The Dirty Dozen (B+ or 3/4 stars)
'The Dirty Dozen' (directed by Robert Aldrich) is considered - in some circles - one of the very best WWII action dramas of all-time. For me, it's a well-made, well-performed, entertaining, if overlong war flick but ... I don't know if I'd say best of all-time. Also, some people find its' very {for the time} violent, nihilistic action & strong anti-military, anti-life narrative to be too revolutionary; and the fact that this film was released during the Vietnam War made it all the more incendiary. Whatever the case, the film was a smash hit at the box office and, revered by many critics & awards bodies.
Set a few months before D-Day in England, roguish, renegade US Army officer Major Reisman (Lee Marvin) is summoned before a special board of Army officers and is reprimanded for behavior that is considered quite unbecoming an officer. Blustery Gen. Worden (Ernest Borgnine) gives Reisman a chance to rid himself of his black marks by assigning him the task of training 12 expendable, convicted GI's, sentenced to lengthy prison terms for heinous crimes - with some even on death row - to go on the voluntary suicidal commando mission of parachuting into Nazi-occupied France to blow up a secluded chateau where top-ranking German officers are holding a conference. Reisman is the only man who really has no choice in the matter.
It is Reisman's duty to convince the hard-boiled felons to go on said mission with no actual promise of clemency for any survivors; to properly prepare for the hard training & discipline that is required; and to forget about how ultra-dangerous the mission is. 6 of the 12 felons include: Franko (John Cassavetes), an unsavory murderer who had been a Chicago mobster; Robert T. Jefferson (Jim Brown, who quit the NFL to become an actor after this movie), an angry black man who loathes whites; Posey (Clint Walker), a not-so-smart Indian strongman; Maggott (Telly Savalas), a sexually-depraved religious fanatic; Wladislaw (Charles Bronson), a stoic Pole murderer; and Pinkley (Donald Sutherland) a yard bird dimwit. Revenge ensues.
Phew. What a freakin' movie. 'TDD' is likely best remembered for its action sequences & testosterone-fueled story, but it was also one of the 1st films ever to show the bleakest, darkest side of war ... that the best soldiers were/are often society's outcasts, psychopaths & misanthropes who rape & murder. Atrocities & brutalities occurred on BOTH sides during WWII. War is not civilized, and so, what better venue to place these carnage-charged animals? In essence, the movie is about a group of thugs slaughtering dozens of Germans - and plenty were German civilians - in cold blood. Despite the rah-rah machismo heroics in the end, that climactic event is basically a massacre where the line btwn. the good & bad guys is blurred.
Lee Marvin exudes great intensity as Maj. Reisman; just as he always brings to every role he ever had, including his Academy Award-winning turn in 1965's Cat Ballou. Charles Bronson is stellar as understated Wladislaw. John Cassavetes, deservedly Oscar-nommed here, is practically feral as outspoken, tough guy Franko. I also dug Richard Jaekcel as Sgt. Bowren, Ralph Meeker as Capt. Kinder, Trini Lopez, George Kennedy, & Robert Ryan as the pompous colonel who makes the 12 convict soldiers rally behind Reisman. Craft-wise, the film thrives, as well. Incredible sound design. The French mansion that is built {with the intention of being blown up} is impressive. And the pyrotechnic extravaganza during the climax is a wow.
'The Dirty Dozen' gives off some ambiguous themes/messages about war. In some quarters, it can be viewed as anti-war {that is my take}, but it can also be viewed as pro-war {that it can be a blast}. That is fascinating, yet, could be viewed as a narrative flaw, as well. One thing that can't be mistaken is the camaraderie that occurs when even the most unlikely of men can, when put together, work together & act valiantly. Again, I like the film & find it entertaining. But it is quite long, with some preposterous & contrived sections. Historians will also nitpick plot particulars about the military & war game specifics. Nevertheless, it is a testament to director Aldrich that these issues don't interfere with the surface action/adventure aspect of the proceedings.
Set a few months before D-Day in England, roguish, renegade US Army officer Major Reisman (Lee Marvin) is summoned before a special board of Army officers and is reprimanded for behavior that is considered quite unbecoming an officer. Blustery Gen. Worden (Ernest Borgnine) gives Reisman a chance to rid himself of his black marks by assigning him the task of training 12 expendable, convicted GI's, sentenced to lengthy prison terms for heinous crimes - with some even on death row - to go on the voluntary suicidal commando mission of parachuting into Nazi-occupied France to blow up a secluded chateau where top-ranking German officers are holding a conference. Reisman is the only man who really has no choice in the matter.
It is Reisman's duty to convince the hard-boiled felons to go on said mission with no actual promise of clemency for any survivors; to properly prepare for the hard training & discipline that is required; and to forget about how ultra-dangerous the mission is. 6 of the 12 felons include: Franko (John Cassavetes), an unsavory murderer who had been a Chicago mobster; Robert T. Jefferson (Jim Brown, who quit the NFL to become an actor after this movie), an angry black man who loathes whites; Posey (Clint Walker), a not-so-smart Indian strongman; Maggott (Telly Savalas), a sexually-depraved religious fanatic; Wladislaw (Charles Bronson), a stoic Pole murderer; and Pinkley (Donald Sutherland) a yard bird dimwit. Revenge ensues.
Phew. What a freakin' movie. 'TDD' is likely best remembered for its action sequences & testosterone-fueled story, but it was also one of the 1st films ever to show the bleakest, darkest side of war ... that the best soldiers were/are often society's outcasts, psychopaths & misanthropes who rape & murder. Atrocities & brutalities occurred on BOTH sides during WWII. War is not civilized, and so, what better venue to place these carnage-charged animals? In essence, the movie is about a group of thugs slaughtering dozens of Germans - and plenty were German civilians - in cold blood. Despite the rah-rah machismo heroics in the end, that climactic event is basically a massacre where the line btwn. the good & bad guys is blurred.
Lee Marvin exudes great intensity as Maj. Reisman; just as he always brings to every role he ever had, including his Academy Award-winning turn in 1965's Cat Ballou. Charles Bronson is stellar as understated Wladislaw. John Cassavetes, deservedly Oscar-nommed here, is practically feral as outspoken, tough guy Franko. I also dug Richard Jaekcel as Sgt. Bowren, Ralph Meeker as Capt. Kinder, Trini Lopez, George Kennedy, & Robert Ryan as the pompous colonel who makes the 12 convict soldiers rally behind Reisman. Craft-wise, the film thrives, as well. Incredible sound design. The French mansion that is built {with the intention of being blown up} is impressive. And the pyrotechnic extravaganza during the climax is a wow.
'The Dirty Dozen' gives off some ambiguous themes/messages about war. In some quarters, it can be viewed as anti-war {that is my take}, but it can also be viewed as pro-war {that it can be a blast}. That is fascinating, yet, could be viewed as a narrative flaw, as well. One thing that can't be mistaken is the camaraderie that occurs when even the most unlikely of men can, when put together, work together & act valiantly. Again, I like the film & find it entertaining. But it is quite long, with some preposterous & contrived sections. Historians will also nitpick plot particulars about the military & war game specifics. Nevertheless, it is a testament to director Aldrich that these issues don't interfere with the surface action/adventure aspect of the proceedings.