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The 1966 film was released to widespread acclaim, as well as garnered some controversy due to its hard-to-ignore parallels to the then-escalating conflict in Vietnam. Jake’s independent attitude sparks hostility among the gunboat crew, while jingoistic posturing escalates into bloody conflict.
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Steve McQueen plays the rebellious machinist Jake Holman, who joins the crew of the USS San Pablo, a gunboat sent to quell disputes between Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists and warlords in the area. The film is a sweeping three-hour historical epic set in 1926, depicting the American naval operation known as the “Yangtze Patrol,” which was intended to maintain peace at the treaty ports along the longest river in China. Taking the top spot on our list of the greatest movies to portray naval warfare is Robert Wise’s The Sand Pebbles. Updated May 2023: To keep the article fresh and relevant by adding more information and entries, this article has been updated by Amira Abdel-Fadil. From black-and-white masterpieces to modern takes on the subgenre, and encapsulating everything from sailor revolts to submarine chases, this is the ultimate collection for the naval warfare enthusiast. In the list below, we've assembled 17 of the greatest naval war classics of all time.
Submarine warfare movies movie#
These are all considered highlights of the war movie genre, but where are all the great naval war movies? Films like Saving Private Ryan and The Longest Day focus on the Normandy invasion, while movies like Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, and Apocalypse Now revolve around the muddy action in the jungles of Vietnam. While there are hundreds of great war movies out there, most of the classics revolve around ground combat. Many of the greatest films of all time are war films the best ones balance impressive spectacle, exhilarating action, and important themes that teach us more about ourselves and warn us away from the human penchant for self-destruction.
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