Fury
The Second World War has been depicted many times over the years, and we are set to get a new take on it this week with Fury.
Fury sees David Ayer return to the director's chair, as we follow a tank crew as they fight on the frontlines.
Fury is set to be a movie not to miss this week, and to celebrate its release we take a look at some of the best Second World War movies that have graced the big screen over the years.
- The Thin Red Line
The Thin Red Line hit the big screen in 1999 and marked the return of Terence Malick to the director's chair as he adapted James Jones' novel.
This is a World War II tale, which focuses on a squad of American troops battling against the Japanese during the hellish battle of Guadalcanal Island.
But this is unlike most war movies that we have seen in recent years, as there is a philosophical element that encompasses the entire film.
The characters question reasons behind the war and in particular life, as they potentially walk so close to death, leaving many issues unresolved when the credits role, much like life itself.
Malick's main theme behind the movie was to delve into the experience and psyche of soldiers at war looking at how they cope, or not, with what they see and how they band together under the most testing circumstances.
It is a very impressionistic view of war, which may not be the taste of many, as Malick delivers a truly beautiful movie that likens war to the harshness of nature using his beautiful surroundings to bring home his point.
The Thin Red Line is one of my favourite war movies and is a take on the Second World War that is incredibly unique.
- Grave of the Fireflies
Sticking with the theme of 'different' a World War Two movie that has to be seen is animation movie Grave of the Fireflies.
Directed by Isao Takahata, Grave of the Fireflies follows brother and sister Seita and Setsuko, who are forced to survive during the devastated Japanese countryside, after their mother is killed in an air raid and their father is serving in the navy.
Grave of the Fireflies is a film that looks at the impact of war for those who weren't even on the front line.
The Japanese people suffered for the actions of their leaders during World War II and this is a depiction of the horrors and suffering that they faced.
This is such a harrowing and powerful movie that will move you to tears as well as totally break your heart. There are moments of childhood innocence and wonder - the fireflies being the perfect example - and that just makes the tragedy even more painful to watch.
Grave of the Fireflies is one of the greatest animation movies that I have ever had the privilege of watching - it is also one of the most powerful and important anti-war movies.
This is one of those movies that stays with you long after the credits have rolled - from start to finish this is just a remarkable achievement in animation filmmaking.
- Schindler's List
Steven Spielberg is a director who has tackled the Second War World on a handful of different occasions on both the big and small screen, and Schindler's List is one of them.
Schindler's List is based on the book by Thomas Keneally, and explores the true story of Oskar Schindler, who tried to protect his Jewish workforce from persecution by the Nazis.
Over the years Spielberg has brought us movies about aliens and sharks but Schindler's List is possibly the most frightening movie that he has ever made as he delivers a movie that shows the brutality of the Nazi regime.
The director doesn't shy away from the truth shot predominately in black and white the whole tone of the film oozes cruelty, which, at times, is difficult to watch, and is devastatingly emotional. This really is one of the most powerful movies in this genre of film.
In my opinion, Schindler's List is one of Spielberg’s greatest achievements as a director as he captures the tragedy and the horror that faced so many people.
Schindler's List is a harrowing, powerful, and heart-breaking masterpiece that is driven by terrific performances from Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes.
- Das Boot
Das Boot was released back in 1981 and saw director Wolfgang Petersen bring the novel by Lothar G. Buchheim to the big screen.
The movie follows a U-boat crew and the terror, exhilaration, and boredom that came with fighting under the sea during the Second World War.
Das Boot really is the best submarine movie ever made, as it is claustrophobic and tense from the very start.
And that claustrophobic feel that hangs over the feel really does make the movie what it is - the director gives a real captures the sense of the very difficult living conditions.
Petersen cleverly makes those aboard the submarine doubtful about the Nazi regime - that does allow the audience feel more sympathetic towards their plight - and struggle to carry out their orders.
Every moment and every frame notches up the tension and the uncertainty, and you sit through the entire film with that feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach. I don't know about you, but I have watched few movies that have managed to achieve that feat.
This is the submarine movie that set the bar for all the others that followed - over the years, we have seen many directors try to recreate Das Boot, but this is a film that has never been topped.
- Saving Private Ryan
You can't really talk about World War II movies without giving a nod to Steven Spielberg's epic Saving Private Ryan.
Saving Private Ryan is a fictional story and follows a squad they must go deep behind enemy lines to find one man - Private James Ryan - whose four older brothers have been killed in action.
The movie opens with the Normandy Beach landings, and the audience is faced with as real a recreation that you will ever see on the big screen.
Spielberg is not afraid to show the pain and horror of war and the scenes on Omaha Beach really are some of the most harrowing images of war.
As well as being about the horrors of war, Saving Private Ryan is also a movie about the men who fought that war and the bond that exists between those who have been in combat.
Not only do we see some of the horrors that the men faced while on the front line, Saving Private Ryan is also a touching human story that is packed with characters that we are rooting for.
Saving Private Ryan picked up eleven Oscar nominations, and I still find it hard to believe that it missed out on Best Picture, the award going to Shakespeare In Love.
- Come and See
We haven't seen too many World War II movies over the years that are from the Soviet perspective, but Come and See is the best of them.
Directed by Elem Klimov, Come and See is based on the real-life experiences of Ales Adamovich, who fought with the Russian partisans in Belarus in 1943.
The movie follows the horrors that he witnessed during the Second World War.
Come and See is a brilliant character study that looks at the impact that the brutality and horrors had on the soldiers that fought.
This is one of the toughest war movies to watch as director Klimov did not shy away from the true horrors of war. It really is a painful watch as Klimov paints a truly nightmarish vision of the violence that the soldiers faced.
I found Come and See to be a truly haunting and chilling movie that is difficult to forget once you have seen it. The transformation of central character Florya from naive village boy to battle-hardened soldier will break your heart.
Other Second World War movies that are not to be missed include The Bridge on the River Kwai, Letters from Iwo Jima, The Great Escape, and Downfall.
Fury is out now.
Tagged in Saving Private Ryan Studio Ghibli