War stories, movies, books, etc.

[singe_101]

Does anyone know of any fictional books, movies, etc. about the losing side of a war? It seems that the protagonist's "side" nearly always prevails in the end, usually with the key characters surviving. And often the enemy is faceless cannon fodder.

WWII would be okay, but there is some pretty thorough material for Germany and the bordering allies such as Austria, some for Japan, not as much for Italy, some for France. And Vietnam is pretty well covered.

But do any authors ever have fiction in which the "good" side (or at least the side with more depth) loses the war? Any works dealing with the future, as I enjoy sci-fi? It would be like the narrative of the trade federation heads in Star Wars, as they suffer humiliating defeats and are all executed by Anakin, and turn out to be less sinister than the empire (probably).

Something with an unclear ending or "war is hell" with no clear victor is also okay, but a bit more prevalent.
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On a related note, I just saw The Hurt Locker and appreciated how it went into more than the explosives aspect and was a pretty complete war movie. Not my favorite from '09 but I can stand by the Best Picture win. It definitely left some open-ended questions, which fits.

[killxswitch]

I don't know if this really fits what you're talking about but the TV show Firefly (and the series-capping movie Serenity) features some smugglers/ex-soldiers whose planet lost their war against The Alliance (governing body of the galaxy). The focus really isn't on that, though there is some backstory that pops up about it several tiems. It's the first thing I thought of when I read your post.

[Bengals78]

Most movies about Vietnam are from the American perspective but in them I wouldn't exactly say that there is a definitive winner.

Letters From Iwo Jima is a WWII film from Japan's side during Iwo.

[LizardState]

WW1 from the German antiwar perspective: All Quiet on the Western Front.

[Bengals78]

Gods and Generals - Confederate side in the Civil War.

Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back - For a fiction movie

[Mitu]

Check out A Bridge Too Far. Good WWII movie about Operation Market Garden.

[singe_101]

Are there canon works detailing the previous war in the Firefly universe? Fanfic will be easy to find, for sure.

Historical fiction seems to be pretty strong, and certainly those with some gravitas. Any popcorn flicks? :D I forgot, happy ending...

Edit: Valkyrie kind of fits, though it's more of a bank heist crew than a fighting force.

Drug/org. crime movies also have their fair share of supported characters being incarcerated or killed, though the main protagonist is often given immunity or something.

[Addict]

not a lot of winning happens in Schindler's List, but I wouldn't call it a war movie either.

[fenikz]

my grandpa was in pearl harbor, half of his boat sank from bombings but he got out unscathed

[Chucky]

Full Metal Jacket is the best war movie.

[YAYareaRB]

my grandpa was in pearl harbor, half of his boat sank from bombings but he got out unscathed

Your grandpa is the man

[fenikz]

he was also 15 and lied to join the navy

[YAYareaRB]

he was also 15 and lied to join the navy

Dang. I would have been ******** bricks if I was 15 and was getting bombed out there.