MovieChat Forums > Deathwatch (2002) Discussion > Similar [war] films?

Similar [war] films?

posted 18 years ago by noirist88
198 replies | jump to latest

This film, along with Empire Of The Sun are the only war films I've seen [so far] that I like.

If anyone has any other similar/war films they'd like to recommend to me that'd be great.

Also are there any girl who enjoyed this movie, except for me? [And not because of the actors!]
Although I do like this film, it's rather slow in pace and very bleak so I'm not often in the mood to watch it but when I am it's great. I loved Andy Serkis!!

I'd share my thoughts on the meaning of the film but my brain is having a day off right now so maybe next time. :)

[–] Night488 18 years ago

R-Point

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] invisiblehen 18 years ago

Similar films in the war-horror genre are 'The Bunker' and 'Dog Soldiers', although I have not watched either of them.

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[–] invisiblehen 18 years ago

This movie did not poke fun at death! It was saying that it is not a killing that is bad but the how, who and why that is. Jamie Bell and Andy Serkis are big actors though and Andy even says in the commentary that this film has his favourite script.

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[–] invisiblehen 18 years ago

It didn't even flop. In the UK it came in the Top 4 in the cinema and it topped the DVD sales charts.

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[–] invisiblehen 18 years ago

You are American. I am British. Four out of thirteen of my class-mates had not just heard of it but watched it. Truthfully, this is a film made for the Brits.

[–] pbeard-2 18 years ago

wish they would just ban this loser...

[–] babelfish1 18 years ago

"I could have told that this movie was first time directed! That is why none of the actors could bloody act! "

I'd just like to point out that this exclamation makes no sense. That is all.

Twelve times did the iron register of time beat on the sonorous bell metal

[–] mortimerj190 16 years ago

Don't forget the 80s flick, the Keep - that was Ok, but not great.

The world largest Villain Index!
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[–] marta2046 18 years ago

Yeah, absolutely. Love R-POINT. Scary as hell, and with a similar theme to DEATHWATCH.

There haven't been too many war/horror films that I know of.

I can only think of R-POINT, DEATHWATCH, and THE BUNKER (which disappointed me.)
There were two new releases I saw at the DVD Store, but they looked so cheesy I don't remember the names...

Perhaps war is considered too serious of a subject to combine with horror, but I can' think of anything more appropriate-- when written and directed with intelligence.

[–] bohdave 18 years ago

The Bunker is pretty much identical to Deathwatch with regards to its theme. It just swaps British soldiers for German soldiers, World War I for World War II and a haunted trench for a haunted bunker.

Although I enjoy Deathwatch, I actually prefer The Bunker to be honest. I just feel that it is the better film. Just like Deathwatch it also has a really good group of charismatic British actors. Just as Deathwatch has Jamie Bell, Lawrence Fox and above all Andy Serkis, The Bunker has Jason Flemying (not sure I spelt that right) and Jack Davenport (aka Commodore Norrington from the Pirates of the Caribbean films).

If you liked Deathwatch, I highly recommend you seek out The Bunker.

---
I may be a tiny chimney-sweep but I've got an enormous brush.

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[–] DonnieDarko1988 18 years ago

Not a single famous person? Does the phrase 'my preciousss' ring any bells? What about King Kong?

[–] soccersx21 18 years ago

"Not a single famous person? Does the phrase 'my preciousss' ring any bells? What about King Kong?"

Or a little film called Billy Elliot.

[–] Demarates 17 years ago

The Bunker is pretty much identical to Deathwatch with regards to its theme. It just swaps British soldiers for German soldiers, World War I for World War II and a haunted trench for a haunted bunker.

And for that reason (been there, done that) I found Deathwatch somewhat disappointing.

I am not a complete idiot. Some parts are missing.

[–] noirist88 18 years ago

I wrote, 'Although I do like this film, it's rather slow in pace and very bleak so I'm not often in the mood to watch it but when I am it's great.'

I think this is an okay film. Nothing spectacular just a decent action/horror flick to watch now and then.

So Bridget99, why do you post on different movie boards saying only negative things? What a waste of time.

[–] invisiblehen 18 years ago

Well said.

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[–] beckylouise2904 18 years ago

Firstly, climb out of your little hole and watch some good films and then you might realise who some of these actors are - come on love, keep up! I can't believe you dont know who Andy Serkis is??!!

Fair enough you don't like the film but can't you be constructive about it rather than just say its crap all the time, thats just pointless and a waste of your time.

On a previous thread you mentioned you would make it on a larger budget if you were to do it - did you not realise this is a first time director? and the effects were not that bad considering it was a low budget film. were would you get all the money from if you were the first time director?? i would love to see you have a go at it!!!

[–] invisiblehen 18 years ago

She could always go to a big cinema company and copy-and-paste until the managers drop dead then steal the money afterwards...

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[–] invisiblehen 18 years ago

Yeah, like Deathwatch but 'something' is hunting them down. Plus, you'd find out what it is in the end.

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[–] soren7550 18 years ago

Umm...I don't know any films simalar to this movie, but here are some of my favoret war movies:
The Lost Batallion
Saving Private Ryan
Band of Brothers (mini series)
Enemy At The Gates
(yes I'm a bit of a WWII freak.)

"Greetings! This is not God, but his close friend, Officer Boscorelli. Please pull over."- Bosco

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[–] Caz1964 18 years ago

yeah,i liked this film as well,scary and a bit gory but very well WW1 depicted.It was very thought provoking,im still not sure if the soldiers were already dead when they entered the trench, as they went through that gas attack before they reached there and then the deciding factor was who was going to go to heaven and who was going to go to hell. Some other war films like this are,The Bunker which you've probably already heard about,Below, which is set on a submarine,Ghostship which i havent seen so i cant really comment on,and the Keep which is supposed to be quite good.There are more but i cant think of them at the moment.If i remember ill post them on.

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[–] invisiblehen 18 years ago

You previously said that Deathwatch was about death. Make your mind up!

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[–] babelfish1 18 years ago

Jesus Christ, just shut up Bridget99. What's with all the exclamation marks? Have to make your point by exaggeration instead of intelligent comments? The cast were completely unknown? You're obviously not British or even very knowledgeable about actors. Hmmm, I wanted to put an exclamation mark there but I was afraid I might start to sound like you.

Twelve times did the iron register of time beat on the sonorous bell metal

[–] invisiblehen 18 years ago

If Bridget is actually American then why does he/she use the word 'pence'?

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[–] invisiblehen 18 years ago

You still didn't answer my question about the word 'pence'. Gotcha! Anyway, you spell the word meaning 'faeces' as 'poo', not 'pooh', unless you're talking about the bear of course.

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[–] invisiblehen 18 years ago

Yes, the 'Feed The Birds' song is from Mary Poppins, I AM British. And you said that MJ Bassett was just worth a few pence.

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[–] babelfish1 18 years ago

Bridget99; Your computer seems to be stuck on copy and paste. YAWN.

Twelve times did the iron register of time beat on the sonorous bell metal

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[–] kengordon-1 18 years ago

I maybe jumping to conclusions, but does bridget99 not like this movie then?

[–] invisiblehen 18 years ago

Well actually, she's its biggest fan. She just hasn't seen it yet.

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[–] invisiblehen 18 years ago

'None of the 'well-known' actors could act!'

Oh, give them a break. The acting was superb in this film, better than most Hollywood movies.

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[–] kengordon-1 18 years ago

Come on, stop avoiding the issue. what do you think of this movie? you seem rather undecided.

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[–] invisiblehen 18 years ago

Something can't be the 'very worst'. 'Worst' is superlative, it can't be strengthened with extra words.

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[–] kengordon-1 18 years ago

yeah but do you like it?

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[–] soccersx21 18 years ago

"The cast were completely unknown and therefore this movie was very difficult to sell!"

Um . . . ever heard of Jamie Bell :|

[–] ImBringinBadlandBack 17 years ago

BRIDGET99 SHUT THE F*UCK UP ALREADYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

ARE YOU EFFIN CAPABLE OF TALKIN ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE???????????

Deathwatch is awesome i dnt care what you think

Joey. Sir There Appears To Be Some Red Crap On My Cheesecake.

[–] Olias_UK 18 years ago

I think that the "point" of Deathwatch is that the ending isn't clear cut and that you have to make up your own mind about it... if you have one, that is! :)

And yes - I'm a girl who enjoyed Deathwatch!

If you're looking for other WW1 films sayonachi, I would recommend "A Very Long Engagement" (not your average war film by any means!) and "Regeneration". On my current list of things to watch is "All Quiet on the Western Front" which was made in 1930 I believe.

Stop chasing the mice inside your skull

[–] RitchieTheBrit 18 years ago

'I would rather die than watch Deathwatch! I cannot stand the thought of having to sit through this crappy movie again! '

Good, then, erm... die, if you would be so kind.

I'm quite suprised that no-one has mentioned The Keep yet (unless I missed it). Films in the vein of The Bunker and Deathwatch seem to always get compared to the keep, though there is quite a gulf between the two. It was produced my Michael Mann on a budget of about six million dollars.

For the budget, the effects were suprisingly good, though the film is everely disjointed, and because of WHAT the main characters are (the majority of them are Nazi SS, I think), you find yourself not really caring about their fates, but worth a watch.

Bridget99, I wouldn't bother with The Keep if I were you, it requires a little thought to appreciate.

[–] Olias_UK 18 years ago

"The Keep" is superb, in my humble opinion. Some people hate it and I know it doesn't follow the book it's based on exactly, but if you get lured into its mood it's quite an experience. I'm always spellbound by the scene when the crosses start glowing and the 2 soldiers start trying to prise them out of the walls!

Our dear friend Bridget99 would hate it as it wasn't directed by Spielberg and none of the cast or crew was famous when the film was made.

Stop chasing the mice inside your skull

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[–] kengordon-1 18 years ago

Yeah but do you like it????

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[–] invisiblehen 18 years ago

You loved it. You really, really, really loved it.

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[–] Caz1964 18 years ago

Well i would say that you have studied the film a lot more than we have,so i think you probably watch it every night and have become brainwashed,thats why you cant come off these threads.

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[–] paulm-graham 18 years ago

bridget i find it embarrasing that someone of your retarded calibre is posting comments on a film website. You never have anything constructive to say,you have possibly the worst grasp of the english language i have EVER seen,and you copy and paste all your messages from one thread to the next. please leave these forums,noone values or listens to your opinions..youre just wasting webspace.

go and take some english lessons,and then maybe study film,or any creative subject,so that you might one day make a valued comment.

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[–] paulm-graham 18 years ago

i think it was a risky project from the start, the bleakness of world war 1 has never been a strong starting point for any film,but throwing in supernatural elements was an idea that mostly would not work. But i actually enjoyed dearh watch. it was different enough to hold my attention the whole way through,and i think the acting (especially serkis) was pretty darn good. of course a bigger budget could have helped,and maybe with a stronger script it could have been a cult classic.

trust me the bunker is 100 times worse.

just take the movie as a different take on the over crowded horror genre,and you might start to enjoy it more.And bridget,im sure its the not the biggest piece of crap,youre just trying to offend people who enjoyed the film..mature.

paul

[–] invisiblehen 18 years ago

Of course if Bridget99 helped write the script it would have been so amazing that people's eyes would have fallen out of their sockets and rolled down the cinema aisle and their hearts would have stopped beating and failed due to sheer excitement...

[–] paulm-graham 18 years ago

so damn true my friend!

i bet she could bang out a corker of a script,full of shouting..

cause she does speak in exclamation marks! all!the!time!

haha

[–] invisiblehen 18 years ago

She's copy and paste everything so the same line came up 20 times. It would still be the most fantastic, most excellent, most beautifullest script in the whole wide world though!

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[–] paulm-graham 18 years ago

oh my god..

you cant be serious.

go back to your disney films retard.

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[–] babelfish1 18 years ago

"He had not one but two theme parks!"

I hope that one day the most amazing thing I achieve is to have two theme parks dedicated to me. It is my main aim in life.

Yeah right.

Twelve times did the iron register of time beat on the sonorous bell metal

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[–] Greggrimsby 18 years ago

Youve been coming on this board to say the same boring things about this film over and over again for a bloody long time now...

whats really your problem?

Id like to see you give a detailed analysis of why the film sucked, what was bad about the script, the pace, the editing, the cinematography, everything... rather than just

"This was f88king stoopid"

I didnt like the movie myself, but for far more constructive reasons than you im sure... it bores me that anyone who comes on IMDB somehow thinks theyre a film critic despite having nothing to say bar a few F's and blinds.

Come on, 5 years from the release of this film and youre getting so worked up about it... no ones making you watch it again so shut up and get over it.

What exactly are you trying to achieve by copy and pasting boring comments on this board? Go find something to do.

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[–] Greggrimsby 18 years ago

'This was bad' isnt a credible criticism, please say something worth while and prove to us all you're not an 11 year old retard.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] invisiblehen 18 years ago

You do know that 11-year olds could break the law and watch this film. It is possible! I watched Fight Club when I was 10 without knowing what rating it was.

[–] Greggrimsby 18 years ago

No ones asking you though

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