Best all time actor War or Combat movies

Actor you would have if you were directing giant blockbuster war movie.

  • John Wayne, Longest Day/Green Berets

    Votes: 9 17.6%
  • Michael Caine , Bridge too far/Battle of Britain

    Votes: 6 11.8%
  • Michael Biehn ,The Rock/Navy Seals/Aliens

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Audie Murphy, To Hell and Back

    Votes: 8 15.7%
  • Sean Connery, Longest Day/Bridge too Far

    Votes: 5 9.8%
  • Eric Bana, Blackhawk Down

    Votes: 3 5.9%
  • Mel Gibson, We Were Soldiers/Braveheart

    Votes: 6 11.8%
  • Tom Sizemore BlackhawkDown/Saving Private Ryan

    Votes: 3 5.9%
  • Tom Hanks Saving Private Ryan

    Votes: 9 17.6%
  • Ed Harris The Rock/Enemy at the gates

    Votes: 2 3.9%

  • Total voters
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I think JD has touched on a very important point about how "character" actors enrich a movie. Here are a few more great ones......

Strother Martin....the all time best!
Jack Elam......not too far behind
Lee Van Cleef.....great bad guy
Walter Brennan....three time oscar winner
Arthur Hunnicutt
L.Q. Jones
Ben Johnson
Harry Dean Stanton
Eli Wallach
Slim Pickens
Gavin McCleod
Ward Bond
Bruce Cabot
Woody Strode
Andy Devine
John Carradine
Morgan Woodard
Harry Caray, Jr.
Morgan Shepard
 

JD Morelock

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Character Actors Enrich Films

I wholeheartedly concur with the great character actors on Lance's list and is likely name for name the one I would have come up with if asked. Each of these fine actors has enriched virtually every film (from 'war' to 'westerns') they have appeared in.

Like Lance, I think the late, great Strother Martin has to be at the top! Recall that he got to deliver one of the most memorable lines in movie history "What we got here, is failure to communicate" (Cool Hand Luke). What a super list--Strother, LQ Jones, Ben Johnson and the great 'Harry Dean'--now that would be my own Dream Team!

The Big Stars make the box office, but these actors really make the movie. Thanks for that great list of actors who rarely get the credit they deserve.
 

dannybou

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Tom Sizemore for me. In a supporting role he is rock solid. SPR, Black Hawk Down.

Sean Connery would be second for me.
 
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Many directions

I really like the way this has gone and I agree that supporting roles play a huge part in any "REAL" war/action flick. I didnt expect anyone to go this route but I think it is good. Originally all I wanted was people to chime and give a vote or opinion on who you would cast as your star for a great War/action movie.
There is a reason that Stallone and Schwarzenegger are not on this list, not because I didnt enjoy Rambo but because they were bigger than life in the movie. I agree that is what makes Band of Brothers so good, the fact that only a handfull of actors on that show were recognizable. Who would have thought that David Scwimmer could play such a part like Sobel or a New Kid on the Block could be a soldier and play it well.
in almost all the movies I listed in the poll there was a good if not great supporting actor that did a ton for the move. Such as Sam Elliot, Tom Sizemore or Vin Deisel (Kidding of course) and many others.
Thanks to all on the great takes, keep it up.

Were gonna hold onto them by the nose and we are gonna kick em in the ass.......:terms:
 

The Doctor

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John Wayne should have received Best Actor for "Sands of Iwo Jima".

From the choices presented in this poll I had to vote for Mel Gibson. Mostly for "Braveheart". "We Were Soldiers" was a great movie and even better book, but I think his roll in "Braveheart" was the best on the list.
 

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As I am allowed but one vote... I must abstain & offer up Vic Morrow as another that I would add to most of Lance & JDs very good and diverse list.

Robert Mitchum proved to be quite capable in any war time roll he played.

Good discussion!

As for the Duke... I still think his best movie was Angel & The Bad
Man.

 

cpgor

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You forgot Steve McQueen The Sand Pebbles/ The Great Escape
 

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As it was for a 'blockbuster' I went with Connery out of loyalty (I nearly voted for the Duke but...... he's American ;) ). However, of those listed I would have Ed Harris who has a wonderfully understated style of acting and was great in 'Enemy at the Gates' and 'Walker' (amongst others).

My candidate for 'why did you miss out ......... because he was great in ........ ' is James Coburn for 'Cross of Iron' :smoke:
 

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You have to love Caine in any role, especially knowing he is an ordinary bloke. The success hasnt gone to his head.
And he was brilliant as the nonchalant flying officer in the classic and somewhat underrated Battle of britain.
Also good in 'The Eagle has landed'
I had trouble between him and Ed Harris, the portrayal of Major König, bordered on genious/tragedy.
 

17poundr

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cpgor said:
You forgot Steve McQueen The Sand Pebbles/ The Great Escape
He was also in 'Hell is for hero's' ;)

A film about a group of GI's hunkered before the german westwall, or siegfried line, i cant remember, the end really makes you think...
 

17poundr

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The Doctor said:
John Wayne should have received Best Actor for "Sands of Iwo Jima".

From the choices presented in this poll I had to vote for Mel Gibson. Mostly for "Braveheart". "We Were Soldiers" was a great movie and even better book, but I think his roll in "Braveheart" was the best on the list.
Braveheart was a bastardisation of history, Wallace was as ruthless as Edward the longshanks, and Robert the Bruce, they were all ruthless men, who certainly did not run around in thousand year old celtic war paint shouting 'Freedom'.
Sorry but read some medieval british history, it's horrible.

and as for We were soldiers.
Yep, a good performance, and much more accurate than the inexplicably loved braveheart.

Perhaps I dislike it so much because it overshadowed a much better film also taking place in Scotland, that being

'Rob Roy' with Liam Neeson and Jessica Lange, Tim Roth, Brian Cox And John Hurt, miles ahead of braveheart both dramaturgically and historically!
 

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The Thin Red Line...Updated Version...

Forgive my vague descriptions but I have only seen this movie once. I thought this movie had GREAT performances from practically everyone in the film. The movie itself I think was highly underrated, overshadowed as it was by Saving Private Ryan.

I have not seen a movie deal with the concept of man's "Heart of Darkness" this intrinsic flaw in man that causes him to make war, and in doing so destroys a part of himself. I loved this movie. It WAS everything Apocolypse Now wanted to be.

I appreciated how your perception of characters evolve throughout the film. The lead character who at first seems like a deserter, slacker and possible coward, guides us through the film shedding light on the souls of other characters that he comes into contact with in almost a divine way.

I liked Sean Penn, the tough Sargent who is hiding his feelings behind a facade and who is slowly losing touch with those more human feelings as the scars of war callous his soul.

And the Platoon or Company Commander (don't remember which) who Nick Nolte is screaming at to take the hill with the MG emplacements on it no matter the cost. He seems totally weak and impotant at first, but we see that he is a thinker who does not want to needlessly sacrifice his men and that he is strong like a gentle caring father.

I also wonder if people who see this movie do not like it's anti war message rather then the traditional guts n glory depiction of soldiers. What I would say to these people is that while few would argue that WWII needed to be fought, the Thin Red Line discusses why man as a species gets himself into these situations to begin with, and how it effects the human heart. It is not an indictment of the individual soldiers who fought or an indictment of WWII.

Anyway just thought I would thow this out there as I really enjoyed the performaces in this rarely talked about movie.
I also enjoyed the performances of almost everyone on the list. It was very hard to choose a favorite so I refrained from voting.
 
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doomonyou

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What no Lee Marvin!? :laugh: I would have to go with the Duke as well. But, as someone had said earlier I like the guys that portray "real" soliders, emotion,suffering,misery, you know what I mean. I feel that Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Mel Gibson do a great job. As for BoB I think this is my favorite WW2 movie. Who but Tom Hanks can take a bunch of literaly unknown actors and make a masterpiece like this. Take David Schwimmer, no one knows what Capt. Soble was like except the guys who served with him. David did a great job of portraying this man. All he had was past experiences and written material to go on. I like the power and realisim these current actors bring to the table.
 
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doomonyou said:
What no Lee Marvin!? :laugh: I would have to go with the Duke as well. But, as someone had said earlier I like the guys that portray "real" soliders, emotion,suffering,misery, you know what I mean. I feel that Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Mel Gibson do a great job. As for BoB I think this is my favorite WW2 movie. Who but Tom Hanks can take a bunch of literaly unknown actors and make a masterpiece like this. Take David Schwimmer, no one knows what Capt. Soble was like except the guys who served with him. David did a great job of portraying this man. All he had was past experiences and written material to go on. I like the power and realisim these current actors bring to the table.
I haven't voted on this poll because Marvin (my avatar) wasn't on the list. I have said in other threads that of all Hollywood actors he is the most natural soldier. Once a Marine, always a Marine! He didn't survive landing on Saipan without knowing what was going on. No actor handles small arms with the natural attachment of Marvin. Some examples being, "The Dirty Dozen", "Hell in The Pacific", "The Big Red One", "Commancheroes", "The Man Who Shot Liberty Vallance", "Cat Ballou" or my personal favorite, "The Professionals".
 

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Out of the guys on that list I had to go with Cain. He was great in "A Bridge Too Far." I liked him better in Zulu though.
 

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Lance Williams said:
I haven't voted on this poll because Marvin (my avatar) wasn't on the list. I have said in other threads that of all Hollywood actors he is the most natural soldier. Once a Marine, always a Marine! He didn't survive landing on Saipan without knowing what was going on. No actor handles small arms with the natural attachment of Marvin. Some examples being, "The Dirty Dozen", "Hell in The Pacific", "The Big Red One", "Commancheroes", "The Man Who Shot Liberty Vallance", "Cat Ballou" or my personal favorite, "The Professionals".
I have to agree when I first read the poll Lee Marvin was the first actor I thought of when it came to a real soldier playing a soldier.
 

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I find it difficult to vote for any one person, after all how do you choose between Humphry Bogart as Capt. Queeg and Henry Fonda as Mr. Roberts. Both of these actors brought memorable characters to life. Very difficult indeed.
 
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Lee Marvin

My apologies for not having the great Lee Marvin on the list and a few others. Lee Marvin was so good at what he did he even made Chuck Norris look good in Delta Force and Mark Hamill look OK in the Big Red One.
Does anyone know if the Big Red One is out on DVD?
 
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