles or action can be the only thing backing it ip.

Well i do agree with you on the whole horses charging through a phalanx. Although it would be kind of scary to be on the frontline holding just a pike with around 10,000 armed horseman charging full speed at you. On the morale issue, the orcs aren't fighting for anything, they are just being ordered around. The riders of rohan are fighting for the freedom of their country and all of the other free creatures.

P.S. Just remembered another good, but historically inaccurate movie, Spartacus.

The Blind King of Bohemia

05-27-2006, 10:18

Originally it was for medieval war movies, but the created changed it to just war movies in general. If you look at the first post on the thread you can see that.

Oh my apologies then. Its just i have seen scores of threads like this over the years and they tend to get repetitive. This should be in the frontroom anyway, if you were around abit longer than a week or so you would know that

AwesomeArcher

05-27-2006, 15:15

Oh my apologies then. Its just i have seen scores of threads like this over the years and they tend to get repetitive. This should be in the frontroom anyway, if you were around abit longer than a week or so you would know that

No prob. Yes, it probably does belong in the frontroom, but the member who started the thread was probably a junior member when he started the thread.

vonsch

05-27-2006, 17:15

I saw Kingdom of Heaven about two weeks ago. It's pretty, the clashes were well done, but as others have said, there was little (if any) plot and as a result character development was MIA too. My initial reaction was "cool!" but by the end I was far off in hohumland, disappointed that the initial hope was entirely wasted. A shame. If I can get the director's cut I may give that a chance. Assuming what I had wasn't that, have to check my Netflix records.

Yeah, Braveheart is a good movie. And, yeah, as history it's, well, not.

Henry V is great Shakespeare, simply superb. That speech at Agincourt is marvelous and it's done as it deserves in the film. I get chills just thinking of it. But not sure I'd quite call it a "war movie." It does have some war in it.

Lion in Winter is great too.

As far as books go, I finally tracked down (online, no less) "The White Company." Read it. It's great fun, and it really brings the period (late, though) to life. It's SO well done I don't even picture the words on the page, I see the scenes. If I don't think about what I'm thinking about :dizzy2: I think I watched a movie. Don't know how I didn't manage to read it decades ago. I tried to track down a copy to buy several times, but it was out of print at the time. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote it. Yeah, that one. You can find it here among other places: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/903.

I wish someone would do a movie version of that. With all the Sherlock Holmes about, you'd think...

De' Medici

05-27-2006, 22:39

Hail! :bow: I will start with 13 Warrior, a great movie, based on the writings of an Arab diplomat and his meeting with varangians, in the 10th century. The story is combined with the tale of Beowulf :viking: . I also like Akira Kurosawa's movies, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, La Reine Margot (not quite a war movie but very interesting), Black Hawk Down , Braveheart. Big fan of Sharpe series (with Sean Bean), set in the Napoleonic era.

:duel:

jadast

05-27-2006, 22:52

Ivanhoe has always been a favorite of mine. Jousting, hand to hand combat, political intrigue, Saxons vs Normans, etc. In the original Liz Taylor was a very young and pretty actress.

Ibn Munqidh

05-29-2006, 21:34

Kingdom of Heaven, the directors cut, is unparalleled. Second comes braveheart, not for historical accuracy, but for having the most gory and realistic battle scenes ever.

The Spartan (Returns)

05-29-2006, 22:13

Kingdom of Heaven, the directors cut, is unparalleled.
how was that? was there extra battles in that one? anything that made it better?

The Blind King of Bohemia

05-29-2006, 22:29

Not really, but the beginnings a lot longer and the characters are really fleshed out with new storylines, making it a much better movie which makes far more sense than the theatrical version. Glad to see I'm not the only one who liked it.

El Diablo

05-30-2006, 02:38

Whist not a true war movie in the context of this poll.

One of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time is "Dogsoldiers".

The story of British Army squad on manouvers when they get attacked by werewolves.

The "special" effects - (being the WORST werewolf heads in history) make it an absolute crack up. Well worth the rental and a bag of popcorn just for the sidesplitting humour of it all. :laugh4: :laugh4: :laugh4:

Subedei

05-30-2006, 12:35

Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Ran, Throne of Blood, Hidden Fortress, Yojimbo...YES, these rule.

There is an Italian movie, which is set up a bit like a play in theater...It is called "The Medici Soldier" (sorry, hard to translate from Italian 2 German 2 English). It does deal with one of the early Medicis who served as a Conditieri facing the German merc Captain Georg von Frundsberg (who by the way carried a Golden sling with him, destined to hang the Pope as soon as his army catches him). May be very hard to get - I mean the movie, not the Pope - but give it a try...it has good scenes in it.:2thumbsup:

Anybody mentioned "Henry V" yet???? The one with Kenneth Branagh form 1989...I think that is my favorite.....:2thumbsup: :2thumbsup:

rotorgun

05-30-2006, 19:36

Hi all,
Just coming in a little late from a two week hiatus with the Army National Guard.
I would have to say the my favorite would have to be El Cid-those scenes of Charleton Heston battling things out in the trial by combat are outstanding. As for the less historical films Excalibur was rather well made, with its stylistic rendition of the King Authur tales. I have always enjoyed Ivanhoe, and watch it everytime it is played. Those jousting scenes are just breathtaking, not to mention the beautiful ladies in their Hollywood versions of medieval dress. :dancing:

AwesomeArcher

05-31-2006, 03:43

Oaty

05-31-2006, 18:59

Joan of arc for medieval, the one with Leelee Sobieski not Milla Jovovich.

Heres IMD's listing (http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=Joan+of+Arc)

And currently in production is another joan f arc (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0151138/) Although it doesnt even list current staff.

Banquo's Ghost

05-31-2006, 22:13

What about that somewhat new movie king Arthur, i saw, i thought it was a good movie, but i heard that is was really inaccurate. I dont know a whole lot about the King Arthur legends, but it was different from most of the stories i had heard. What do you all think?

It was different from the usual Arthurian fare because it was set in the Dark Ages when some historians argue that a real Arthur figure existed. Most previous movies used the mediaeval setting for the stories.

I can't say I liked it much.

matteus the inbred

06-01-2006, 09:55

It was different from the usual Arthurian fare because it was set in the Dark Ages when some historians argue that a real Arthur figure existed. Most previous movies used the mediaeval setting for the stories.

I can't say I liked it much.

Liked it at first, liked it a lot less after repeated viewings...there's a thread somewhere in the Frontroom abusing it fairly righteously I think. Still, it was an interesting attempt to be a bit different, and hopefully won't discourage others from making historically interesting films in less-well-known periods of history.

Ludens

06-01-2006, 13:47

It was different from the usual Arthurian fare because it was set in the Dark Ages when some historians argue that a real Arthur figure existed. Most previous movies used the mediaeval setting for the stories.
You are right, but it still is blatantly inacurate. There was indeed a Roman officer in Britain called Artorius Castus, who fought a Pictish (and not Saxon) invasion. The Saxons would not become a problem until over a century after Castus' death, and when they did they were smart enough to land in the south of Britian, instead of going all the way up north, land there, and attack Hadrian's Wall in order to get south again.

x-dANGEr

06-01-2006, 14:55

Braveheart (It is Medieval right?).

AwesomeArcher

06-01-2006, 21:05

Braveheart (It is Medieval right?).

Yes, it takes place in the late 1200's and early 1300's.

ajaxfetish

06-06-2006, 08:14

Dev Dave got it right way back at the beginning. Though it's not really war-focused, The Lion in Winter is certainly the best Medieval Movie I have ever seen. I think it's sad that to pick second place I have to go to comedy or fantasy and pick either Monty Python or LOTR. We have a vacuum of great Medieval History Cinema, with a fair number of B movies but not a lot of winners.

Ajax

cdeford

06-06-2006, 11:28

What about that somewhat new movie king Arthur, i saw, i thought it was a good movie, but i heard that is was really inaccurate. I dont know a whole lot about the King Arthur legends, but it was different from most of the stories i had heard. What do you all think?

I thought this was a very poor film, apart from the acting of Ioan Gruffudd, who played Lancelot, and is better known as the young Hornblower. As it's a bit off-topic, I won't go into just how bad Clive Owen was :)

As for it being inaccurate, it may be iaccuarate as to the most common Arthurian legends, but, if Arthur actually existed, is likely far closer to reality than those myths. Not the plot-line in the film, but that Arthur lived at the tail-end of the Roman presence in Britain, though was more likely part of the Romano-British nobility than some foreign mercenary, and was some kind of warlord who held back the Anglo-Saxon incursions for a time.

Other war films I've thought of: one medieval one called Flesh & Blood with Rutger Hauer and Jennifer Jason Leigh. It had a couple of good battle scenes, but I liked it (not just because of JJL in that tub of water!) because it looked at a fairly neglected part of history.

Another decent film I saw the other day: The 300 Spartans, a bit corny in places but had great battle scenes at the end, much better than Troy or Gladiator, though on a smaller scale. I should change my name to Leonidas, unless there's one here already.

matteus the inbred

06-06-2006, 11:49

I thought this was a very poor film, apart from the acting of Ioan Gruffudd, who played Lancelot, and is better known as the young Hornblower. As it's a bit off-topic, I won't go into just how bad Clive Owen was :)

Heheh, I agree! Opinions on Ray Winstone's character Bors seem divided; either he's great fun or a big loud pain. Everyone else is forgettable apart from Keira Knightley, who's just silly and extremely inconsistent. I had such high hopes...

I do like The Vikings too, even though it's also a bit silly. The horns, the longships, the furry trousers and that thing with the throwing axes where they climb the gates at the end...quality. If only my Landsmenn would do that in MTW...sigh.

Morrigan

06-06-2006, 14:43

Some of my favorites from several eras...

Ancient: Gladiator - Excellent large battle early on, fun arena combat.

Medieval: Henry V - So much more than swords and blood, but plenty of that too :)

Colonial: Last of the Mohicans - Excellent musical score, very interesting characters, some good sized battles, fun siege of a fort, and the lovely Madelyn Stowe tops it off.

WW2: Cross of Iron - A gritty louse-ridden look at the german soldier on the Russian front. Fantastic looks at real T-34 tanks, inspired squad vs. tank combat. A bit quirky here and there but not to detract from the story.

Modern: We Were Soldiers - Mel Gibson pulls off an inspiring portrayal of Colonel Moore and his soldiers fighting the USArmy's first large engagement with NVA forces in 1965. The final assault and order to "Fix bayonets!" might be stretching the truth a bit much for some, but it's Hollywood and they must have a climactic ending!

noas

06-06-2006, 18:03

absolutetly kingdom of heaven

Garvanko

06-06-2006, 20:04

Black Hawk Down is the best modern war movie. Better than Saving Private Ryan.

De' Medici

06-06-2006, 21:49

Another gems: Apocalypse Now, Platoon and Missing in Action (with Chuck Norris ~D )

:director:

gmjapan

06-07-2006, 14:54

lol MIA!!

Alexander has the best battles I have ever seen in any movie ever. Simply breathtaking, especially the elephants. Shame the rest of the film doesnt make it worth watching :(

The (clive owen) King Arthur battles were visually stunning, quite impressive, like the scene on the ice. But the film wasnt any good overall.

Kindom of Heaven is pathetic in my opinion. Avoid it.

Maybe its Where Eagles Dare, that was good to watch but I think my FAV could be "the good the bad and the ugly". Not all about war but its integral to the time frame.

I hate CGI in films, its great for cartoon films like The Incredibles and Shrek but when it tries to replace something that is supposed to be real it always falls way short of the mark.

BHCWarman88

06-07-2006, 20:11

Alexander Looks good,but I never saw it..

gmjapan

06-09-2006, 09:37

Actually I would recommend watching Alexander and just fast forward through the rubbish inbetween the battles.

Seriously the best depiction of battles I have ever seen, the sections with the elephants in India is of the highest calibre. Also the way the pre-battles speeches are dealt with is refreshing. They even show eagles flying above before some battles which I assume is to represent the superstition about seeing them.

Philippus Flavius Homovallumus

06-11-2006, 23:31

El Cid, Excalibur, Braveheart, The Vikings. All good.

King Arthur was okay as film but it offends me on so many historical levels, not least of which is the idea that in 410 AD Rome was unable to replenish the losses of a single unit of Sarmatian Auxilia.

IIRC Kingdom of heaven is a three hour film that got cut down to two fifteen for the cinema.

Marcus Caelius

06-12-2006, 08:47

in addition to many if those already described, i love:

full metal jacket
master and commander

gmjapan

06-12-2006, 12:54

Ooh Master & Commander, that was awesome! Cant believe I nearly didnt watch that initially.

AwesomeArcher

06-12-2006, 17:06

Black Hawk Down is the best modern war movie. Better than Saving Private Ryan.

It is good but IMO not as good as Saving Private Ryan. Another good modern movie is Tears of the Sun. Yes gmjapan i forgot about Master and Commander too, it is quite a good movie.

Martok

06-13-2006, 06:18

Ay'up. Have to agree with Master & Commander as well. ~:cheers:

The Spartan (Returns)

06-13-2006, 18:16

absolutetly kingdom of heaven
Gladiator was wayyyyyy better. btw welcome to the org!

The Spartan (Returns)

06-13-2006, 18:23

Andejar

06-15-2006, 00:48

absolutetly kingdom of heaven

That is definitely the best movie about the crusades ever made. Nothing even comes close to it.

The funniest medieval movie is Monty Python

The worst movie from pre-Medieval times is The passion of the christ.

PS U guys are really bad at underlining your movie titles :2thumbsup:

bamff

06-15-2006, 00:57

Still wanting to see Kingdom of Heaven and Tristan & Isolde....

but loved Henry V.....and some time back I recall seeing a great version of Macbeth....directed by Polanski (I think)....and from memory it starred both of the dudes from The Professionals...anyone else seen this one?

Speaking of Shakespeare, never saw Hamlet either (I mean the Mel Gibson one...

The Vikings, El Cid, and Braveheart were all good fun....

The Spartan (Returns)

06-15-2006, 01:56

That is definitely the best movie about the crusades ever made. Nothing even comes close to it.

The funniest medieval movie is Monty Python

The worst movie from pre-Medieval times is The passion of the christ.

PS U guys are really bad at underlining your movie titles :2thumbsup:
The passion of the christ
is not even a war movie

Eagle Ranger

06-15-2006, 03:35

I think mine is Braveheart although it is historically inaccurate. Yes, Monty Python is pretty darn funny.

gmjapan

06-15-2006, 16:53

was the music good and are there phalanxes? never seen phalanxes in a movie. (such as Troy no phalanx)

Oh yes! There are there phalanxes in it. In the thick of battle too. I'm afraid I never remember musical scores much in films, good or bad, so cant help you much there. If its any consolation the scenes would probably take on a whole new level if you mute... if you didnt like the music that is.

Not entirely sure why but the only music I really remember from any film is RatM playing at the end of Matrix. I think that is because I was just thinking at the time "the only thing missing from this film is that 'wake up' song from RatM" and then it kicked in!

I dont really know whats up with Troy. As Hollywood Epics go I enjoyed watching it. But parts like the beach landing where Brad Achillies runs around on sand for half an hour killing dozens of people solo, in the heat, wearing armour and doesnt even break a sweat or seem a little out of breath... whats that all about?! Why even bother getting the names right or costumes accurate etc if you are gonna pull s**t like that? Eric Bana is easily the best part of the film and it would have benefitted greatly from less CGI. Hmm, bit of a rant that. Better /rant off. just incase.

Marcus Caelius

06-15-2006, 22:14

Well, he was Achilles...and i think the homeric period preceded the hoplite era by a thousand years or so.

Geezer57

06-17-2006, 00:20

Lots of classic medieval flix that I like have been mentioned (among them El Cid, Ivanhoe, The War Lord, etc.), but no one so far has mentioned The Black Shield of Falworth (1954). Yes, I know it stars Tony Curtis (I'm from the Bronx, man!) as the main character, and it's definitely "old school" Hollywood, but it's still a grand swashbuckler of a film.

I'm perhaps particularly fond of it because it was the first movie my Dad took me to see, on his own initiative and without Mom, just the two of us. :jumping: I was high for a week afterwards! :jumping:

cdeford

06-17-2006, 18:09

The Black Shield of Falworth (1954). Yes, I know it stars Tony Curtis (I'm from the Bronx, man!) as the main character, and it's definitely "old school" Hollywood, but it's still a grand swashbuckler of a film.

I'm perhaps particularly fond of it because it was the first movie my Dad took me to see, on his own initiative and without Mom, just the two of us. :jumping: I was high for a week afterwards! :jumping:

I know Tony Curtis's accent is ridiculed whenever this film is mentioned, but I'm from the UK and I can say that it never bothered me - in fact I never noticed it until someone pointed it out, but then most films (certainly the ones I saw) had American accents and I never questioned it. What Hollywood did well back then was make great entertainment which was a lot more fun than many modern films. OK, it's corny, doesn't have huge CGI armies (which is a GOOD THING) or any blood and gore, but it's hugely entertaining and great fun. IMHO :laugh4:

Master_Thief

06-17-2006, 22:59

I haven't seen many Medieval movies but it has to be said that Kingdom of Heaven was class. It was certainly no Gladiator, but it was still pretty good. I also enjoyed Braveheart (apart from Mel Gibson who loves himself way to much). As for King Arthur... :furious3: :wall:

Archayon

06-18-2006, 09:30

i like Attilla too ...

although not too accurate...

:idea2: Arch

gmjapan

06-18-2006, 11:54

I know lots of films are getting slated for not being accurate but Braveheart didnt even have Shiltroms in it! Or a bridge at the battle of Sterling Bridge! Or mention the introduction of the English Longbow at the battle that would mark its dominance in battlefields for centuries to come. It even showed Robert the Bruce as a traitor, a man who would win Scotland its independence for 400 years to come. Blimin 'eck this list could go on!
As films go it was really entertaining but utter ludicrous.

The Spartan (Returns)

06-18-2006, 17:10