Tmavomodrý svet (movie)

Title: Tmavomodrý svet (Dark Blue World)

Directed by: Jan Sverak

Year, production: 2001, Czech Republic/UK/

Cast: Ondrej Vetchy, Krystof Hadek, Charles Dance, Tara Fitzgerald, Linda Rybova, ...

Runtime: 112 min.

This is a Czech movie and very good one. It is about Czech pilots that fought in division 311 in England. After Germans came in Czech lot of pilots went to England to fight there. The same was with Polish pilots (division 303) but I don't know any movie about it. Maybe there is something in movie "Battle of Britain" but I don't remember now. Czech pilots and Polish were much appreciated in the battle of England because of their very good skills.

After the war these Czech pilots who fought for free Europe and free Czech were put to prison by communistic government because their were consider as enemies of the new government. It was the same with Polish pilots/soldiers.

In the movie there is not that many fight scenes. There is also some romance, friendship but it is not boring. If you want to see some European movie this one is worth to see.

American Soldiers (movie)

Title: American Soldiers

Year, production: 2005, Canada

Directed by: Sidney J. Furie

Cast: Zan Calabretta, Curtis Morgan, Jordan Brown, Eddie Della Siepe

Runtime: 110 min.

One day in Iraq of one squad. This is a low cost movie. The film is bad but there is one good fragment, the end of movie :) , I mean the last fight when they fight with knives after their ammunition ends. Also beginning is ok. This movie is for real war movies fans ;).

The Naked and the Dead (book)

Title: The Naked and the Dead

Author: Norman Mailer

Year: 1948

Norman Mailer: 31 of february 1923

American writer. The Naked and the Dead is based on his experienced from Warld War II. Action is set in South Pacific. Combats of a single platoon. This is his first book and this antymilitary book made him famouse when he was 25 years old.

Heaven & Earth (movie)

Title: Heaven & Earth

Year, production: 1993, USA/France

Directed by: Oliver Stone

Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Hiep Thi Le, ...

Runtime: 140 min.

It is a true story of a Vietnamese girl Phung Le Ly (Hipe Thi Le). She had a very hard life during the war and after. She was raped by Vietcong, after war she had to work as a prostitution until Steve Butler blayed by Tommy Lee Jones (special forces oficer) married her and took her to America. After Vietnam war Steve had more problems to adopt to life in US then she had.

This is a third part of Vietnam War trilogy. First part is Platoon, second part is Born on the Fourth of July.

http://allwars.blogspot.com/2006/09/platoon-movie.html

http://allwars.blogspot.com/2006/11/born-on-fourth-of-july-movie.html

HMS Ulysses (book)

Title: HMS Ulysses

Author: Alistair MacLean

Year: 1955

Alistair MacLean: 1922, April 28 - 1987, February 2 in Munich

He was a Scotish novelist. He wrote thrillers and adventure books. HMS Ulysses is his first book. Alistair MacLean served in Royal Navy and this book is based on his experienses. It is about a ship that is guarding convoy on the way to Murmansk.

Memphis Belle (movie)

Title: Memphis Belle

Year, production: 1990, USA/UK

Directed by: Michael Caton-Jones

Cast: Mattew Modine, Tate Donovan, Eric Stoltz, D.B. Sweeney, Reed Diamond, ...

Runtime: 107 min.

It is a true story about last bombing done by B-17 bomber "Memphis Belle" during Second World War. The bombing was done in German city Bremen in 1943.

It must be very hard to do this kind of flight, bomb the city and come back alive, almost impossible. Very hard German resistance from ground and air. I don't know how much this film is real but looks very good.

If you like the movie and you are also a book reader you should read a book "Bomber". See details: http://allwars.blogspot.com/2006/10/bomber-book.html

Tae Guk Gi (movie)

Title: Tae Guk Gi - The Brotherhood of War

Year, production: 2004, South Korea

Directed by: Je-gyu Kang

Cast: Dong-Kun Jang, Bin Won, Min-ho Jang, ...

Runtime: 140 min.

War in Korea. Two brothers fight in this war against communistic forces. One of them lost his mind after he understand that his brother was killed. He joined North Korean and then they met. With help from China communistic forces pushed back Korean forces together with Americans. The result is that now there are North and South Korea.

Korean war is like a forgotten war. There are not much movies, books about that war. I think this movie is good and worth to see.

Apocalypse Now (movie)

Title: Apocalypse Now

Year, production: 1979, USA

Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola

Cast: Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Laurence Fishburne, Frederic Forrest,Harrison Ford, Albert Hall, Denis Hopper, Scott Glenn, ...

Runtime: 153 min. (Redux version: 202 min.)

Some says, the best Vietnam war movie. Perhaps they are right but I like Platoon more

http://allwars.blogspot.com/2006/09/platoon-movie.html

Captain Willard played by Martin Sheen was sent on a mission to kill one guy (Marlon Brando) who thinks that he is a good for local people somewhere in Cambodia.

The redux version is cool, 49 minutes longer. I saw redux version only one time and the extra part is french epizod where they meet with Frenchmen. The film is really great and you can see there young Harrison Ford more less from the Star Wars time ;).

Update:

I have just seen a document on Discovery about soldiers from River Division 593 (rivier patrols) from Vietnam War. They said that the way this movie is showing the River Division is not true. They never took drugs like it was in the movie and behave like in the movie. The only thing that is true is a boat.

Tigerland (movie)

Title: Tigerland

Year, production: 2000, USA/Germany

Directed by: Joel Schumacher

Cast: Collin Farrell, Matthew Davis, Shea Whigham, Clifton Collins Jr., Russell Richardson, ...

Runtime: 100 min.

It is about trainning before vietnam war. Pvt. Roland Bozz (Collin Farrell) has a gift getting into the trouble and he doesn't really like to be on the trainning. It is not about war in Vietnam but it is a war movie I think.

When Trumpets Fade (movie)

Title: When Trumpets Fade

Year, production: 1998, USA

Directed by: John Irving

Cast: Ron Eldard, Dylan Bruno, Zak Orth, Devon Gummersall, Steven Petrarca, Frank Whaley,...

Runtime: 95 min.

Autumn 1944, World War II. The fight is in the Hurtgen forest. The battle close to Bostogne was after battles that you can see in the movie.

US and British generals said that they will be in Berlin in 1944 but German forces were not weak. The war was not over. Lot of soldiers died in these battles.

I have see it 2 weeks ago for the first time. I must say that I'm not disappointed.

Enemy at the Gates (movie)

Title: Enemy at the Gates

Year, production: 2001, USA, Germany, UK, Irland

Directed by: Jean-Jacques Annaud

Cast: Jude Law, Ed Harris, Rachel Weisz, Bob Hoskins, Joseph Fiennes, Ron Perlman, ...

Runtime: 131 min.

German and Russian armies meet in the winter, 1942 in the city Stalingrad.

The sniper Vassili Zaitsev played by Jude Law is shooting Germans officers. He is very good at this. To kill him, from Germany comes the sniper König played by Ed Harris.

For fps pc gamers:

The game Call of Duty (Stalingrad part) is based on that film. That part of the game is great.

Born on the Fourth of July (movie)

Title: Born on the Fourth of July

Year, production: 1989, USA

Directed by: Oliver Stone

Cast: Tom Cruise, Caroline Kava, Raymond J. Barry, Josh Evans, Jamie Talisman, Anne Bobby, Dale Dye, Tom Berenger, Tom Sizemore, Oliver Stone, William Baldwin, ...

Runtime: 145 min.

This is a biography of Ron Kovic. He was paralyzed in the Vietnam war after he was shoot. When he came back he became anti-war activist. He just thought that he is betrayed by his country for which he fought.

This movie is not a typical war movie, more like a drama but I think it should be here. There is not much fight and shooting. It is about the changes of Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise) after war. For me it is another great movie about vietnam war just after Platoon. It is also consider as a second part of Oliver Stone's vietnam war trilogy. First is Platoon and the third is Heaven & Earth.

Das Boot (The Boat) (movie)

Title: Das Boot (The Boat)

Year, production: 1981, West Germany

Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen

Cast: Jürgen Prochnow, Martin Semmelrogge, Klaus Wennemann, Herber Grönemeyer, Hubertus Bengsch, Heinz Hoeing, Bernd Tabuer, ...

Runtime: 149 min. (293 min - uncut version)

It is a story about German U-boat that was sent on a mission. It was almost impossible mission and the captain has to command his crew to complete the mission. There was a correspondent on the boat that wrote what happend there.

I have bought dvd with uncut version but no time to see it, maybe today.

Full Metal Jacket (movie)

Title: Full Metal Jacket

Year, production: 1987, USA

Directed by: Stanley Kubrick

Cast: Matthew Modine, Kirk Taylor, Adam Baldwin, Vincent D'Onofrio, R. Lee Ermey, Kevyn Major Howard, John Terry, Jon Stafford, ...

Runtime: 116 min.

There is a creazy trainning and brutal war in the city Hue in 1968 but this film is strange. It differs from other war movies maybe because Stanley Kubrick is a director.

------
Something for FPS PC gamers. The trainning in the Medal Of Honor - Pacific Assault is taken from that movie, I think. Battlefield Vietnam is also based on this film (the Hue city map).

The Longest Day (movie)

Title: The Longest Day

Year, production: 1962, USA

Directed by: Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, Bernhard Wicki, Darryl F. Zanuck

Cast: Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum, Paul Anka, Richard Burton, Red Buttons, Wolfgang Buttner, Sean Connery, John Wayne, ...

Runtime: 360 min.

D - day invasion fo Wolrd War II. Story is told from both Allied and German perspective.

This is an old movie with many film stars from that period. As you can see it is also a very long movie. I need to see it again because I don' t remeber it well.