There was a time, some time ago...in an age...basically, there used to be a time when quality war films were made. I just watched Platoon recently and it got me thinking about all the top war films that have been made. You have Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, the incomparable Saving Private Ryan. None of these films were made in the last decade. Just take your mind back in the last decade. What good war films were made? I mean, the one that stands out is the Oscar winner; Hurt Locker.
Hurt Locker is a GOOD war film, but is a long way from being great. I did not feel it was the strongest film that year, but politics and so forth go it the win. Oscar can kiss my ass for brunch. The thing about Hurt Locker is it never really gets you into the mind and psyche of the individuals. I could not really connect with the war they were fighting, nor did I feel invested in the environment or the story.
Let's look at what I feel are two of the best war films. Platoon and Saving Private Ryan. Both films perfectly portray the environment and its aura. You did not have to be in Vietnam to know what Stone did with the visuals showed you how it was like. Spielberg somehow, SOMEHOW, managed to transport us back to the late 30's, early 40's and make us feel what hell may be like. NOTHING has come anywhere NEAR the horror of that beach. Call of Duty even mimicked it. In these films, you were IN THERE. From the very first moment, you were no longer watching a film BASED on Vietnam or World War 2. You were there. It was real.
Another important component were the characters. Spielberg and Stone casted brilliantly. EVERY SINGLE actor in these two films was memorable. Barry Pepper, Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Tom Hanks and co. had an amazing chemistry that only Spielberg can create. You wanted them to make it, even though you knew they wouldn't. By the end, I was genuinely affected when they began to fall against ridiculous odds. With Platoon, the spontaniety and realism was just increble. Whitakker, David, the under-rated Berenger, Dafoe and co. managed to show you the comraderie of the forgotten citizens of Corporate America. It just felt so real. The "war movie" was done away with and what you were experiencing was a study on this pointless war.
We are yet to see a Private Ryan or Platoon for the Iraq War. And my gosh, there is A LOT that can be said about that war. With all the politics to do with religion, it is by far the deepest war in a psychological sense in all history. It reminds me of Kingdom of Heaven and how they tried to show the long standing war between Christians and Muslims. I feel that Bigelow and Boal did not go deep enough into this conflict and really show the grey areas of this war. It is a war that should never have been fought and is amidst the internet age where the average man is educated through the internet and is far more aware. These are just tips of a very dense iceberg that is the Iraq War. A truly great and important Iraq War Movie is waiting to be made. Correction, an Iraq War study portrayed through the power of cinema is still pending.
HH