Worst WWII Movies.........

[Tim Miller]

The Worst WWII movie you have ever seen?
I know I haven't seen every WWII War movie.... but my vote has to go to Sydney Pollack's "Castle Keep" (1969). It's a story of soldiers defending a 10th century castle from the Germans. IMO the movie is crap. I can see it was heavily influenced by the 60's anti-war and counter culture movement. The story is very incoherent. The few combat scenes in the movie are almost painful to watch. The floating VW in the moat was probably the most interesting part of the movie. The Germans finally attack the castle with a fire truck (alarm sounding and lights flashing)..... LOL.

[Lee Ragan]

My vote goes to John Wayne's "Flying Tigers". Hollywood hokum at it's worst.

[paddywhack]

pearl harbour anyone???? what a load of crap! look at the flight scenes where there flying at STREET level and doing combat at the samer time! i think not!!!

[Gene]

Jeez, so many. . . The Big Red One and U-571 come to mind though

[Peter Wiking]

Worst war movies?
Movies were ALL SS have black uniforms with large swastikas on the arm, and all have blue eyes and a scar.

Worst war movies?
Movies were German machine gunners shoot 1000 rounds at the hero with no effect but the hero needs only 1 (one) shot from the hip to knock them out.

Worst war movies?
Movies were Germans can only say "schnell" and "raus"

Worst war movies?
Movies were all German Generals have a monocular.

Worst war movies?
Movies were Hitler is allways depicted as a sour and angry man, when he in fact often could smile with children or animals around him.

Worst war movies?
Movies were the hero shoots salvo after salvo from the hip, using a captured MP40, shooting down a dozen or more Germans. This while the German fire hits everything but the hero, and mostly around his feet.

Worst war movies?
Movies were the guns of the Germans allways jam, but the gun of the hero does not even need to be reloaded.

Cheers.
Peter

[fknorr]

John Wayne's "In Harms Way"

and

"The Thin Red Line"

[coastie]

John Wayne's "In Harms Way"

Forgot about that one

"Battle of the Bulge", Having Telly Savalas' turret blown off while he was inside" and coming out with only a few scratches. The objective of going after a fuel depot full of gasoline when the German tanks ran on diesel, just a few minor flaws.

I tend to dismiss all the 40's era war movies primarily they were mostly propaganda pieces, and you have to take them with a grain of salt.

Most recent war film - Pear Harbor for reasons mentioned before.

[WalterB]

"The Thin Red Line"

Worst war movie?!? Geez, you have to be kidding me. I can understand you not liking it, but worst movie?!? You obviously have not seen insultingly bad movies like U-571 or the silly love story thrown into "Enemy at the Gates". The Thin Red Line is not everyone's cup of tea, but at least it was realistic (perhaps too realistic for some).

[fknorr]

Worst war movie?!? Geez, you have to be kidding me. I can understand you not liking it, but worst movie?!? You obviously have not seen insultingly bad movies like U-571 or the silly love story thrown into "Enemy at the Gates". The Thin Red Line is not everyone's cup of tea, but at least it was realistic (perhaps too realistic for some).

U-571 was bad, thanks for reminding me. "The Thin Red Line" is the Worst by far and next-to-last is U-571. "Enemy at the Gates" I have only watched once. It had some moments of garbage, seemed to get a few facts close to being right but was not hideous.

I absolutely love war movies and will even watch the horrid "Green Berets" every time it comes on, along with probably every other crappy not-so-swell war movie out there....

but

I would have walked out of the theater if I hadn't paid good money to watch "The Thin Red Line" AND actually knew of the movie prior to release and waited w/anticipation for it to come out. I literally sat through the entire movie W-A-I-T-I-N-G for it to get better...it did not.

The one 10-15 minute battle scene actually was as good (or better) than the initial scenes in "Private Ryan" or another of my favorites "Blackhawk Down" but it was suffering through the 57 hours (was it really 57 hours or just seem that long) of other "art/psychological" type BS that would make me NEVER, EVER watch it again. I do not really care if a movie sucks, just do not suck for 3-hours straight!

My wife is not a huge lover of this genre but does like some that I make her suffer through...she still busts my balls about dragging her to this film and wasting the three hours of time that this "film" subjected one to. I have to agree, she is right (do not tell her I told you so though).

Re: "The Thin Red Line" being "realistic"
Was it realism in the (mercifully) last scene where he is surrounded by Japanese (literally in a circle) not 5-10 feet from him, and they all shoot him at the same time. I was in the Army 20 years ago, have been around firearms and have hunted for about 30 years but something about that does not seem quite right... Did I miss some realism there?

Nor does a 1943 Marine Philosophizing the way the main character did...THE ENTIRE MOVIE...maybe he was an a-typical "marine" or maybe just not "realistic".

One man's "classic" is anothers "dog-poo"

[JaimeH]

WHAT? WHAT? WHAT? John Wayne in a bad war movie? Why, don't you pilgrims know that he defeated the entire axis darn near by himself! To suggest other is blasphemy and un-american!

[fknorr]

WHAT? WHAT? WHAT? John Wayne in a bad war movie? Why, don't you pilgrims know that he defeated the entire axis darn near by himself! To suggest other is blasphemy and un-american!

[rameses]

the worse one I saw the other day in dvd it is titled in spain ( conviviendo con su enemigo) in english to be something like "coexisting with its enemy"
very bad the film

[Tim Miller]

I absolutely love war movies and will even watch the horrid "Green Berets" every time it comes on, along with probably every other crappy not-so-swell war movie out there....

Man.... "Green Berets".... Part of me LOVES that movie, but it's hard to get past a few of it's problems:

The SORRY #SSED fake looking M16 Wayne smashes across the tree that breaks in half

The ANGLO actors (with grease paint on their faces) as "VC" during the close up fight scenes.

Helicopter crash scene..... uhhhhgggg

Cardboard Rolled tube with red light.... ALA "starlight scope"

That "ching a liing ching ching ching ching" Asian type music that is played (usually seen in WWII movies) when you see the bad guys

Sun setting in the wrong direction... the sea at the end with Wayne and the little boy

Provost's red paint "blood" when he is dying and Wayne drinks with him"

These are just a few...... PLENTY more. Again I actually love this film, I get a little choked up in parts - but have alot of problems with it. Not a WWII film, but worth bringing up.

Take care.

Tim

[Peter_Suciu]

Sun setting in the wrong direction... the sea at the end with Wayne and the little boy

Sorry, but there are parts of Vietnam that have western coasts, so this is possible.

[coastie]

Man.... "Green Berets".... Part of me LOVES that movie, but it's hard to get past a few of it's problems:

Sun setting in the wrong direction... the sea at the end with Wayne and the little boy



Tim

Well to give the Devil it's due, there is a western shore in VN whether a G/B base was there, that's another issue.