cinemadiso's - 20 War Films Worth Watching List
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Downfall (2004)Der Untergang
Set in Berlin, 1945, this powerful and provocative war drama retells the final days of the Second World War as recorded in the diaries of Adolf Hitler's private secretary, Traudl Junge, while barricaded with Hitler and his closest confidants in the Fuhrer's secret bunker. Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel with an astonishing performance by Bruno Ganz as history's most notorious figure, this unprecedented and controversial insider's perspective is a gripping insight into the madness and desperation of Hitler in the final hours of the war as the Russian Army closes a ring around Berlin. - Director:
- Oliver Hirschbiegel
- Cast:
- Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Ulrich Matthes
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Mel Gibson stars in and directs this sweeping saga about Scotland's brutal battle for independence in the 13th century. When William Wallace's (Mel Gibson) wife is ravaged and murdered by English troops, his quest for revenge quickly turns into an impassioned fight for his country's freedom. Tales of Wallace's bravery inspire every commoner to take arms against the English and escalate their crusade into a full scale war. - Director:
- Mel Gibson
- Cast:
- Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan
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"Inglourious Basterds" begins in German-occupied France, Shoshanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent) witnesses the execution of her family at the hand the Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Shoshanna narrowly escapes and flees to Paris, where she forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema. Elsewhere in Europe, Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) organizes a group of Jewish soldiers to engage in targeted acts of retribution. Known to their enemy as "The Basterds", Raine's squad joins German actress and undercover agent Bridget Von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) on a mission to take down the leaders of The Third Reich. Fates converge under a cinema marquee, where Shoshanna is poised to carry out a revenge plan of her own... - Director:
- Quentin Tarantino
- Cast:
- Brad Pitt, Christian Brückner, Hélène Cardona
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In 1943, the Germans opened Stalag Luft North, a maximum security prisoner-of-war camp, designed to hold even the craftiest escape artists. In doing so, however, the Nazis unwittingly assembled the finest escape team in military history-brilliantly portrayed here by Steve McQueen, James Garner, Charles Bronson and James Coburn - who worked on what became the largest prison breakout ever attempted. - Director:
- John Sturges
- Cast:
- Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough
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