Actor who acted the best in a War Film

[TheMovieMinor]

Which actor did the best job portraying a soldier, general, a rank, etc?

I'm looking at Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore (every war film), Sean Penn did a great job in Thin Red Line.

Anyone other good ones?

[robk]

Saving Private Ryan, Glory, Platoon, & The Deer Hunter are war films with fabulous performances.

[Michael Corleone]

How about Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now? Up and beyond any other performance in any other war film.

[Eskimo]

Orlando bloom in black hawk down, even though he fell off a plane he's still number 1

[Goosey]

R.Lee Ermey in Full Metal Jacket is my favorite

[Antonio]

William Holden in STALAG 17

[TheMovieMinor]

STALAG 17, I never quite heard of that film.
Hmm..

[notchreturns]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Antonio:
William Holden in STALAG 17</font>

Ditto. I just caught Stlag 17 the other night and it was fantastic. Holden deserved his oscar. Anyway, a 10/10 great film.

Also, Tom Cruise in Born on the Fourth of July and like Mike Corleone said Brando in Apocalypse Now.

[adidas12185]

Enemy at the Gates- Ed Harris
Behind Enemy Lines- Gene Hackman
We Were Soldiers- Mel Gibson

[Grebdron]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by adidas12185:

We Were Soldiers- Mel Gibson

Oh, my gawd!! I am sorry, but I went to see We Were Soldiers on opening night, I'm a veteran, and thought it was the most tedious thing I'd seen in a long time. Gibson's performance was WAY over the top, and the movie was sappy as hell. My main problem with it though is it tried to take the one battle during that war that nobody could object to, and make a tearjerker film out of it. One of the worst war films I have ever seen.

[Thursday's Child]

Mel Gibson in "Brave Heart", solid performance.

[blankpage]

Gibson in Braveheart
Tom Sizemore-Saving Private Ryan,Black Hawk Down
Tom Hanks-Saving Private Ryan
Robert De Niro-The Deer Hunter

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http://www.joblo.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

[The Rainbow in the Dark]

Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now.

[Muha]

tom hanks in saving private ryan

[Antonio]

QUENTIN...although I know you prefer William Holden in THE WILD BUNCH and SUNSET BOULEVARD, please back me up on this one!

[ColinM]

Sadly, I have not yet seen The Wild Bunch or Sunset Boulevard yet, and there are lots of classic war movies I haven't seen, but here are some really good performances from war movies.

Fred MacMurray in The Caine Mutiny
Humphrey Bogart in The Caine Mutiny
Humphrey Bogart in The African Queen
Mel Gibson in Braveheart
Tallulah Bankhead in Lifeboat
Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan
Tom Sizemore in Saving Private Ryan

[Danny L]

R Lee Ermey as Sg Hartman in FULL METAL JACKET (former drill instructor in real life).

[EBastard]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Grebdron:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by adidas12185:

We Were Soldiers- Mel Gibson

Oh, my gawd!! I am sorry, but I went to see We Were Soldiers on opening night, I'm a veteran, and thought it was the most tedious thing I'd seen in a long time. Gibson's performance was WAY over the top, and the movie was sappy as hell. My main problem with it though is it tried to take the one battle during that war that nobody could object to, and make a tearjerker film out of it. One of the worst war films I have ever seen.</font>Finally someone has enough sense to see the movie for what it really is.

1.William Wallis(Mel Gibson)from Braveheart,1995
2.Sgt.Elias(Willem DaFoe)from Platoon,1986
3.Captain John Miller(Tom Hanks)from Saving Private Ryan,1998
4.Sgt.Barnes(Tom Beringer)from Platoon,1986
5.Eriksson(Michael J. Fox)from Casulties Of War,1989

[thingsgoinon]

Charlton Heston, Hal Holbrook, Henry Fonda,Glenn Ford,Robert Mitchum,Toshiro Mifune in : Midway

Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Charlie Sheen,Powers Boothe in : Red Dawn

Clint Eastwood,Donald Sutherland, Telly Savalas, Don Rickles,Carol O'Connor in : Kelly's Hero's

The entire cast of the Nuclear War film : Testament

George C Scott, Karl Malden in : Patton

Sean Penn and Michael J Fox in : Casualties of War

Charles Martin Smith in the Vietnam War segments of : More American Graffiti

Vincent Denofrio and the Drill Seargent from : Full Metal Jacket

Jeff Daniels, Sam Elliot in : Gettysburg

Elliot Gould, Donald Sutherland, Tom Skerrit, Robert Duvall in : M*A*S*H

[This message has been edited by thingsgoinon (edited 07-13-2002).]

[This message has been edited by thingsgoinon (edited 07-13-2002).]

[Dorian]

George C. Scott in Patton
Jurgen Prochnow in Das Boot
Tom Cruise's one and only performance I've ever liked: Ron Kovic in Born on the Fourth of July

[KornKidJedi]

Tom Hanks,Tom Sizemore,and Giovanni Ribsi in Saving Private Ryan

R.Lee Eremy and Vincent D'Onferio in Full Metal Jacket

[Grebdron]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by EBastard:


1.William Wallis(Mel Gibson)from Braveheart,1995
2.Sgt.Elias(Willem DaFoe)from Platoon,1986
3.Captain John Miller(Tom Hanks)from Saving Private Ryan,1998
4.Sgt.Barnes(Tom Beringer)from Platoon,1986
5.Eriksson(Michael J. Fox)from Casulties Of War,1989[/B]</font>

Thanks for the second on that POS We Were Soldiers. I thought Tom Hanks AND Tom Berenger were outstanding in Saving Private Ryan.

And, while it wasn't a "war" movie, Robert Duvall as Lt. Col. "Bull" Meechum in The Great Santini for some reason is never mentioned as even one of his best; let alone the great movie that it was.

[Michael Corleone]

I did this already, but I wanted to give a top 15 best list because I just can't name one and not mention these other outstanding performances:

01. Marlon Rando, Apocalypse Now
02. Robert De Niro, The Deer Hunter
03. Robert Duvall, Apocalypse Now
04. William Dafoe, Platoon
05. Christopher Walken, The Deer Hunter
06. R. Lee Ermey, Full Metal Jacket
07. Tom Cruise, Born on the Fourth of July
08. William Holden, Stalag 17
09. George C. Scott, Patton
10. Nick Nolte, The Thin Red Line
11. John Wayne, Sands of Iwo Jima
12. Robert Mitchum, The Story of G.I. Joe
13. Jon Voight, Coming Home
14. Sean Penn, The Thin Red Line
15. Kirk Douglas, Paths of Glory

[ColinM]

That strikes me as an excellent list, Michael, although I haven't seen most of them. I'm going to have to see all these now...

[Myers666]

I am surprised no one has said Denzel Washington in "Glory" I think is performance in that movie was top-notch

[syxxpac]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Danny L:
R Lee Ermey as Sg Hartman in FULL METAL JACKET (former drill instructor in real life).</font>

This guy was hilarious!

[Grebdron]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by syxxpac:
[B] This guy was hilarious!

While I would love to vote for him, the second half of this movie was so poor it almost ruined the first half of this would-be classic. And, possibly because of the times I had to deal w/a demented drill sgt. he was chillingly real, not just acting. He scared the shit out of me with that performance, but it's hard to vote for him since he wasn't acting, just recreating.

[Michael Corleone]

These double posts have been haunting me all day.

[This message has been edited by Michael Corleone (edited 07-15-2002).]

[Michael Corleone]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by ColinM:
That strikes me as an excellent list, Michael, although I haven't seen most of them. I'm going to have to see all these now...</font>


Thanks, Colin, all films are highly recommended (I've read how you feel about "Apoc Now" and it really disappoints me, maybe you could give it another try?)! If I ever decided to make a "best of all time" list that went over ("Apoc Now" is already at number 3 though).


[This message has been edited by Michael Corleone (edited 07-15-2002).]

[Orion]

Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan and Mel Gibson in Braveheart. Both were Spectacular.

[pat00139]

Gene Hackman in Behind Enemy Lines? I preferred him in A Bridge Too Far, even though both movies aren't that spectacular.

Dunno how many people have seen this one, but I thought Lew Ayres from All Quiet on the Western Front(1930) was amazing. That scene where he gets shellshocked will forever be etched in my memory.

And I loved Jean-Paul Belmondo and Alain Delon in Is Paris Burning? (That movie has Anthony Perkins in probably his only post-Psycho, non-sociopath role.) http://www.joblo.com/ubb/smile.gif

[ColinM]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Michael Corleone:

(I've read how you feel about "Apoc Now" and it really disappoints me, maybe you could give it another try?)</font>

I fully intend to and I always have, I just haven't gotten around to seeing it again yet.

[Hannibal21]

1. George C. Scott - Patton
2. Humphrey Bogart - The Caine Mutiny
3. Christopher Walken - The Deer Hunter
4. Robert De Niro - The Deer Hunter
5. Tom Berenger - Platoon

[edgeofhell]

I'm goin with Martin Sheen in apocolypse now on this one gang

[A.J. Hakari]

Kirk Douglas - PATHS OF GLORY
Gary Sinise - A MIDNIGHT CLEAR
Tom Sizemore - SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
Madeleine Stowe - WE WERE SOLDIERS (Out of all the film's performances, hers stood out the most.)

[zeppelin]

In no order, my favorite performances of all-time in war films:

Robert De Niro in The Deer Hunter
Christopher Walken in The Deer Hunter
Meryl Streep in The Deer Hunter
Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now
Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now
R. Lee Ermey in Full Metal Jacket

And, I know it's generally considered a black comedy, but it's about war, so I'm counting it:

Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove
George C. Scott in Dr. Strangelove

[Shockwave]

I know this one is not that well known but everyone else has listed my other favs, so here goes..


Ed Harris as Major Konig in Enemy at the Gates.

I really liked his performance is this. He gave his character a very human feel but came across as almost imvincible in combat and ruthless if crossed.I still cant believe what he did to that little kid!

[MickeyKnox]

Martin Sheen-(Apocalypse Now)
Robert Duvall-(Apocalypse Now)
Marlon Brando-(Apocalypse Now)
Robert DeNiro-(The Deer Hunter)
Christopher Walken-(The Deer Hunter)
Charlie Sheen-(Platoon)
Tom Sizemore-(Saving Private Ryan)

[Antonio]

Although he didn't portray a soldier, this kid counts!

[Brock-Landers]

tie NICK NOLTE(The Thin Red Line) and R. LEE ERMEY(Full Metal Jacket).

[The Other]

I will back Antonio up and say William Holden in STALAG 17.

I recently saw this movie a few days ago. Great movie that while keeping the seriousness of the subject matter, had enough humor to make it work. And Holden won a well-deserved Oscar. I thought he was really good. I also thought the guy who played "Animal" was good too, and he received an Oscar nomination for Supporting Actor.