Scum of the earth

Rating: 6/10 (12 November 2018)

Wellington's famous remark about his soldiers would seem to apply to the dirty dozen, but the only really unpleasant member of the team was the religious misogyny maniac played by Telly Savalas. The rest seemed fairly normal, just like ordinary everyday criminals. Presumably the military has always offered refuge to the unfortunate detritus of humanity. It has often licked the scum into shape. In Britain, they used to be sent to sea.
This is not an easy movie to review, nevertheless. The direction is skilled, the acting totally competent, if not especially demanding. The narrative is gripping, although there are a few disconcerting jump cuts. Lee Marvin holds it all together with exemplary swashbuckling style. However, and several reviewers have pointed this out, there is something highly distasteful about the way the final half hour spins to its ruthless conclusion. Was this some form of retribution for the Holocaust ? Realistic perhaps, but I have to dock a few stars.