Which movie had the best battle scene?

[Dr. Defense]

havent seen 300 yet.
is it supposed to be based on fact ? it looks a little overdone on the fantasy side.
Saving Private Ryan and parts of Band Of Brothers get the more realistic nod of approval. I really wonder if someone would have been that crafty in the 1700s to pull off the one man multi rifle attack in - The Patriot-

300 is based on true events. it's a little exagerated for the movie, but everything is pretty much based on fact.

my personally votes being a huge war fan would either go to, Saving Private Ryan, We Were Soldiers, or Flags of our Fathers.

[AlfaRam]

I would have to say that Alexander gets my blood boiling. Colin Farrell is just dreamy in this picture. The battle scene with him on that masive beast between his legs going against that huge trunked elephant....well....I do declare, it gave me the vapors! They clash, flexing their senewy muscles, groaning, breath heaving in their chests.....the passion in their eyes!

[EvilXenu]

The Patriot was the worst.

Yeah, I'm sure in a real battle, the two guys who hate each other are able to find each other in the middle of the melee, and then fight it out one on one while the rest of the soldiers basically ignore them. Plus, why is it that after the hero, who's been wounded several times, kills the bad guy, he suddenly feels no effect from being slashed multiple times. Guess its a thrill of victory thing.

Ugh!

My vote for the best goes to Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

[big_country78]

i really though star wars would have made the list. since they used samurai kenjitsu techniches for the light saber battles and WWII dogfights to do starship battles.

oh well.

[z.nrd]

I voted for Band of Brothers. From those on your list, Saving Private Ryan is close, but, B of B is a little less melodramatic and a little more aware of the everyday, little things that accompanied WW 2 battle. (Obviously I don't speak from personal experience!...this comes from being a WW 2 history buff.)

BTW I have to vote thumbs down on Braveheart, which not only got the history very badly wrong, it wasn't all that savvy about medieval battle, actually. 300 wasn't a battle, it was a motion picture comic book. I mean I liked it but that's still what it was.

My favorite 2 WW 2 films are Battleground and They Were Expendable. Private Ryan is good too of course, as is (obviously) Band of Brothers.

I would also recommend Letters from Iwo Jima. And Das Boot. Shifting to another war...Pork Chop Hill. Someone mentioned We Were Soldiers, and yeah, gotta agree, it's a great war/battle film. Right up there with the best.

BUT!

By far the best battle movie ever made, bar none, is....drumroll......The Seven Samurai.

Which also happens to be one of the best FILMS ever made.

Though, if you haven't seen it, it is more than 3 hours, is subtitled from Japanese, and builds verrrrrrrrrrry slowly.

Still the best though. IMHO.

. . .

. . .

[RamsFanSam]

Not exactly a battle scene, but I watched the '67 "Bonnie and Clyde" last night. Watching those gunfight scenes makes me want to watch "The Shootist" again.

[GreatCowGuru]

BigRedMan -
I know of your reputation.

Elsie (of Borden Milk fame) sends her regards.

Why did you not include any movies that had a good bullfight scene?

[z.nrd]

Not exactly a battle scene, but I watched the '67 "Bonnie and Clyde" last night. Watching those gunfight scenes makes me want to watch "The Shootist" again.

Or, The Wild Bunch.

[AvengerRam]

I can't believe nobody's mentioned Return of the Jedi.

Clearly, the most realistic depiction of Ewok military tactics in cinematic history.

[Varg6]

I forgot to mention City of God was quite realistic. Very disturbing movie

[bigredman]

BigRedMan -
I know of your reputation.

Elsie (of Borden Milk fame) sends her regards.

Why did you not include any movies that had a good bullfight scene?

You make a fascinating argument, however, do you think anyone would take me seriously if I were to suggest a movie in which a man wearing a skin tight silk outfit, with rhinestone and sequins topped off with a mickey mouse hat wielding a sword would be taken seriously? Sure, it involves a mighty beast with sharp horns and massive shoulder with lean buttocks, thrusting and bellowing hot breath with every flex of it's muscles.....ummmmmm....was I speaking out loud just then?

[ramsanddodgers]

You make a fascinating argument, however, do you think anyone would take me seriously if I were to suggest a movie in which a man wearing a skin tight silk outfit, with rhinestone and sequins topped off with a mickey mouse hat wielding a sword would be taken seriously? Sure, it involves a mighty beast with sharp horns and massive shoulder with lean buttocks, thrusting and bellowing hot breath with every flex of it's muscles.....ummmmmm....was I speaking out loud just then?

OLE!

Someone got lathered, eh?

[Fat Pang]

The opening scenes in Saving Private Ryan reduced me to tears the first time I saw them.

LOTR, especially the third instalment was also very good.

Braveheart was okay, but I just couldn't get past the 'hollywood' version of history in the film to appreciate anything else in it.

So SPR for me.

[HUbison]

I remember seeing SPR in the theater opening weekend. The whole theater held its collective breath for 20 minutes. After the opening scene, you could actually hear everybody exhale. Most impressive 20 minutes I've ever experienced at the movies.

[itsguud]

All these movies were amazing, very tight group to pick from, but I believe that Braveheart stands out as the first epic battle scene movie on the list.