a newbie to old time war movies


this came as part of one of them great free movie box sets they put out every few months.

this is the first of the set i've watched and i really enjoyed it. i'm 26 and i'm catching up on old time war movies.

Ive seen some of the bigger ones like Bridge on The River Kwai and was totally blown away by Hell In The Pacific so ive been meaning to watch some more (i watch all kinds of movies, so i tend to get sidetracked and go down different avenues). This film has definatly rekindled my interest though and i plan on watching more.

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I'm going to look for that movie set. This classic is one of the hardest films to get.

This film is the one I rank as the all time best. And my list is very credible, also including SEVEN SAMURAI, THE 49TH PARALLEL, KING OF KINGS (1927), THEM!, THE BLACK CASTLE, AT THE CIRCUS, RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY, FLESH AND BLOOD, and UNION PACIFIC.

One could say that this was the same film as OX BOW INCIDENT (made earlier) and SOUTHERN COMFORT (made later). All three are basically the same film with the same message about snap judgments and treatment of prisoners, and the hunter becoming the hunted (and haunted).

The characters really make the film for me. All seven (8 counting the prisoner) are thoroughly explored, and thoroughly different. They are completely believable, as is the circumstance, with the failures and failings so real as compared to the choreographed scenes of modern films that look so stupid and comical.

And the irony of the movie is insurpassable. Think of what every character says and later what happens to each character. This is by far the most IRONIC film ever made.



Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time
that's not funny!

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drystyx, I have recently obtained this film from Amazon.co.uk

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