Top 25 Films of the 2000s – Honorable Mention #2

Band of Brothers (2001)

Though not eligible for the Top 25 list (since it’s not a movie), Band of Brothers deserves a mention. As a miniseries, it’s far too long to be a feature film, but not long enough to be a television series. But living somewhere in the middle, it manages to be something all its own, almost novel-like in the depth of its story and the strength of its characters.

The thing that really gets me about Band of Brothers, though, is its accuracy. Most big historical movies take a setting and then just make up a story (or completely butcher a real one). Even Saving Private Ryan, whose story seems to confuse Operations Overlord and Market Garden and completely forgets about the hedgerow country. Band of Brothers, on the other hand, played it straight. It demonstrated that the actual history, what really happened, can be a great story without having to invent some silly plot contrivance.

And next year, the same team looks to be taking the same approach with the other side of World War II. No idea whether The Pacific will manage to match the greatness of Band of Brothers, but I look forward to finding out.

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