Does Just Enough For Younger Generation

Rating: 5/10 (11 March 2017)

During the 1960s, a glut of films set in World War 2 America were produced. This was one of them. If your generation's pivotal moment was WW2, then you will enjoy this film very much. However, for the younger generation, it does just enough to stay on the right side of the "boring line".
For a basic plot summary, this film focuses on the efforts of Army officer Major Reisman (Lee Marvin) to turn a ragtag group of convicts into a serious fighting force for a suicide mission behind enemy lines. Many of the cons are played by popular actors/personalities such as Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, Telly Savalas, and Donald Sutherland, to name but a few.
Like I said, this film does just enough to keep it from being boring. The characters are by-and- large entertaining, the plot is interesting enough to make you want to see the resolution, and the acting is solid.
Here's the problem: it also has the pacing of a 60s movie (which will be a problem with the younger crowd). This movie could have been 30 minutes shorter and probably been just as good, as parts (like at the beginning and end) really got bogged down. Again, this is probably a generation-gap difference in film watching at play here, but I just wanted to point it out.
Thus, though I wouldn't ever call this movie a "classic" unless I'm referring to the decade in which it was made, it is decent enough to warrant a viewing if you are a fan of either WW2 flicks, or ensemble-cast blockbusters that showcase celebrities of that era. If you don't fall into either category, then you should probably stay away.