Cheap The Dirty Dozen (DVD) (Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, John Cassavetes, Telly Savalas) (Robert Aldrich) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Dirty Dozen

The objective: Destroy a French chateau and kill the Nazi officers occupying it, causing a major disruption in the German Army ranks. If mission is successful, prisoners will be pardoned for all crimes under the Visiting Forces Act in Britain.

Easier said than done. However, for U.S. Army Major John Reisman, it is a task that he will accomplish by any means necessary. And that sets in motion one of the greatest World War II films ever made for the cinema screen. Released in 1967 by MGM, The Dirty Dozen changed the way we looked at soldiers and war heroes. Instead of the clean-cut types we have been used to watching in war films, we are introduced to the most psychopathic, anti-social bunch of soldiers ever to take on the Third Reich.

Nevertheless, the film is still entertaining, and explosive to boot. With a cast that includes Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, the great Donald Sutherland, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, Telly Savalas, Clint Walker, Richard Jaeckel, Robert Ryan, George Kennedy, and the late John Cassavetes (in a hateful role that earned him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor), The Dirty Dozen proves that you can find heroes in the most unlikely of all places.

These twelve men fight like twelve hundred when it comes to taking on the Imperial German Army, and in the end, it becomes an explosive confrontation between two forces that are bent on annihilating each other. If you enjoy war movies, you'll enjoy The Dirty Dozen.

Trivia note: The movie was filmed on location at MGM British Studios in Borhamwood, England.

Lee Marvin appeared in another classic WWII movie thirteen years later. The 1980 classic The Big Red One.

Both Jim Brown and Ernest Borgnine appeared in the classic 1968 Cold War Thriller Ice Station Zebra. Like in The Dirty Dozen, Brown's character gets killed off. Apparently, some execs were a bit racist.

The Dirty Dozen
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.

An Edge-Of-Your-Seat Style Of Movie
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.