one of the supreme "d*** flicks" of its time

Rating: 9/10 (13 March 2008)

If you want that charge of adrenaline, and more than a few laughs, from an era when men were MEN, in capital letters, look no further. And what entertaining, all-absorbing MEN, or rather real-life stars. The basic gist we got here is as follows: Lee Marvin is the Major who leads a a rag-tag group of convicts in WW2 Europe on a daring, very dangerous mission to kill as many officers possible in a huge fortress. The premise has that ensemble ring of Seven Samurai, but it's given that level of pathos that is not entirely dissimilar (or not featuring some of the same cast members) as Cool Hand Luke. This isn't your common war movie in the sensibility of the characters, a mentality that has just that whiff of professionalism and a whole lot of "let's mess with the heads of those in charge." It's a balancing act that director Aldrich tries for with the material, with half the movie being bad-ass hijinks- bordering almost on sophomoric, as the music often chimes a level between chirpy military anthem and Donald Duck- and the other as hard-edged action movie.
While Aldrich is up to task, performing his directorial duties with a cool professionalism (particularly in the climactic attack on the fortress, which goes between exhilarating and terrifying and with suspense thrown in for obvious measure), it's the cast assembled that make the mark it as an excellent effort. Everybody is spot-on, from Cassavetes, in one of his most notable turns, as a wise-ass who wises up, to Bronson and Brown in their own distinctive molds, to Sutherland's aloof "General", and to especially the real psycho in Savalas. Even parts that are pretty standard like Borgnine and Kennedys' parts are fulfilled with all their worth. And Marvin steers the ship with a level fo vigor that defines what the hell we guys watch these flicks for. He's no fake; beneath his actual acting chops he's the kind of guy who looks like, under these circumstances (not to mention, especially, Samuel Fuller's The Big Red One), like he can get things done.
But beneath the veneer of being a total hard-head who won't take any guff and can poise attack or defense in a heartbeat, there's humanity to him. And this, too, reflects a good lot of the Dirty Dozen. Just watch the scene where the girls are brought in from town to 'amuse' the soldiers. That moment when all of those guys, bearded and without a shower in weeks, are before these semi-attractive ladies, are sort of humbled and Franco asks one to dance despite the lack of music, which he hums. This interaction itself doesn't have much to do with the plot, albeit the scene's needed to get Marvin in trouble later with his superiors, but it's crucial to see a glimpse of the other side to these men, when all of a sudden taken out of their 'guy' element. And it's a help that there's this backdrop of humility in the face of wackiness and a climax that stands as one of the greats in war movies. 9.5/10