Customer Reviews

The Dirty Dozen [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is my favourite film of all time. I have an old VHS tape but worried about what happens if it breaks..so I purchased the DVD of the same film. I never get tired of viewing this film.

Saw this at the theater when I was a kid. Fine character actors and ensemble performances. They
don't make 'em like this any more.

The Original movie was good and the extra mission was a surprise and good quality.

Are you looking for a movie with a great plot, perfectly timed action, and superb acting and directing? Look no further. This film, set in World War II, chronicles the covert operations of a group of military convicts, and their non-convict leader behind enemy lines. It is their task to sneak in and assassinate a large group of key German officials.
The movie starts with the commander (played by Lee Marvin, in arguably his greatest role) picking out some of the best, but also some of the most expendable men in the Army. He goes to the prison and gives them a deal. If they will fight, their sentences will be dismissed and they will be free. Most of these men are awaiting execution, while others have long prison terms. His first goal is to make them ready for combat, which proves to be no easy task, as these guys, who seemingly have nothing to lose, give him a hard time. But eventually, under his command, he creates an elite team of fighters. Now, the next objective is to learn the layout of the area they are to infiltrate, which is a huge French chateau, then sneak in and attack. But will they make it? Of course I will not tell you, you will need to see the movie yourself. But what I will tell you is that this is one of those films with an all star cast and loads of edge-of-your-seat action!!! Besides Lee Marvin, you have Telly Savalas, football great Jim Brown, the late VERY great Charles Bronson, Donald Sutherland ( Sutherland fans will also love the movie Kelly's Hero's), Ernest Borgnine, Clint Walker ( who also starred in the film Night Of The Grizzly), George Kennedy (who co-starred in the hilarious Naked Gun films), and a host of others too numerous to mention. Besides Action, the film incorporates a delicious amount of drama, suspense, comedy (the war games part will give you a good laugh), Horror (when Telly Savalas goes off the deep end), and intrigue.

Lee Marvin was just made for this role! Being a decorated WW2 vet he wasn't just acting in this classic! Add Charles Bronson, Telly Savalas, John Cassavetes, Donald Sutherland, & Clint Walker to the mix & you've got an "elite" group of psychos & killers that even would've scared [any dictator]! The movie is 2 1/2 hours but is never dull. There's great character development, plenty of humor, & big-time slaughter of [enemies] at the end! What more could you want from a war movie! For those who love WW2 behind-the-lines suspense, this is highly recommended.

I've always thought the Dirty Dozen was and still is the most fun a person can have watching a war movie if that seems possible! Fortunately for me and by coincidence, about ten years ago, Clint Walker (Posey) became one of my best friends. I wish hollywood still made movies like this. Unfortunately, there just aren't the same kind of actors around anymore.

"The Dirty Dozen" became one of the biggest hits of 1967, placing behind only "The Graduate," "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," and "Bonnie and Clyde." Its success was well-deserved and unsurprising given how enjoyable and stirring it is. Lee Marvin stars as a Major during WWII who is disliked by many of his superiors. He's assigned to lead a suicide style mission behind Nazi enemy lines. He's disinclined to do so, particularly after he meets his "troop" comprised of a dozen murderers and other criminals - the titular "dirty dozen." Despite his misgivings, Marvin eventually agrees to train and lead this rag-tag group, as a shot of redemption for all concerned.

The story is constructed brilliantly, beginning with an introduction to the assignment and the dirty dozen, detailing their training, showing their first "mock" operation, and climaxing with their final mission. The cast is a superior mix of established stars and then-newcomers, including Ernest Borgnine, George Kennedy, Charles Bronson, Trini Lopez, Jim Brown, Clint Walker, Telly Savalas, and Donald Sutherland. Special cudos go to Lee Marvin, who is terrific as the renegade Major, and John Cassavetes as the rebellious Franco; Cassavetes received his first Oscar nomination for the role (he later received one for writing and one for directing his own films).

Director Robert Aldrich does his best-ever work (he was nominated for best director by the Director's Guild of America), building on such earlier hits as "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" and "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte." His skillful direction manages to make us care deeply and root for a collection of violent offenders. Overall, "The Dirty Dozen" is a first-rate action movie - one of the most enjoyable ever made.

Extras: Included is a fascinating short (9:15) featurette, which was made at the time of release for promotional purposes. The short film presents the actors making the film and then relaxing in "swinging" London, shopping on King's Row, and so forth. A most fascinating time capsule! The building of the chateau for the film is also detailed; it was one of the largest sets ever built for a movie and was blown up for the climatic scene.

In WW2, tough Major John Reisman (Lee Marvin) is assigned to train twelve convicted war criminals (whose sentences range from 20 years of imprisonment to death by hanging) into a fighting team that will go behind enemy lines in order to infiltrate a French Château full of German officers. In this, the criminals will be let off the hook and will be returned to their official ranks and duties. During training, Reisman argues with his rival Col. Breed (Robert Ryan) who believes that his squad, and not misfit criminals should be given the privilege to carry out this mission. The dirty dozen includes characterizations by John Cassavetes, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, Trini Lopez, Telly Savalas (in a sadistic role), Donald Sutherland, Clint Walker, Tom Busby, Ben Carruthers, and Colin Maitland.

Though some of the character development is inconsistent, the film is nevertheless an extremely entertaining war movie that was original for it's time. There is humor, drama, and an explosive hit-and-run finale, making The Dirty Dozen a largely appealing war film. Biblical analogies and contradictory (if thats the right word) aspects of the mission are interesting as well.

Overall rating: 4.8 stars (Rounded to 5)

If you like this film, I would also recommend "Where Eagles Dare"

This film is not rated: there is violence, moderate vulgarity, and intensity.

The Dirty Dozen is one of the classic movies about World War 2 with an all star cast. Released in 1967, it tells of a mangy group of men which bands together to pull off an amazing WW2 escapade. The target is a German-controlled chateau in Reims, Brittany.

Lee Marvin is the Major that gathers the group together. The cast includes Donald Sutherland, Charles Bronson, Telly Savalas and many other greats. John Cassavates, who plays "Franco", was nominated for best supporting actor. The movie did win an oscar for best sound effects.

The group heads out to an English field , creates a camp, and begins to train. With a series of ups and downs during six weeks they become a strong fighting force. The test comes during divisional maneuvers in Devonshire, when they have to take on an elite force and take control of the HQ. Of course they do the job, with a good dose of cunning and subterfuge.

On to the French chateau. Amazingly, this was a huge set built just for the film that is destroyed in the finale. Indoor scenes were done at the MGM British Studios in Borhamwood, England.

While some might find the storyline unbelievable, the following year's release was a movie which told a true story of The Devil's Brigade - about a run-down group of misfits who went on to fame and glory.

This is a difficult film to discuss because it consists of so many components which are usually not combined within the same narrative: executions, strict confinement and isolation of "volunteers" for a seemingly impossible military mission (especially given who the "volunteers" are), mutual distrust, and war games prior to the mission; meanwhile, camaraderie, racism, teamwork, psychosis, sexual perversion, and patriotism guide and inform the men as they somehow complete their preparations and then begin a mission from which only one of the twelve survives. Their leader is Major Reisman (Lee Marvin), himself something of a pariah among the officers reporting to General Worden (Ernest Borgnine). Why is this film so popular? Others have their reasons. Here are mine. First, it is fascinating to observe Reisman as he employs all manner of unorthodox strategies and tactics to forge the effective teamwork on which the success of the mission ultimately depends. Also, under Robert Aldrich's brilliant direction, the quality of acting among the ensemble of "dirty" soldiers is consistently outstanding. Also, the hostility between Reisman's group and their nemesis Colonel Everitt Dasher-Breed (Robert Ryan) creates all manner of situations in which to develop teamwork in preparation for the mission, meanwhile humiliating Dasher-Breed at every opportunity. He is their enemy and they prevail against him. And finally, the concluding portion of the film during which Reisman and his men invade the French chateau, killing most of the German officers and their companions, offers a sequence of events which are genuinely exciting. Although knowing what to expect when I saw this film again recently, I was still caught up in the plot as elaborate preparations and then the mission itself are completed. Great entertainment.