Name: The 100 Greatest War Films
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2005-05-14
Duration: 6 h 25 min
Rating: 5.5
Cast: Sean Pertwee, David Aaronovitch, Ken Annakin

The story of the welsh regiment at rourke's drift is a timeless epic of movie making and story telling

visually stunning great characterisation wonderful true story respectful of both sides

The way it takes the right amount of time to build the tension story and characters, the situation, the drip drip drip effect

I loved the quirkiness of the characters, the drunken Welsh preacher and his daughter, the maverick rogue James booth who rose to the occasion, the homesick welsh farmer feeding the lambs and longing for Bala in wales. the twittish under officer played by Michael Caine who sorts of grows up as it goes along and all held together by the stoic and wonderful Stanley baker.

whilst Caine hams absurdly, bakers performance is fantastic and gets better with every viewing, hes human, hes serious , hes dark and broody. This is a game for the rulers of the British empire who demand this bridge be built. But it sue ain't no game for the Zulu warriors or the welsh regiment most of whom die in the battle

the bets line in movie history as the Zulus finally allow the welsh regiment to survive?

"Its a miracle sergeant."

baker stares into the abyss 

"It it is it was loaded with a gun."

People can always find holes in any movie and they will here. Do the fight scenes date? probably a little who cares, being stabbed with a bayonet or shot leads to death and sickness, we get the picture why do we need to spend hours watching the blood drip? would the welsh really sing in battle? ask any soldier whose served with a Welshman or woman you bet they sing all the time. usually an ancient welsh hymn like emen of harlech as in this movie

historically accurate?

yes very accurate. Stanley baker paid to produce this epic tale and nearly went bankrupt as he got no support from the British film industry or the government. as usual? sad

anyone who visits Wales should visit the beautiful brecon. there is the welsh regiment which exists today and trains in the nearby mountains. there is a huge museum there detailing specifically this battle at rourke's drift in s Africa

Pls note also this may have been a welsh regiment but there were also a great number of Scottish and Englishmen in the regiment and this is a British story not just a welsh one.

The documentary is a form of non-fiction storytelling that aims to present factual information, insights, and perspectives on real-world subjects, events, issues, or people. Documentaries can cover a wide range of topics, including history, science, culture, social issues, nature, biographies, and more.

Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

The 100 Greatest War Films of all time, as voted for by the public of the UK.

The Biggest Movies and TV Coming in September

"The Gentlemen" and "Slow Horses" return this fall, while the "Reacher" spin-off series "Neagley" makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

2026 Fall TV and Streaming Watch Guide

&quot;The Gentlemen&quot; and &quot;Slow Horses&quot; return this fall, while the &quot;Reacher&quot; spin-off series &quot;Neagley&quot; makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane (2011)

André René Roussimoff in Andre the Giant (2018)

Ian Diaz and Angela Diaz in A Toxic Love Story (2026)

Louis Theroux in The Most Hated Family in America (2007)

DC's Legends of Tomorrow: Their Time Is Now

DC's Legends of Tomorrow: Their Time Is Now (2016)

The 100 Greatest War Films

Photos

Top Cast99+

User reviews3

More like this

Related interests

Storyline

Did you know

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed