36. Zulu

Zulu manages to achieve something that very few war movies before, or since, have. The 1964 classic manages to steer away from making one side "good" and one side "evil" in a true reenactment of a legendary historical battle. What's even more astounding, is that both sides have such varying cultures.... and in the 1960's especially, this has to be seen as a magnificent achievement in keeping both sides balanced, showing the humanity and compassion of such different people. Zulu is very much the 300 movie of the 1960's. The Battle of Rorke's Drift in the late 19th century centered around a handful of British Officers (around 120) who had to defend their post when they became under attack from around 3 to 4 thousand Zulu's warriors. It's not about whether the British troops had any right to be over there fighting in the first place, attempting to colonize and consume every country in it's path. It's not about the decisions the government made in those times..... these men on the front line had no say in that. They were just following orders, fighting for their country. Simply put, Zulu is not a politically motivated film, but instead is aiming to tell the story of man's will to survive, in a desperate situation where retreat is not an option. The film is also notable for the first major role from actor Michael Caine. Legend has it... he threw up several times during filming because of nerves and the thought of watching his performance on the film dallies was too much. If you thought 300 was more than just a spectacular visual experience, then I urge you to seek out this movie... as it does go those few further steps that make this movie 5 stars.