We may hate to admit it, but when it comes to movies, we’re all war-mongering bastards.

War may be good for nothing – but it certainly spices up a film. How else can you explain how we found it so difficult to cut this down these down to just 15? It was really, really hard. There are so many good battle scenes in films, it’s almost inevitable we’ll have missed a few out.

So to make it easier, we restricted it to just land battles, although spaceships, helicopters and planes are also included in the scenes. Air, space and sea battles will follow. Enjoy!

15. Battle of Klendathu
Film: Starship Troopers (1997)

OK, so it’s more of a massacre than a battle as 100,000 troops realise the hard way that these bugs are a little harder to squish. Cue limbs flying off, decapitations and general panic. Brilliant!!

14. Battle of Waterloo
Film: Waterloo (1971)

A stunning re-enactment of Napoleon‘s final battle. Sergei Bondarchuk‘s film is one of the greatest war movies of all time.

13. Battle of Stirling
Film: Braveheart (1995)

OK, this scene is so good we were forced to overlook three facts that should really have disbarred it from being on this list. Firstly, the entire film is a load of bollocks. Secondly, it’s directed by Mel Gibson. And thirdly, most of us at hecklerspray are English.

12. Battle of Rourke’s Drift
Film: Zulu (1964)

“Zulus sir, thousands of them.” He wasn’t kidding either, as 100 British soldiers somehow hold out against 4,000 terrifying Zulus. Michael Caine talking posh is also hilarious.

11. Battle of Stalingrad
Film: Enemy at the Gates (2001)

OK, the rest of the film is a pile of shit, but this scene is simply incredible. If Jude Law had got one in  the face, this would have been number one.

10. Battle of Pelennor Fields
Film: Lord of the Rings – The Return of the King (2003)

Would have been higher but for the fact that, like the film itself, it goes on a bit and that the final army of the dead part is just a cop out.

9. Assault on Fort Wagner
Film: Glory (1989)

This scene is so good we were almost proud to be American – even though we’re not. Does that make any sense? Probably not! Surely, the best American Civil War film to date.

8. Battle of Helm’s Deep
Film: The Lord of the Rings – The Town Towers (2002)

But for Orlando Bloom surfing down the stairs, this could have been a contender for one of the top spots.  It isn’t the first time Bloom has ruined a scene and it won’t be the last.

7. Battle of Silarus River
Film: Spartacus (1960)

Kirk Douglas‘ slave revolt all ends in tears in this gripping scene.

6. Battle of Hoth
Film: Empire Strikes Back (1980)

One of the finest moments in the series, as Luke et al are forced to beat a hasty retreat by some nasty ATs-ATs.

5. Battle in Germania
Film: Gladiator (2000)

The only bad about this superb opening scene is that we’re forced to watch the rest of the film in the knowledge the best bit has already happened.

4. Helicopter Attack
Film: Apocalypse Now (1979)

OK, once again this is more of a massacre than a battle, but the attack on the Vietnamese village to the strains of Wagner‘s Ride of the Valkyries is hard to miss out.

3. Battle of Arnhem (parachute jump)
Film: A Bridge Too Far (1977)

The shot of thousands of doomed Allied soldiers parachuting down behind enemy lines is almost as impressive as the amount of stars Richard Attenborough managed to assemble for this superb war film. Imagine the egos he had to deal with.

2. All of the battle scenes in Ran
Ran (1985)

Want to get schoolchildren interested in Shakespeare? Just show them Akira Kurosawa‘s brilliant adaptation of King Lear.

1.    Omaha Beach landing
Film: Saving Private Ryan (1998)

The first 30 minutes is the closest we ever want to get to real combat. Really scary stuff!

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