12 Movie Warzone Hotspots

Baghdad

Warzone/ Movie: Iraq invasion (2003), as seen in Green Zone (2010)

Level Of Heat: The heavily fortified 10-square-kilometer Green Zone, where U.S. troops quickly made their home after deposing the Saddam Hussein regime, is supposed tobe the safe part of town.

But for Warrant Officer Roy Miller (Matt Damon) - on a fruitless hunt for WMDs - it's as dangerous as the lawless, unprotected Red Zone.

Has it cooled down since? "Baghdad...is a combination of all that is best in old and new," says Atlastours.net .

"Multi-storey buildings often tower over ancient arcaded bazaars overflowing with fantastic things. Motley of colors, races, costumes, and ways of life gives the city an air of vitality and excitement."

Oh, and the occasional suicide bomb. Guess they've forgotten to mention those.

Normandy

Warzone / Movie: D-Day landings (1944), as seen in Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Level Of Heat: Most intense on Omaha Beach, where Captain John Miller (Tom Hanaks) and his fellow Allied troops must dash across the sand under the crossfire of embedded German artillery. That is, if you even make it out of the water.

The countryside provides space to breathe, but with snipers, machine gun posts and Panzer tanks everywhere, the temperature scarcely drops for Miller's team.

Has it cooled down since? Normandie-tourisme.fr makes it sound like a lovely place.

"Visitors have a choice between seaside and countryside. The stunning beauty of the region's interior, with its thatched cottages, traditional farming and ever-changing landscapes, is matched by a long coastline...

...which stretches from the romantic cliffs and sandy beaches of Seine Maritime in the East, to the wild Cotentin seaboard and the World Heritage Site of Mont Saint Michel and its bay, with its huge tidal range and strong currents."

Saigon

Warzone / Movie: The Tet Offensive (1968), as seen in Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Level Of Heat: Saigon is humid as hell anyway, even without the Vietcong launched strikes on the South's key base of operations.

Corporal Joker (Matthew Modine), posted as a Marine Combat Correspondent, finds it's hard to avoid fighting in the heat of battle.

Has it cooled down since? Renamed Ho Chi Minh City after the war, today it's a thriving metropolis, as the city's website confirms:

"Over hundreds of years, with the vicissitude of history, the world’s various cultures seemed to have found a common place to converge in Saigon-HCM City.

The city has been gradually turned into a non-discriminating community, a cultural kaleidoscope, for people from almost every corner of the world,regardless of race and ideology."

Algiers

Warzone / Movie: Algerian War of Independence (1954-1962), as seen in The Battle of Algiers (1966)

Level Of Heat: Rock the Kasbah - it's a pressure-cooker in there, as the French army battles Algerian guerillas and both sides resort to torture and terrorism.

Has it cooled down since? After nearly fifty years, we'd hope so. The picture Algeria's U.S. embassy paints is certainly a far cry from the chaos of war.

"Algiers the White remains one of the most beautiful cities of the Arab world. It is while strolling around the twisting roads, the staircase-like backstreets, the monuments and the modern district that one can discover this metropolis which summarizes the whole Algeria of today, a country rooted in his traditions and passionate of modernity."

Thermopylae

Warzone / Movie: Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC), as seen in 300 (2007)

Level Of Heat: Depends. If you're one of the 300 Spartans facing an army of one-million-plus Persians riding on rampaging elephants, you'll probably feel a bit sweaty. In a manly way, of course.

However, if you're one of those Persians, you'll wish you could melt away with fear.

Has it cooled down since? So much that all that history has turned to stone, if visitgreece.gr is anything to go by.

"Greece is full of archaeological sites and monuments of distinctive prestige and charm, on which all known periods of its long-standing history have left their mark.

Visitors have the opportunity to make a unique “journey” through the rare “mosaic” of historic and cultural memory which has left an indelible mark on every region of the country and effortlessly highlights the manifold manifestations of Greek culture to date."

Stalingrad

Warzone / Movie: Battle of Stalingrad (1942-43), as seen in Enemy At The Gates (2001)

Level Of Heat: Quite the opposite. Warmth is conspicuously lacking both in the numbing cold of the Russian winter and the unyielding slog of a siege that would leave first the Soviets, and then the Nazis, at breaking point.

No wonder the film's heros are snipers Vassili Zaitsev (Jude Law) and Erwin Konig (Ed Harris) - guys who can snuggle under a blanket and wage their war from a position of relative comfort.

Has It Cooled Down Since? In terms of buzz, it's heated up, says visitvolgograd.info , possibly as a result of the name change.

"Volgograd is a major tourist center. It is a monument-city and a hero-city, visited by hundreds of thousands of Russian and foreign tourists.

They are attracted by Volgagrad's nature, mineral springs, spas and rest-houses, along with the rich and glorious history. There are many museums and monuments, with a vibrant culture and architecture."

Beirut

Warzone / Movie: Lebanon war (1982), as seen in Waltz With Bashir (2008)

Level Of Heat: Combustible, as Israeli forces become complicit in the Lebanese militia's massacre of Palestinians in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps.

Even two-and-a-half-decades on, ex-soldier Ari Folman finds that those guilty memories have burnt themselves onto his subconscious.

Has It Cooled Down Since? Despite its location in the still-trouble Middle East, it's a lot safer nowadays, says Lebanon's U.S. embassy .

"The destroyed town center is once again active. Its former reputation as a crossroads between three continents and gateway to the East has been restored and modernized.

The new city planners hold computer-rendered plans that show an extended coastline, a new residential area, and a touristic recreational zones built around a central park."

Sarajevo

Warzone / Movie: The Bosnian war (1992-5), as seen in Welcome To Sarajevo (1997)

Level Of Heat: Sarajevo is apparently only "the 14th worst place on Earth," says one U.N. guy here, but try telling that to inhabitants besieged by kill-happy Serb forces.

The hothouse atmosphere gets too much for ITN reporter Michael Nicholson (Stephen Dillane), who stops observing and turns hero to rescue a Bosnian orphan.

Has It Cooled Down Since? Now that it's back in the hands of the locals, yes - just ask Bosnia & Herzegovina's official tourist site .

"Sarajevo is a city in which even strangers can feel at home.

Neither geographically expansive nor characterised by large buildings, the city retains a particular, arresting charm with its abundance of busy café's and abiding tradition of hospitality."

Kigali

Warzone / Movie: The Rwandan genocide (1994), as seen in Hotel Rwanda (2004)

Level Of Heat: The U.N. is trying to play it cool, to the point of doing bugger all but stand around and watch as 800,000 Tutsis are massacred by Hutu extremists.

It's left to locals, amongst them hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle), to deal with the facts: Kigali is a powder keg that's sadly been ignited.

Has It Cooled Down Since? "Among the safest and friendliest of African capitals," says Rwanda Tourism . We have to assume they're not just talking about visitors to the city.

"The Rwandan capital provides both a comfortable and welcoming introduction to this land of a thousand hills and an ideal springboard from which to explore this magical country."

Salvador

Warzone / Movie: The first year of the Salvadoran civil war (1980, but lasted until 1992), as seen in Salvador (1986

Level Of Heat: A left-wing guerilla uprising is enough to make an entire country loco, without the CIA turning up the temperature by covertly funding the government's right-wing death squads.

Scorched with revulsion at America's involvement, cynical journo Richard Boyle (James Woods) soon mans up to report the conflict.

Has It Cooled Down Since? "A place of remarkable warmth and intelligence, made all the more appealing for being so unexpected," reveals Lonely Planet .

But is it safe? "Travellers tend to skip El Salvador...unnerved by stories of civil war and gang violence. But the war ended almost 20 years ago, and crime, while serious, is almost exclusively played out between rival gangs; tourists are virtually never involved." That's OK, then.

Guadalcanal

Warzone / Movie: Battle of Guadalcanal (1942-3), as seen in The Thin Red Line (1998)

Level Of Heat: A major strategic stronghold for Imperial Japan, this South Pacific island is a crucial target for an Allied assault.

But when C Company (every actor in Hollywood) arrives, they discover that - alongside the expected bloodshed - Guadalcanal is also eerily beautiful.

Has It Cooled Down Since? The most chilled-out place in ths list, if the island's website is to be believed.

"Guadalcanal is known as a top diving spot, with clear water and a rich array of wildlife, as well as shipwrecks to explore. The island is also a wildlife and bird watcher's paradise, where over 200 species of birds can be seen."

Mogadishu

Warzone / Movie: Battle of Mogadishu (1993), as seen in Black Hawk Down (2001)

Level Of Heat: Like a furnace. The best policy for Delta Force soldiers on an extraction mission: get in fast, and get the hell out even faster.

Trouble is, when Somali militiamen have shot down the getaway vehicle, it's hard to avoid getting burnt.

Has It Cooled Down Since? "The safest way through Mogadishu is escorted by Ethiopian and official Somalian troops," reports Wikitravel . "However, they themselves are a target for the militias and may come under attack."

That'd be a categoric no, then...but if you need further proof...

"Independent travel is suicidal. When being escorted, it is best to be in an armored car. Infantry are highly likely to get engaged in street battles, and an armored vehicle can provide far better protection against most threats. A bullet proof vest is a must-have in Mogadishu."