War

• Band Of Brothers | DVD | (04/10/2010) from £13.95  |  Saving you £26.04 (65.10%)  |  RRP £39.99

  From this day to the ending of the world we in it shall be remembered. We few we happy few we band of brothers. For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother. Based on the book by historian Stephen Ambrose this ten part series at '87 million the most expensive TV production ever follows the US 101st Airborne Division's E 'Easy' Company from initial training through operations involving D-Day Market Garden and the Battle Of The Bulge across Holland Belgium Germany and Austria until the end of the war. Episodes Comprise: 1. Currahee 2. Day Of Days 3. Carentan 4. Replacements 5. Crossroads 6. Bastogne 7. The Breaking Point 8. The Last Patrol 9. Why We Fight 10. Points

• The Matrix/Matrix Reloaded/Matrix Revolutions | Blu Ray | (24/11/2008) from £14.95  |  Saving you £25.04 (62.60%)  |  RRP £39.99

  The definite three disc Blu-ray set. The Complete Matrix Trilogy features all three films in the trilogy together for the first time ever in stunning high definition with a newly re-mastered picture and sound for The Matrix. Also included is the companion piece The Matrix Revisited two new audio commentaries on each film Enter the Matrix video game footage deep-delving featurettes/ documentaries and much more! The Matrix: Perception: The Everyday World is Real. Reality: That World is a hoax an elaborate deception spun by all-powerful machines of artificial intelligence that control us. Mind blowing stunts. Techno-slamming visuals. Megakick action. Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne lead the fight to free humankind in The Matrix the cyber thriller that you will watch again and again. Written and Directed by the Wachowski brothers (Bound) the story sears the special effects stake out new movie-making territory - the movie leaves you breathless. The Matrix Reloaded: Neo and the leaders of the human resistance discover that Sentinels are burrowing their way towards Zion. Estimating they have perhaps just 72 hours until an all-out assault Neo must return back into the Matrix and find the keymaker to gain access to the mainframe to ensure human survival... The Matrix Revolutions: In this final explosive third installment of the Matrix trilogy the city of Zion last bastion of the human race defends itself against the massive invasion of the machines as Neo attempts to fulfill his prophecy as 'The One'. As the Machine Army wages devastation on Zion its citizens mount an aggressive defense - but can they stave off the relentless swarm of Sentinels long enough for Neo adrift in a no man's land between the Matrix and the Machine world to harness the full extent of his powers and end the war?

• Gladiator | Blu Ray | (07/09/2009) from £4.97  |  Saving you £20.02 (80.10%)  |  RRP £24.99

  Gladiator Ridley Scott's modern classic arrives on Blu-ray with more extras than a Roman epic. Russell Crowe stars in a Oscar-winning performance as betrayed General Maximus in a rollicking swords and sandals spectacular placing you right in the middle of some savage gladiatorial scraps! The great Roman General Maximus (Russell Crowe - LA Confidential) has once again led the legions to victory on the battlefield. The war won Maximus dreams of home wanting only to return to his wife and son; however the dying Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris - Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone) has one more duty for the general - to assume the mantle of his power. Jealous of Maximus' favour with the Emperor the heir to the throne Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix - Walk The Line) orders his execution - and that of his family. Barely escaping death Maximus is forced into slavery and trained as a gladiator in the arena where his fame grows. Now he has come to Rome intent on avenging the murder of his wife and son by killing the new emperor; Commodus....

• The Hurt Locker | DVD | (28/12/2009) from £3.00  |  Saving you £16.99 (85.00%)  |  RRP £19.99

• Das Boot, The Director's Cut (A Wolfgang Petersen Film) | DVD | (28/06/2010) from £N/A  |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)  |  RRP £9.99

  Wolfgang Petersen's harrowing and claustrophobic U-boat thriller Das Boot was released as both a theatrical film and a six-hour mini-series, and remains the most expensive production ever made by a German studio. The expanded "Director's Cut" of the movie was re-released 1997 and it is this version that is available for home viewing. This epic story became an instant classic on its first release, provoking critical and audience acclaim worldwide for its sympathetic and entirely truthful portrayal of a German U-boat crew. Faithfully adapted from the bestselling novel by Lothar-Günther Buchheim, Petersen and his committed cast (led by the amazing Jürgen Prochnow) were concerned to ensure that every detail was rendered with painstaking accuracy--both physical and psychological--and the result is not only the best submarine drama ever made but also arguably the finest cinematic portrait of men at war and the terrible madness they must endure. On the DVD: The 200-minute "Director's Cut" version of the movie not only has several major scenes restored that were not in the theatrical release but also has been digitally remastered with significantly improved sound (new sound effects have been added) and anamorphic picture. (The six-hour TV version has yet to be released.) Here, the viewer can watch the movie in the original German, with or without subtitles, or in an English dubbed version that uses the voices of many of the original cast. On the utterly engrossing commentary track, director Wolfgang Petersen and star Jürgen Prochnow talk animatedly and in great detail about every aspect of making this epic story--from model shots using Barbie dolls to meeting the Captain of the original U-boat. This is one of the most consistently rewarding commentaries on disc. Also included is a five-minute featurette that promotes this new version. --Mark Walker

• Iron Man (Blu-ray) | Blu Ray | (27/10/2008) from £12.27  |  Saving you £17.72 (59.10%)  |  RRP £29.99

  This Year: Heroes Aren't Born They're Built. Based on the long-running Marvel comic book series and featuring an all star cast including Robert Downey Jr Terrence Howard Gweneth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges Iron Man is winging his way to you! Iron Man tells the story of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) the enigmatic heir to the Stark Enterprises fortune. A driven inventor and executive who seems to have it all Tony is haunted by his dark side. Though he commands his empire by day by night he secretly becomes Iron Man the living embodiment of decades of defence spending and innovation. Strapping on billions of dollars worth of state-of-the-art armor and weaponry each night to fight crime terrorism and corporate espionage Tony begins to crack under the strain of his fractured lifestyle and must ultimately confront the one enemy he can never beat - himself.

• The World At War | DVD | (20/09/2010) from £18.99  |  Saving you £61.00 (76.30%)  |  RRP £79.99

  The World At War: The Ultimate Restored Edition (11 Discs)

• Leon | Blu Ray | (14/09/2009) from £5.99  |  Saving you £19.00 (76.00%)  |  RRP £24.99

  Jean Reno (Mission: Impossible Ronin The Crimson Rivers) Gary Oldman (Sid And Nancy Romeo Is Bleeding The Dark Knight) Danny Aillo (Fingers Do The Right Thing A Brooklyn State Of Mind) and Natalie Portman (V For Vendetta Goya's Ghost Mars Attacks) in her film debut all star in this highly influential seminal 90s action/thriller. Directed by Luc Besson (Subway The Big Blue Nikita The Fifth Element) Leon is the controversial and unforgettable story of an unlikely friendship within a brutal and violent world. Twelve-year-old Mathilda lives within the desperate confines of a squalid New York apartment block. On returning from a shopping trip Mathilda finds that her abusive dysfunctional family (and her beloved younger brother) have been slaughtered by a psychotic drug dealing police officer. In fear of her life she takes refuge with her reluctant mysterious and solitary neighbour. His name is Leon and he's one of the world's deadliest assassins. And while Mathilda begins to teach him how to live Leon begins to teach her how to kill.

• Apocalypse Now | Blu Ray | (13/06/2011) from £17.99  |  Saving you £12.00 (40.00%)  |  RRP £29.99

  In the tradition of such obsessively driven directors as Erich von Stroheim and Werner Herzog, Francis Ford Coppola approached the production of Apocalypse Now as if it was his own epic mission into the heart of darkness. On location in the storm-ravaged Philippines, he quite literally went mad as the project threatened to devour him in a vortex of creative despair but from this insanity came one of the greatest films ever made. It began as a John Milius screenplay, transposing Joseph Conrad's classic story "Heart of Darkness" into the horrors of the Vietnam War, following a battle-weary Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) on a secret upriver mission to find and execute the renegade Colonel Kurtz(Marlon Brando), who has reverted to a state of murderous and mystical insanity. The journey is fraught with danger involving war-time action on epic and intimate scales. One measure of the film's awesome visceral impact is the number of sequences, images and lines of dialogue that have literally burned themselves into our cinematic consciousness, from the Wagnerian strike of helicopter gunships on a Vietnamese village to the brutal murder of stowaways and the unflinching fearlessness of the surfing warrior Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore (Robert Duvall), who speaks lovingly of "the smell of napalm in the morning." Like Herzog's Aguirre: The Wrath of God, this film is the product of genius cast into a pit of hell and emerging, phoenix-like, in triumph. Coppola's obsession (effectively detailed in the riveting documentary Hearts of Darkness, directed by Coppola's wife, Eleanor) informs every scene and every frame, and the result is a film for the ages. --Jeff Shannon

• Inglourious Basterds | DVD | (07/12/2009) from £3.99  |  Saving you £15.04 (75.20%)  |  RRP £19.99

• Saving Private Ryan | DVD | (06/11/2000) from £3.99  |  Saving you £12.00 (75.00%)  |  RRP £15.99

  Since its release in 1998, Steven Spielberg's D-Day drama Saving Private Ryan has become hugely influential: everything, from the opening sequence of Gladiator ("Saving Marcus Aurelius") to the marvellous 10-hour TV series Band of Brothers, has been made in its shadow. There have been many previous attempts to recreate the D-Day landings on screen (notably, the epic The Longest Day), but thanks to Spielberg's freewheeling hand-held camerawork, Ryan was the first time an audience really felt like they were there, storming up Omaha Beach in the face of withering enemy fire. After the indelible opening sequence, however, the film is not without problems. The story, though based on an American Civil War incident, feels like it was concocted simply to fuel Spielberg's sentimental streak. In standard Hollywood fashion the Germans remain a faceless foe (with the exception of one charmless character who turns out to be both a coward and a turncoat); and the Tom Hanks-led platoon consists of far too many stereotypes: the doughty Sergeant; the thick-necked Private; the Southern man religious sniper; the cowardly Corporal. Matt Damon seems improbably clean-cut as the titular Private in need of rescue (though that may well be the point); and why do they all run straight up that hill towards an enemy machine gun post anyway? Some non-US critics have complained that Ryan portrays only the American D-Day experience, but it is an American film made and financed by Americans after all. Accepting both its relatively narrow remit and its lachrymose inclinations, Saving Private Ryan deserves its place in the pantheon of great war pictures. On the DVD: Saving Private Ryan on disc comes in a good-quality anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer with a suitably dynamic Dolby Digital 5.1 sound mix in which bullets fly all around your living room. Extra features are pretty minimal, with a standard 30-minute "making of" piece called "Into the Breach" and two trailers. There are text notes on the cast and crew as well as the production, and a brief message from Mr Spielberg himself about why he decided to make the movie. --Mark Walker

• The Dam Busters | DVD | (14/06/2010) from £4.07  |  Saving you £11.92 (74.50%)  |  RRP £15.99

  Dr Barnes Wallis was possessed with a seemingly crazy idea - the creation of a bouncing bomb designed to destroy the Ruhr dams and paralyse the enemy's industrial nerve centre. He fought persistent scepticism and disbelief that such a feat was possible though even with the matchless skill of RAF Wing Commander Guy Gibson and his squadron could such a mission succeed?

• Das Boot - The Mini Series | DVD | (17/05/2004) from £6.95  |  Saving you £18.04 (72.20%)  |  RRP £24.99

  This 282-minute version of Das Boot is the full-length TV series, originally shown in six parts but here edited into a seamless whole. Director Wolfgang Petersen has since graduated to mega-budget Hollywood productions (2004's Troy for example), but has never managed even to come close to this, his German-language masterpiece. Petersen and his sterling cast (including Jürgen Prochnow in his best role as the U-boat captain) went to great lengths to ensure that this claustrophobic depiction of life aboard the German sub U-97 while attacking British convoys in the Atlantic is thoroughly authentic and totally convincing. Even the set itself, which is a replica of a U-boat interior, had no false walls, so all camera angles are necessarily from within its horribly narrow, overcrowded and sweaty confines. The result is certainly the finest submarine drama ever made, and one of the most compelling depictions of the physical, psychological and emotional effects of warfare. This mini-series is rather longer than the movie version, which is also available on DVD in a Director's Cut version. The differences are not in matters of plot, but in the pacing: everything here takes longer to happen, while the crew must sit around, bicker, swear and sweat it out--the agonising searching for action, the tension of the attack, the terrible stress of hiding from enemy destroyers. Everything unfolds as if in real time, which is the great advantage a TV production has over a movie (contrast, for example, Band of Brothers with Saving Private Ryan). This, therefore, is the definitive presentation of a World War II classic. On the DVD: Das Boot is presented on two discs, with no breaks where the original TV episodes started and finished. The default language option is German with optional English subtitles. For those constitutionally allergic to subtitles there is also an alternative English-language dub, voiced by many of the original cast (including Prochnow). Sound is adequate stereo or Dolby 5.1, and the anamorphic widescreen is good for the murky green underwater shots. Unlike the theatrical version, though, there is no commentary. --Mark Walker

• The Great Escape | DVD | (01/02/2000) from £2.91  |  Saving you £13.08 (81.80%)  |  RRP £15.99

  The Great Escape image of Steve McQueen (as "The Cooler King") astride his motorcycle has entered silver-screen iconography, alongside Brando on his bike from The Wild One. Based on a true story about a group of POWs who mount a daring breakout from a supposedly inescapable Nazi prison camp, this rousing and suspenseful World War II epic features an all-star cast, including James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, and David McCallum. --Jim Emerson

• Up The Junction | DVD | (18/08/2008) from £3.29  |  Saving you £6.70 (67.10%)  |  RRP £9.99

  A girl from a rich family in Chelsea is bored and decides to go slumming in depressed Battersea. She gets a flat and starts working in a factory and makes some friends there. One of her friends is pregnant but abortion is illegal...

• The Thin Red Line | Blu Ray | (16/05/2011) from £5.95  |  Saving you £14.04 (70.20%)  |  RRP £19.99

  Near the beginning of World War II a squad of American soldiers become close comrades when they encounter fierce Japanese resistance in one of the war's most barbarous battles in Guadalcanal island.

• The Counterfeiters | DVD | (26/12/2008) from £2.39  |  Saving you £2.92 (48.70%)  |  RRP £5.99

  The Counterfeiters is the true story of the largest counterfeiting operation in history set up by the Nazis in 1936. Salomon Sally Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics) is the king of counterfeiters. He lives a mischievous life of cards booze and women in Berlin during the Nazi-era. Suddenly his luck runs dry when arrested by Superintendent Friedrich Herzog (Devid Striesow). Immediately thrown into the Mauthausen concentration camp Salomon exhibits exceptional skills there and is soon transferred to the upgraded camp of Sachsenhausen. Upon his arrival he once again comes face to face with Herzog who is there on a secret mission. Hand-picked for his unique skill Salomon and a group of professionals are forced to produce fake foreign currency under the program Operation Berhard. The team which also includes detainee Adolf Burger (August Diehl) is given luxury barracks for their assistance. But while Salomon attempts to weaken the economy of Germany's allied opponents Adolf refuses to use his skills for Nazi profit and would like to do something to stop Operation Bernhard's aid to the war effort. Faced with a moral dilemma Salomon must decide whether his actions which could prolong the war and risk the lives of fellow prisoners are ultimately the right ones.

• V For Vendetta | Blu Ray | (07/07/2008) from £5.99  |  Saving you £14.00 (70.00%)  |  RRP £19.99

  Set against the futuristic landscape of totalitarian Britain V For Vendetta tells the story of a young working-class woman named Evey who is rescued from a life-and-death situation by a masked man known only as 'V'. Profoundly complex V is at once literary flamboyant tender and intellectual a man dedicated to freeing his fellow citizens from those who have terrorized them into compliance... The Matrix Trilogy writing/directing team of Larry & Andy Wachowski adapt Alan Moore's seminal graphic novel into a thought-provoking blockbuster.

• Das Boot | DVD | (12/12/1998) from £4.49  |  Saving you £14.54 (72.70%)  |  RRP £19.99

  Wolfgang Petersen's harrowing and claustrophobic U-boat thriller Das Boot was released as both a theatrical film and a six-hour mini-series, and remains the most expensive production ever made by a German studio. The expanded "Director's Cut" of the movie was re-released 1997 and it is this version that is available for home viewing. This epic story became an instant classic on its first release, provoking critical and audience acclaim worldwide for its sympathetic and entirely truthful portrayal of a German U-boat crew. Faithfully adapted from the bestselling novel by Lothar-Günther Buchheim, Petersen and his committed cast (led by the amazing Jürgen Prochnow) were concerned to ensure that every detail was rendered with painstaking accuracy--both physical and psychological--and the result is not only the best submarine drama ever made but also arguably the finest cinematic portrait of men at war and the terrible madness they must endure. On the DVD: The 200-minute "Director's Cut" version of the movie not only has several major scenes restored that were not in the theatrical release but also has been digitally remastered with significantly improved sound (new sound effects have been added) and anamorphic picture. (The six-hour TV version has yet to be released.) Here, the viewer can watch the movie in the original German, with or without subtitles, or in an English dubbed version that uses the voices of many of the original cast. On the utterly engrossing commentary track, director Wolfgang Petersen and star Jürgen Prochnow talk animatedly and in great detail about every aspect of making this epic story--from model shots using Barbie dolls to meeting the Captain of the original U-boat. This is one of the most consistently rewarding commentaries on disc. Also included is a five-minute featurette that promotes this new version. --Mark Walker

• Apocalypse Now Redux | DVD | (22/04/2002) from £9.99  |  Saving you £8.00 (44.50%)  |  RRP £17.99

  Following the example set by his old pals Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola has revisited a classic that no-one ever thought needed enhancement and produced Apocalypse Now Redux, a remastered and extended version of his hallucinogenic Vietnam nightmare that adds some 50 minutes of extra material. On the plus side, certain extended sequences--such as Kilgore's bombing-cum-surfing raid and the final battle of nerves between Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando--add greater depth to our appreciation of the film. On the debit side, the lengthy French plantation interlude and the squalid fate of the Playboy bunnies simply underscore what we already know about war and hell and the depressing futility of it all. It's possible that Apocalyspe Now is not really about Vietnam at all, but is in fact a despairing commentary on the dissolution of contemporary American society; it's also possible that Apocalypse Now Redux, for all its epic scale and visceral power, ultimately fails to make the film's real message any clearer than before. Either way, it remains one of the greatest (anti-)war films ever made. On the DVD: Apocalypse Now Redux is self-recommending on DVD, especially with vividly remastered Dolby 5.1 sound (the whirling helicopter blades are dizzying) and an anamorphic widescreen picture. Disappointingly the disc contains no extra features other than a trailer for the Redux version. Coppola has provided excellent commentaries for his Godfather trilogy so it's a shame not to have his comments here; and the justly famous "Heart of Darkness" documentary is conspicuous by its absence, too. --Mark Walker