Macaroni Combat

Sort by: Default list orderReverse list orderTheir top ratedTheir bottom ratedListal top ratedListal bottom ratedIMDB top ratedIMDB bottom ratedMost listedLeast listedTitle name A-ZTitle name Z-ARecently releasedFirst releasedFirst added to listLast added to list

Showing 49 items

I have to admit I can't remember ever hearing the term macaroni combat before Tarantino recently used it somewhere (maybe it was an interview in Severin's Inglorious Bastards release...). Supposedly the term came from the Japanese. For me these movies have always been part of Euro war but that kinda covers a lot of movies from a lot of countries. So...

Here's a list of the movies that might fit under the term macaroni combat at least the way I see it. Italian produced or co-produced war movies made in the 60s and the 70s. Made with crew and cast familiar from spaghetti westerns, and with some spaghetti western style and music included. Don't bother looking for authentic weaponry, tanks, uniforms or other equipment. Some with more serious tone and story lines, others less serious.

The movies were no doubt influenced by at least the Dirty Dozen. Italians saw the chance to make some money and took it. But unlike the spaghetti westerns, the genre basically died right after birth with only few movies made after the first years.

From the current list the amount of movies released per year:

1967 2
1968 5
1969 23
1970 9
1971 3
1973 1
1974 1
1976 1
1977 1
1978 2
1979 1


Few of the movies might be too serious to be on list (haven't seen so hard to know) and I have a left a few out because they probably are a little bit different:

Un homme de trop (1967)
5th Day of Peace (1969)
Many Wars Ago (1970)
Massacre in Rome (1973)
Nothing to Report (1973)
Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973)
Mussolini: Ultimo atto (1974)

Then again, maybe some or none of these would not exist without the others so perhaps they should be included. Oh well.

There's also two mercenary movies from 1978 but I have a feeling these would be more of exploitation than war. Still, maybe on the list?

Skin 'em Alive (1978)
Duri a morire (1978)

And what about the following four.

Appuntamento col disonore (1970) is a spy movie set in the time of WWII without any war scenes? Klaus Kinski!

The following two happen during WWI (?) but I'm not sure if there is even any war action in them at all.
Il sergente Klems (1971)
Deserto di fuoco (1971)

Situation Normal, All Fouled Up (Rosolino Paternò, soldato…) (1970) comedy anything to do with Macaroni Combat?


And I'm sure you noticed, since I mentioned it... that the list currently has movies only from the 60s and the 70s (starting from 1967). There are also several war movies from the 80s that I guess should be on the list (at least the first six listed).

Antonio Margheriti's Vietnam trilogy.
The Last Hunter (L'ultimo cacciatore) (1980)
Tiger Joe (Fuga Dall'archipelago Maledetto) (1982)
Tornado (1983)

Three WWII ones:
A Bridge to Hell (Un ponte per l'inferno) (1986) (uses battle scenes from a Yugoslavian movie)
Wartime (Tempi di guerra) (1987)
Casablanca Express (1989)

Days of Hell (I giorni dell'inferno) (1986) (This one is set in Afghanistan in the 80s, war or not...?)


And then some mercenaries:
Rolf (1983) (or maybe just exploitation... the only mercenary might be on some of the English titles)
Codename: Wild Geese (1984)
Kommando Leopard (1985)
Der Commander (1988)

Yet most if not all of the movies left outside the list certainly have some combat in them, regardless of war or no war, and were made by Italians so... macaroni combat? :P

Related lists

View more top voted lists

Join listal and create your own lists and much more