With Christmas approaching, my thoughts naturally turn to war movies. Back when people used to buy DVDs, my friends and family who abhorred violence would occasionally ask me to recommend one so that they could give it as a present. I would offer one of the following with the accompanying justification, which usually resulted in them never asking my advice again. So, here is my two cents’ worth on the best war movies of all time:

1. Platoon: This Vietnam flick doesn’t make it onto many veterans’ lists, probably because it offers an unflattering view of the Army to include the murder of one NCO by another. I love it, however, because Oliver Stone absolutely nails the internal politics and friction inherent in a platoon, which is unsurprising given that he fought in Vietnam himself. Tom Berenger is brilliant as the platoon sergeant, SFC Barnes, who is the unit’s dominant personality, even though he is technically outranked by 2LT Wolfe. I saw such competition all too often when I was in uniform, although it rarely resulted in fratricide.

2. A Bridge Too Far: This film about Operation Market Garden, the failed World War II Allied operation to seize the Rhine River bridges, broke ground for its gritty depiction of combat when it was released in 1976. Based on Cornelius Ryan’s eponymous book, it shows plenty of action but also shines light on the incompetent planning that resulted in the total failure of the operation and probably the extension of the war.

3. Twelve O’Clock High: Probably the best film about combat leadership (or any leadership for that matter) ever. Gregory Peck plays the USAAF officer tasked to turn around an under-performing bomber group based in England during World War II. He epitomizes the ethos of being in charge as opposed to being popular, which is why this film is still watched at officer training programs throughout the US armed forces.

4. Apocalypse Now: This is a fictional work, based on Robert Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, but it makes it onto my list because of the epic nature of the protagonist’s (Captain Willard) quest. You have to see the Redux edition, which includes a scene about a family of French plantation owners. The epic battalion attack on a Viet Cong village (led by Robert Duvall’s LTC Kilgore) is worth the price of admission on its own, but what makes Apocalypse Now noteworthy is its capture of the absurdity of the Vietnam War. This is solely down to the involvement of Michael Herr, author of Dispatches, one of the best nonfiction accounts of the war, in the writing of the script. He comes up with observations such as, “Only the Americans could build a place like this. Only the Americans would want to.” Genius.

5. Das Boot: Even if you only speak the language as badly as I do, you have to watch this World War II naval drama in German. Jurgen Prochnow is brilliant as the U-boat captain tasked with sinking British merchant ships in the North Atlantic, all while being hunted by the Royal Navy in return. The tension and claustrophobia of living in a submarine with a bunch of other dudes is brilliantly captured, as is the humanity of good men fighting for an abhorrent regime.