DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Top 5 Vietnam War Movies

With the brief lull in Browns' news, I thought it might be interesting to see other folks' opinions. I love war movies in general. Certainly WWII movies are a completely different and gigantic topic, but Vietnam movies specifically have a unique strain to them in regards to actual warfare, political commentary and aftermath.

(Sorry if this is a repeated thread from the archives.)

My top 5 (with honorable mentions):

1 - Apocalypse Now
2 - Deer Hunter
3 - Full Metal Jacket
4 - Jacob's Ladder
5 - Born on the 4th of July

Honorable:
Platoon, Hamburger Hill, Rescue Dawn......



BTW - Somebody should start a thread regarding the Gibson's judgment from Oberlin College. Makes me happy. My sister and I spent much of our youth buying Now and Laters from that great store.

The PBS series from about 2 years ago, called simply "The Vietnam War", was pretty moving.

Not too many people under 60 know about the very first Vietnam war movie.

It came out during the middle of the war. (1968)

The Green Berets

When I saw this movie as a boy, I swelled with pride hearing this song:

1. Platoon
2. Full Metal Jacket
3. Hamburger Hill
4. We Were Soldiers
5. Deer Hunter


HM: Apocolypse Now, Siege of Firebase Gloria, Platoon Leader, The Green Berets, The Boys From Company C

*edit* I just realized that R Lee Ermey is in 3 of these.

Agreed. Can be found on Netflix now.




PBS America
Published on Mar 1, 2018
This epic 18-hour documentary series from acclaimed filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, showing in full for the first time in the UK, offers perhaps the definitive examination of the protracted and controversial conflict that claimed so many lives and, arguably, achieved so little.

Calling upon the recollections of combatants and civilians from both sides, and incorporating rare archive footage, photographic reportage, historic TV broadcasts and secret US Government audio recordings, THE VIETNAM WAR is essential viewing for anyone seeking to understand why the United States entered the fray after France failed to stem the Communist tide in Indochina, and why a superpower soon found itself stumbling.

One of the United States’ most important television events of 2017, the 10-hour cutdown version of THE VIETNAM WAR as shown on BBC4 last autumn garnered rave reviews and was described by The Guardian as “one of the highest achievements of factual programme-making.” Now showing in full with a soundtrack of more than 120 era-defining songs, along with haunting
original recordings, THE VIETNAM WAR will transport viewers back through time to the war that tore American society asunder.

Anything by Ken Burns is worth the time invested to see it.

I like your list.

You're absolutely right. I wasn't considering documentaries when I made a list. I showed "The Vietnam War" to my junior/senior Civics class a few years back. Eye opening to them.

I'd forgotten about "The Green Berets".

It's also the first time I'd seen Jack Soo in something outside of Barney Miller.

Excellent movie.

Side note....
The soundtrack to Apocalypse Now was done by Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart. This is worth a watch.


The ‘mono-chord’ he speaks of near the end is referred to in Dead lore as ‘The Beam’. When Mickey would play it live at shows during drum jams... you’d swear he was summoning spaceships. He made rooms dissolve. It was powerful stuff. Deep, three dimensional soundscapes that described vast open spaces. Truly something to hear. To feel.

Tropic Thunder?

The conversation between Robert Downey Jr. and Ben Stiller as they first enter the jungle (regarding playing developmentally disabled roles) is funny stuff.

Also:
"Peek-a-boo, I see you!"

I like your list. Jacob's Ladder is not widely known, but memorable to anyone who 's seen it. I have not seen Born on the 4th of July, so I would adjust your list to...

1) Apocalypse Now
2) Deer Hunter
3) Full Metal Jacket
4) Platoon
5) Jacob's Ladder

As for Ken Burns, I consider him the best historian of our time, and I think he would challenge other time's historians as well. The Viet Nam series hit home because that war, and the social reactions to it, were a large part of my youth.

The 'Nam scenes in Forrest Gump were well-done.

Full metal jacket was good. Never saw apocalypse now.

I was blown away by "Jacob's Ladder" the first time I saw it, and I still put it in the DVD player from time to time.

Something about the themes of salvation and release stuck with me. I think Tim Robbins was better in this than "Shawshank".

If you have a few hours to spare on a weekend afternoon (before the season), check out the redux version of "Apocalypse Now."

Visually, I think, it's the most impressive on the list I came up with.

Jacob's Ladder is a real masterpiece. It is one of my favorite movies.

I agree on 'Jacob's Ladder'. I saw it in the movie theatre when it came out and was blown away. Brilliant film.

I also like the early Nicholson film, 'The Last Detail' directed by Hal Ashby.

Whilst it isn't a Vietnam film, my all-time favorite WAR film is Terrence Malick's gorgeous and beautifully filmed remake of 'The Thin Red Line'. In fact, I would put this as my 2nd favorite film, ever. It's poetry captured on cellulose film. Truly stunning filmmaking at its absolute best.

"The Thin Red Line" was beautifully filmed - sort of like a 2 hour piece of poetry. A little esoteric, but mesmerizing.

I haven't seen "The Last Detail", but I'll check it out. I like some of Ashby's other films, particularly "Harold and Maude".

'TTRL' may even be longer than 2 hours. In fact, I think it is closer to 3? I saw it in the cinema as well and was blown away, in tears, mesmerized and so engaged from the opening to the closing scene.

Ashby is amazing. 'H&M' is my favorite film, ever. I have seen it close to 100 times. Literally. On VHS, DVD and even on the screen (it gets a yearly screening on a local cinema house). Plus, I run a film club and every year I introduce new people to the film and it is always a winner. 'The Last Detail', I believe, was his 2nd film and features a young Nicholson and Randy Quaid. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.

Again, not a Vietnam film, but another wonderful WW2 film is 'A Midnight Clear', which I think may have been based on a true story? Even if it is fiction, it is wonderful.

I apologise for bringing up WW2 films in your thread. I hope it is ok.

You're right about the running length of "TTRL".

I enjoy discussing war movies in general. There are so many good WWII films. At some point in the future (if it hasn't already been done), it might be a good topic all on it's own - almost 70 years of material to choose from and discuss.

Re: "Harold and Maude". Almost the perfect film. I love Ruth Gordon and the Cat Stevens soundtrack fits oddly well.
I hadn't seen Bud Cort for awhile, but then saw his small part in "The Life Aquatic". Funny in that. My favorite of his "suicide" attempts in "H&M" was setting himself afire.

Some great ones but how did We Were Soldiers not make that list ???

Hamburger Hill ?

Bat 21 ?

Ever see Go Tell The Spartans with Burt Lancaster ?

While not about Vietnam exactly The Killing Fields was an incredible movie

"Hamburger Hill" was one of my Honorable Mentions.

"Bat 21" I haven't seen in a LONG time. I'm looking forward to checking it out again.

"The Killing fields" is the best movie (IMO) made about the Khmer Rouge. Disturbing film. John Malkovich was in that too, I think.

I haven't seen it in a while, but I seem to remember 'Casualties of War' was a good film. But, again...I haven't seen it since it came out, so I cautiously say list it here.

Its not top-5, but I really liked a movie called "Birdy" with Matthew Modine and Nicolas Cage. I liked it enough to read the book by the same name by William Wharton, which was also pretty good IMO.

Hill 192 was disturbing stuff to learn and read about.

"Casualties of War", I thought, was a mediocre flick.

Just my opinion.

"Birdy" was good.

Better, I thought, was the score by Peter Gabriel.

I suspect you are right. Like I said, I haven't seen it in 25 or so years.

My father made me watch "The Deer Hunter" when I was 10 years old....and he talked it up as being this great film....

Mind you....at that age I watched mainly movies my cousins watched....like the terminator movies, and steven Seagal films; or I watched comedies like Uncle Buck, Home Alone, Caddyshack…….mainly comedies featuring comedic actors that my parents liked....

Anyhow....We started watching this movie and I was sooooo bored......I had no idea what was going on, didn't understand why anyone behaved the way they did.....and by the end, I was thoroughly confused.....

I haven't seen it since.....but I'm sure its probably a better film than I remember....I was way too young and somewhat sheltered to appreciate the movie...

I would expect at 10 years old the lengthy wedding scene in The Deer Hunter not only bored the hell out of you but also probably felt like an eternity!

Definitely worth revisiting the film, however.

I don't agree that Jacob's Ladder is a war movie.

The war played a very small part of the movie.

The majority was the aftermath.

Damn, that could be traumatizing for a 10yo. Good thing you got bored before the flashback causing scenes messed you up for life. Definitely a movie worth watching.

Yeah, like PDX said, check it out again. It's a thinker and slow grower.

The wedding scene is classic, but more attuned to a certain age and community.

A young person looking for explosions, screaming mayhem and blood may be disappointed. While Christopher Walken, Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep were excellent in it, to me, it was the secondary cast that gave the movie its authenticity.

Fair enough.

Though I think many of the movie accounts of the Vietnam War (fictional or otherwise) dealt with exactly that: the aftermath of the War and how soldiers dealt with the after-effects and flashbacks.

I guess you could call "Jacob's Ladder" an introspective, psychological this or that, but I always considered it a soldier's tale anyway.

Not much blood or many explosions, but a great movie nonetheless.

I want to respond to this post, but I don't want to post spoilers.

Is there a spoiler hidey thing on this forum?

OMG.....exactly what I remember.....being bored and confused....like, I thought you said this was a war movie......When do they kill all the bad guys...

I found it! Click for spoilers!