The American military expert James D. Dever retired from military service in the 1990s and has since worked as a consultant for the entertainment industry. Ten years ago he was asked what he thought about the most realistic war films holds – and we don’t want to withhold the answer from you.
The first film he mentioned is neither Saving Private Ryan nor Full Metal Jacket or any other title from the ranks of the usual suspects.
Zulu: The most realistic war film of all time?
Speaking to One Room with a View, Dever named Zulu: The Battle of Rorke’s Drift from 1964, starring Michael Caine, as his favorite film. The British war film directed by Cyril Endfield revolves around the Zulu War between the United Kingdom and the African Zululand.
This is what the military expert said:
One of my favorite films, which in my opinion very accurate is an old film that I think is fantastic called Zulu. […] I look at the accuracy of the weapons, the color sergeant, the lieutenants; they did a really good job with the film. You feel like you’re there and it looks realistic, which to me is a good film.
Paramount
Michael Caine in Zulu
It doesn’t matter which period it is. It’s the uniforms and the way they move: For me, that’s what brings realism. In some films you see now, they get the costumes off the rack and put them on. They don’t look dirty or sweaty and you don’t get the feeling that they’ve been worn for a while.
In another conversation with Tasks & Purpose, Dever also praised the fighting formations in Zulu as well as the weapons. Other films that the military expert praised include Written in Blood and Platoon.
Where can you stream the war film Zulu?
Zulu is available to rent or buy from Amazon, Sky, Apple TV and Microsoft. It can be streamed for free with ad breaks on the streaming service Plex.