Top 10 war movies

5. The Pianist (2002)

War isn’t just about the men who fight on the frontlines. Its effects are most apparent when viewed from the perspective of the people it seeks to persecute and destroy. The Pianist tells the incredible story of Polish Jewish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman (played by Adrien Brody in an Oscar-winning performance) and his survival in the ruins of the Polish ghetto in WWII after his family are captured and deported to concentration camps. Overcoming extreme cold, hunger and illness, Szpilman is ultimately saved by his love for music, after a fortuitous encounter with a Nazi captain who is enchanted by Szpilman's musical talents.

4. Platoon (1986)

Oliver Stone is a director unafraid to shy away from controversy, especially of the political kind (look out for his George W Bush biopic W later this year). In his Vietnam epic, Charlie Sheen plays an idealistic young man who has abandoned college plans for the military. His time in Vietnam becomes a journey of self-discovery as he is caught in the internal war between his two commanding officers, the compassionate Elias (Willem Dafoe) and the ruthless Barnes (Tom Berenger). These soldiers aren’t as innocent or naïve as the recruits in Full Metal Jacket - they've lost all semblance of civility and even attempt to rape a young Vietnamese girl in their rage. Harrowing and haunting, Platoon is more about America's war with itself than the one against the commies.

3. The Lives of Others (2007)

Not all war dramas require a high body count or intense battle scenes to convey its message. And the Cold War provides the ideal backdrop for the subtle power and emotional rollercoaster ride of this German thriller. It's 1984 and East German secret police captain Gerd Wiesler (played by Ulrich Mühe, who died of stomach cancer just as the film was gaining worldwide acclaim) is an unfeeling and meticulous expert at unearthing conspirators against the socialist regime. But when he is tasked to spy on a successful playwright and his attractive actress girlfriend, the lines between duty and honour become murky. Das Leben der Anderen (its German title) excels at conveying the tension and uncertainty of life in East Germany under the Stasi's ever-present microscope, and brought the horror of George Orwell's 1984 into startlingly sharp focus.

2. Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Another movie that refused to glamourise the military and the methods used to mould young men into ruthless killing machines, Full Metal Jacket was Stanley Kubrick's great post-mortem of the Vietnam War and serves as a cautionary tale to future generations. Pity the powers that be failed to heed the lesson. The story is told over two segments. First we meet the fresh-faced young recruits as they are bullied and dehumanised in preparation for battle, before we are plunged into combat along with them and come face to face with the largely unseen enemy. Full Metal Jacket is iconic for daring to question the price we are willing to pay for power – and for introducing one of the most sadistic military men ever to be seen on screen - Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. His abusive tirades alone make this worth watching.

1. The Thin Red Line (1998)

The masterpiece you never got the chance to see. The Thin Red Line was the victim of ill-fated timing when it was released in 1998, and was subsequently overshadowed by the massive success of the flashier Saving Private Ryan. The Thin Red Line was an event by virtue that it marked the re-emergence of reclusive director Terence Malick after a 20-year absence. Boasting an all-star ensemble cast (Sean Penn, John Cusack, Adrien Brody, Woody Harrelson, George Clooney, John Travolta) Malick dispels any view to mould iconic figures out of this enviable cast. Instead, The Thin Red Line is offered as a mournful and poetic meditation on humanity's return to nature, on death and rebirth, on regret and forgiveness, on loss and triumph in the jungles of Gaudalcanal in the South Pacific. Esoteric it may seem, but the sheer magnitude of the internal journey these men take is able to convey a myriad of emotions in its quietude that might have been drowned out by the violence. A heartfelt movie that dares to be different and, in turn, offers infinite rewards on re-examination.

Honourable mentions: Downfall, Glory, Three Kings, Un long dimanche de fiançailles (A Very Long Engagement), Das Boot, Schindler's List, The Deer Hunter, Letters From Iwo Jima, Black Hawk Down, Good Morning Vietnam

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- Shaheema Barodien

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