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The Dirty Dozen (Lee Marvin)

  Directed by
Robert Aldrich

Writing credits
E.M. Nathanson (novel)
Nunnally Johnson ...
 

 
Genre: War / Drama / Action 

Tagline: Train them! Excite them! Arm them!...Then turn them loose on the Nazis!

Plot Outline: An all-star cast energizes Robert Aldrich's classic World War II action drama about a group of 12 American military prisoners assembled by tacticians and ordered to perform a suicide mission: infiltrate a well-guarded ch teau and kill the Nazi officials vacationing there. The incarcerated soldiers, most of whom are facing death sentences for a variety of violent crimes, jump at the chance to redeem themselves. Major Reisman (Lee Marvin), the noncriminal in charge of the group, whips the men into a crack unit, uses them to best the troops of his by-the-book superior officer, Colonel Breed (Robert Ryan), in war games, then leads the steely antiheroes on their perilous assault.

The film is studded with standout performances, including Telly Savalas as a religious psychopath with a febrile animosity toward Germans and John Cassavetes in an Oscar-nominated portrayal as an insubordinate, poison-tongued hothead. Ernest Borgnine, Donald Sutherland, Charles Bronson, and football legend Jim Brown further round out the impressive collection of talent. Aldrich, who by the time of THE DIRTY DOZEN had been fathoming the darker side of life onscreen for more than a decade (KISS ME DEADLY, WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?), scored a huge hit with this rousing thriller laced with a stinging cynicism perfectly in tune with the increasingly skeptical tenor of the times.

User Comments: Feels a bit old still exciting and funny!

User Rating:  7.6/10 (7,589 votes) 
 
Cast overview, first billed only:
  Lee Marvin .... Maj. John Reisman
  Ernest Borgnine .... Maj. Gen. Worden
  Charles Bronson .... Joseph T. Wladislaw
  Jim Brown .... Robert T. Jefferson
  John Cassavetes .... Victor P. Franko
  Richard Jaeckel .... Sgt. Clyde Bowren
  George Kennedy .... Maj. Max Armbruster
  Trini L pez .... Pedro Jiminez
  Ralph Meeker .... Capt. Stuart Kinder
  Robert Ryan .... Col. Everett Dasher Breed
  Telly Savalas .... Archer J. Maggott
  Donald Sutherland .... Vernon L. Pinkley
  Clint Walker .... Samson Posey
  Robert Webber .... Brig. Gen. Denton
  Tom Busby .... Milo Vladek

Runtime: 145 min
Country: UK / USA
Language: English / French / German
Color: Color (Metrocolor)
Sound Mix: Stereo / 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)
Certification: Argentina:13 / Australia:M (DVD rating) / Australia:PG (cable rating) / Finland:K-16 / Norway:15 / Norway:16 (1968) / Singapore:PG / Sweden:15 / UK:15 (video rating) (1986) / UK:X (original rating) / USA:Unrated / West Germany:16

Trivia: The character of Reisman ( Lee Marvin) was based on USMC soldier John Miara of Malden, Massachusetts, who was a close personal friend of Lee Marvin while serving in the Marine Corps. 

Goofs: Anachronisms: In the beginning when Major Reisman is being given his mission, one of the officers speaking to him wears the ribbon for the Army Commendation medal (green with white stripes). The scene is set in 1944, yet Congress did not institute this medal until 1945.

Quotes: Major John Reisman : Boy, do I love that Franko.

Awards: Won Oscar. Another 5 wins & 6 nominations
 

User Comments:

"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. --Westley
 

UPC 012569507920