As you mention Dan, you haven’t seen The Hurt Locker, that would replace Apocalype Now and move Three Kings of the list

With SPR, there were far too many daft orders and sending people off on needle-in-haystack searches could be very plausible. It’s somewhere inbetween outright ridiculous, and then ‘Hmm, maybe’ especially as they had the idea that they thought sending five thousand men over trenches running towards machine guns was a good idea in gaining 5 feet more digging space.

I also liked how it was taking you with a good group of guys and showed them all their individual attitudes.

As for Saving Private Ryan, you gave the exact reasons it didn’t make it into the list. It was realistc, sure… but the plot premise was totally daft!

I would have probably dropped 3 kings in at number 4, gotten rid of apocalypse now[only because i've not watched it all] and placed the cliche’d Saving Private Ryan in, and placed Jarhead in there also.
Saving Private Ryan when first released was watched by ex-military personel from WWII as well as veterans from other wars/conflicts; There were reportings of some of them physically shaking after watching it, as well as some being sick. This was mainly due to the realism of what they encountered bringing back strong emotional responses. Any movie that can dictate a response so powerful with a very plausible story should be in the top 5 ever.
The story itself is not far off the silly commands they were actually given [See Black Adder for a more comical referencing of how daft they were].

My reason for Jarhead is because it really focused on the psychological strains and worries the soldiers had. It also brought in, although not to the same degree and portrayed differently to We Were Soldiers, the reality of the pressures on the families. This was best pictured in the scene where they are given some mail from home, videos and music. Going back to ‘home’ in a more surreal way by not actually taking us there, making you think about it.
It was also very lump-in-your-throat emotional, at least for me, because at the time i was sitting in rehab in the Army and thinking “That could well be me in a few years!”, with my girl leaving me and my friends all losing faith and deserting me through propoganda back at home, or by being shot and blown apart next to me walking down a dirt road.

So for the emotional effect those had, with the intense realism of the situation and the pressure on performing a role even if you think it’s “Fubar”, they make my top 5 of all time, let alone my top 5 war movies!

Great choice.

And Blackhawk Down can’t be #1! It’s good but nothing on Apoc, or FMJ!