PHOTO CREDIT: OFFICIAL MOVIE POSTER
BY SARA MANTZ
From the bloody Vietnam War to Operation Red Wings, Hollywood depicts the battlefield in many different ways. Whether the story is brutally tragic or stunningly heroic, war movies awe movie-goers all around America.
Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket takes viewers into the heat of battle and the stress of brutal boot-camp training. The film follows the story of Pvt. J.T. “Joker” Davis as he observes, first-hand, the dehumanizing effects of the Vietnam War on both himself and his fellow marines. Beginning on Parris Island, the movie showcases both Joker’s and his fellow recruits’ brutal boot-camp training. Through boot-camp, Joker witnesses the murder of his Senior Drill Instructor and the suicide of Pvt. Gomer Pyle. The movie follows through to the savage street fighting of the Vietnam War, where Joker learns the true meaning of “born to kill.” Full Metal Jacket is a vicious eye-opening movie that sheds light on the realities of the Vietnam War and the truth that our men and women overseas are still facing these horrors today.Full Metal Jacket is often called “the greatest Marine Corps movie of all time.” Full Metal Jacket can be found on Amazon Instant Video.
The brutally tragic Full Metal Jacket isn’t the only kind of war movie out there, however. If you prefer laughing until your stomach hurts over crying your eyes out, then look no further! Ben Stiller’s hilariously over-dramatic war movie, Tropic Thunder, is the perfect combination of humor and reality. Tropic Thunder is nothing like a traditional war movie. In fact, it’s actually a movie about a group of actors making a film about the Vietnam War. Ballooning costs force the studio to cancel the movie, but the director refuses to stop shooting. The cast is led through the jungles of Vietnam, where they encounter real bad guys. Through a series of freak occurrences, the three actors are forced to become the soldiers they are portraying. The movie stars Ben Stiller as Tugg Speedman, Robert Downey Jr. as “The Dude Playing a Dude Disguised as Another Dude”, and Jack Black as Jeff “Fatty” Portnoy. Tropic Thunder can be also found on Amazon instant video.
Finally, Peter Berg’s beautifully tragic Lone Survivor broke hearts all across America. Lone Survivor tells the true story of the failed Navy SEALS counter-insurgent mission, “Operation Red Wings,” during which a four-man SEAL reconnaissance and surveillance team was tasked to track and kill Taliban leader Ahmad Shah. This notorious leader is responsible for killing 20 United States Marines, as well as local villagers and refugees who aided American forces. After running into a group of goat herders and blowing their cover, the team was forced to capture them. They were left with no choice but to follow the rules of combat engagement or be imprisoned. The team is left to fight for their lives as they wait for helicopter extraction. In the end, 19 Americans were killed, 1 injured, and a Chinook helicopter was shot down. The movie is based on the accounts of retired SEAL Marcus Luttrel, played by Mark Wahlberg, and is available to watch on Amazon Instant Video and U-Verse OnDemand.
Every war movie is different and these three are definitely the best out there. From tragic to heroic to hilarious, war movies offer something for every movie-goer.
