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  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

Top 10 Special Forces Units On Film

Features
By Sam Ashurst
Published 2 October 2013

Sponsored by Call of Duty: Ghosts

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Black Hawk Down (2001)

The Special Force: Delta Force.

The Movie: Based on real events, Ridley Scott's fast-paced war flick makes you feel like you've been thrown face-first into a war-zone; here the Delta Force have a small role, but it's significant.

The A-Team (2010)

The Special Force: United States Army Special Forces.

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The Movie: Probably the best special forces team of all time (on TV) - definitely the only one that features a character who gets knocked out by poisoned pints of milk on a regular basis - this big screen version might not touch the telly version in terms of 'quality' but it's still a lot of fun.

Delta Force (1986)

The Special Force: Delta Force.

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The Movie: Loud, dumb and full of guns, Chuck Norris is essentially a one-man special forces team, and this ridiculous action-fest is arguably his best. Well, it's either this or Invasion USA .

Sniper (1993)

The Special Force: Special-Ops Sniper

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The Movie: There are several different types of special forces teams, and Tom Berenger's intense sniper movie is probably the best representation of the long-distance killers.

Hugely influential, a wave of sniper movies followed.

Predator (1987)

The Special Force: Green Berets.

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The Movie: Take the invisible alien out of the equation, and this is an entertaining war movie about a group of special forces soldiers led by Arnie's Major 'Dutch' who are sent to rescue a cabinet minister from guerrilla forces in Central America.

But of course, it does have an invisible alien, which elevates it into arguably the greatest movie ever made.

Go on, watch it again and tell us we're wrong.

The Cockleshell Heroes (1955)

The Special Force: The Royal Marines Boom Detachment.

The Movie: It may seem unlikely, but this story of a bunch of kayaking commandos successfully destroying German battleships is based on true events, and is surprisingly accurate - including the unfortunate loss of life suffered by the team.

As a film, it's ridiculously entertaining. As a tribute to fallen heroes, it's essential.

They Who Dare (1954)

The Special Force: Special Boat Service.

The Movie : A World War II movie focusing on the - real - mission undertaken by a small team of six British soldiers, two Greek officers and two local guides, to destroy two German airfields.

It might not be the greatest movie on this list, but the real-life story is astonishing enough for it to appeal to WW2 enthusiasts.

Heartbreak Ridge (1986)

The Special Force: Marine Corps.

The Movie: Ridge follows a small group of marines during the U.S' 1983 invasion of Grenada. Eastwood, who also wrote and directed the movie, excels as the leader of the group.

It's probably best you don't mention this one to the actual US military though, they withdrew initial support after seeing the first preview, allegedly annoyed by Eastwood's representation of real-life Medal Of Honour winner Thomas Highway.

We don't know what their problem was, this is one of Clint Eastwood's greatest performances.

Aliens (1986)

The Special Force: Colonial Marines.

The Movie: Okay, so they're not your traditional special force, but when Weyland-Yutani need a colony cleared of creatures, Hicks and his team are the men (and women) they call.

One thing's for sure, this is one of the best examples of grunt behaviour (and banter) that builds between teams of military men tasked with the most dangerous missions to be captured on celluloid.

Well, except for Hudson, obviously. If he was to enlist in the modern military, it'd be game over before you could say 'chicken'.

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

The Special Force: Navy Seals.

The Movie: Lesser filmmakers might have been tempted to make the story of Bin Laden's manhunt a 90 minute action movie, but Kathryn Bigelow's slow-burn procedural build to the compound assault increases the intensity of the sequence, with its realistic depiction making this arguably the best film to feature a special forces team - it's certainly the most critically acclaimed.

Now experience the pinnacle of special forces awesomeness with Call of Duty: Ghosts

The latest instalment in one of the world's biggest blockbuster first person shooter franchises is almost here - and it's as action-packed and cinematic ever.

Set in a near, technologically advanced future, Call of Duty: Ghosts drops gamers into a world that's been transformed and altered the global balance of power.

As a result, the USA is no longer the superpower it once was, with mere pockets of power struggling to survive against outside attacks.

Ten years on, and an elite group of soldiers known as 'Ghosts' are forced to protect the remains of the USA from a new threat south of the equator.

With mind-bendingly awesome weapons, stunningly cinematic visuals, a gripping plot, addictive multiplayer and gunplay as frantic and thrilling as ever, Call of Duty: Ghosts is guaranteed to blow the doors (and everything else) off the FPS world.

Find out more about Call of Duty: Ghosts on the official website , or Like the game on Facebook .

Call of Duty: Ghosts is out in the UK on Xbox One, PS4 and PC on 5 November 2013.

Sam Ashurst
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Sam Ashurst is a London-based film maker, journalist, and podcast host. He's the director of Frankenstein's Creature, A Little More Flesh + A Little More Flesh 2, and co-hosts the Arrow Podcast. His words have appeared on HuffPost, MSN, The Independent, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, and many more, as well as of course for us here at GamesRadar+.

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