Under Fire is simply a must-have for people seriously interested in war movies or even movies in general.
It contains a collection of essays on all sorts of topics regarding war movies, from WWI to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Many different people have contributed to this very dense work. Well-known film critics and academics alike.
This is really something to sink your teeth into. Quite demanding reading but extremely insightful.
For example did you know how important YouTube´s influence was on contemporary Iraq movies (yes, I even started to understand Redacted)? Or how Vietnam changed the war movies? Do you know a lot about British propaganda movies of WWII? Did you consider to interpret Starship Troopers as WWII and Nazi satire?
These are only a few topics of many that are analysed in these very thoroughly researched essays.
Sure, this is no movie guide as such. It is not recommending or rating anything. Under Fire provides criticism and analysis for those who like to interpret not only the apparent but also the subtext.
This book is really worth having and I am quite excited about this find that manages so well to show the variety, the depth and the virtuosity of war movies.
Here you find the link to the publishing house. It contains an interview with the editor and interesting additional chapters.
All About War Movies 