MovieChat Forums > Cross of Iron (1977) Discussion > Hardest War Film Badasses

Hardest War Film Badasses

posted 14 years ago by OttoVonB
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If we exclude supporting characters (especially extended cameos, like Robert Duvall's Kilgore in Apocalypse Now), who do you think are the baddest war film protagonists ever. I ask this on the Cross of Iron board, because now that, with the new BluRay, this film has been restored to its full audiovisual glory, everyone has to admit it belongs up there...

For my money, I'd say:
- Steiner (James Coburn), "Cross of Iron" - by turns ruthless and devastated, brutal and tender, cynical and romantic, it's a great character, and a kick-in-the-nuts of a movie. Coburn and Peckinpah squeeze more out of 5 old tanks and some Yougoslav forest that Spielberg could ever dream of.
- The Sergeant (Lee Marvin), "The Big Red One" - it's Lee Marvin, and it's a real war movie. When he gives the enemy that look, even bullets u-turn and run away.
- Captain Lehman (Jurgen Prochnow), "Das Boot" - for staying human and keeping it together, despite maddening circumstances.
- The Kid in "Come and See", whoever he is. He put up with things that would have made most of these grown-up men cry within the film's first half-hour...
- Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas), "Paths of Glory" - despite the terrible pessimism of the film around him, Dax makes you proud to be human, and what you could aspire to. Go, Dax. No girly on a battlefield either.
- George S. Patton (George C. Scott), "Patton" - because it's impossible not to admire the crazy warmongering old dog. He's the nuttiest guy on my list, and he's not even a fictional character. Chew on that.

[–] bookrefuge 14 years ago

Just personally, I would add R. Lee Ermey as Sgt. Hafner in “The Siege of Firebase Gloria,” Michael Caine as Colonel Steiner in “The Eagle has Landed,” and Aldo Ray as Sgt. Montana in “Men in War.”

[–] magnumbd 14 years ago

I'll have to check out a few of those films you mention that I haven't seen.

I would add-

- Capt. Cyril Leech (Nigel Davenport), "Play Dirty". A hard-bitten mercenary who really hasn't a shred of civility; will cut anyone's throat- friend, enemy, women, whatever. I appreciated the growth that Leech showed, as well as Capt. Douglas (Michael Caine) in the film - each learned from the other and gained each other's respect. All for naught, as we see.....

-Lt. Shaffer (Clint Eastwood), "Where Eagles Dare". Yeah, this isn't the most gritty film or character- really more of a live-action comic book, but what fun. Shaffer gets the snot beat out of him and keeps coming back, and for pure badassery consider the moment in the castle when, under MG fire and grenades, he hops completely from behind cover into the hallway and squirts not one, but TWO MP-40 submachine guns at the advancing soldiers. Such an Eastwood moment.