Collection of eight modern war films.
Platoon (1986) tells the story of a young innocent 19-year-old
soldier, Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen), who is thrown headfirst
into the bloody Vietnam conflict. He is forced to fight not only
the Viet Cong, but also his own fears and intense anger. As a
result of not being able to make any progress against the enemy,
the soldiers, led by the strict and unsympathetic Sergeant Barnes
(Tom Berenger), are forced to turn their anger and s on each
other. Barnes also has a personal battle with fellow officer
Sergeant Elias (Willem Dafoe), who is the more understanding and
compassionate of the two officers and helps Sheen to cope with
his personal problems.
The Thin Red Line (1998) is set in 1942 and was Terrence Malick's
first film for 20 years. As US soldiers land on the island of
Guadalcanal, hoping to capture it from the Japanese, the job of
venturing into the jungle falls to the 'C for Charlie' company
and the troops are faced by both the enemy and struggles within
their own camp. The war takes a heavy toll upon the young
soldiers, leading them on a path of disillusion and possibly
death.
Behind Enemy Lines (2001) is inspired by the story of Scott
O'Grady, the US fighter pilot who was down over Bosnia in
1995 and managed to find his way back to base without being
captured. After photographing some Bosnian Serb troops hidden in
a forest, Lieutenant Chris Burnett (Owen Wilson) and his co-pilot
Stackhouse (Gabriel Macht) are down by an anti-aircraft
missile. Stackhouse breaks his leg in the c, and Burnett goes
off to get help, but the Serbs soon locate Stackhouse and execute
him. Burnett now finds himself alone in hostile country and sets
out on the long and dangerous journey back to safety. Meanwhile,
his commanding officer (Gene Hackman), against all army and NATO
rules, sets out on a mission to locate and rescue Burnett.
In Courage Under Fire (1996), Lieutenant Colonel Nat Serling
(Denzel Washington), suffering from guilt after destroying one of
his own tanks in a 'friendly fire' incident during the Gulf War,
is assigned to investigate the death of Captain Karen Walden (Meg
Ryan). Walden died in action, but accounts of her actions vary
and so Serling has to discover the truth before she can be
posthumously awarded the Medal of Honour. At the same time he has
to come to terms with his own traumatic experiences in the Gulf.
Rescue Dawn (2006) tells the true story of downed Vietnam pilot
Dieter Dengler. Based on the director's 1997 documentary Little
Dieter Needs to Fly, the film follows Dengler (Christian Bale) as
he fulfils his lifelong dream by making his way to the United
States and joining the Air Force. down over Vietnam and
captured by the Vietcong, Dengler has to quickly adapt to the
harsh brutality of his situation, biding his time until he can
risk an escape attempt with his fellow POWs.
Enemy at the Gates (2001) is set in Stalingrad in 1942. Political
Officer Danilov (Joseph Fiennes) sees young army recruit Vassili
Zaitsev (Jude Law) in action and realises that he is just what
the Russian people need to inspire them in their fight against
the German army. Zaitsev is a natural with a , and Danilov
arranges for him to be transferred to a sniper unit, where his
actions will be publicised, thus making him into a national hero.
But Zaitsev soon begins to feel he cannot live up to Danilov's
expectations, and to make matters worse, he and Danilov both fall
for the same girl (Rachel Weisz). Meanwhile, the Germans find out
about Zaitsev and bring in their own top sniper, Konig (Ed
Harris), to engage the young Russian in a deadly battle of wits.
Tigerland (2002) is set in Louisiana in 1971. When new recruit
Jim Paxton (Matthew Davis) arrives at Fort Polk for basic
training he soon makes friends with the rebellious Roland Bozz
(Colin Farrell), a soldier who is doing everything he can to get
himself thrown out of the army. Bozz has plans to escape to
Mexico, but Paxton refuses to go with him, arguing that if he
doesn't go to Vietnam, then somebody else will have to go in his
place. However, when Bozz makes an enemy of his vengeful and
sadistic fellow recruit Wilson (Shea Whigham), the need to get
out of the army becomes even more pressing.
Finally, in Windtalkers (2002), Nicolas Cage takes the starring
role in this John Woo-directed war movie about US soldiers
fighting in the Pacific during World War II. Ben Yahzee (Adam
Beach) is a Navajo Indian who signs up for the US marines to work
as a radio operator in a new program which uses the
Navajo language as the basis for coded transmissions. Sent into
action, Yahzee is given battle-weary sergeant Joe Enders (Cage)
as a bodyguard, but remains unaware that Enders has been ordered
to kill him should he fall into enemy hands. When the two men
find themselves caught up in the intense close-quarters combat of
the battle of Saipan, they must struggle not only against the
enemy, but also to earn each other's trust and respect.