"Train Them! Exite Them! Arm Them!...Then turn them loose on the Nazis!"

Rating: 10/10 (20 August 2015)

In the months leading up to the allied invasion of Europe, the U.S army gives Major Reisman a top secret assignment. He must transform twelve condemned men into a crack commando unit for a clandestine mission behind enemy lines. The tough Major is able to match the rebelliousness of the convicts and over time they come to respect him as their superior officer. After completing vigorous training, the Major will lead the "dirty dozen" in a daring attack on a French château which is being used as a German base. They must kill as many Nazi officers as possible so the third Reich will be plunged into chaos on the eve of the D-day landings. However, Reisman is at odds with his superiors, General Worden and Colonel Breed, a factor that threatens to place the mission in jeopardy...
Robert Aldrich does it again with this spectacular action epic. A real classic with a somewhat contemporary feel, The Dirty Dozen is everything today's actioners should be. As noted by another reviewer it is very comic book-esque, a statement echoed by myself. It has fine characters, each embodied by masterful acting talent and the narrative itself comprises of several engaging scenarios which build to a huge action sequence. Granite edged Lee Marvin excels in the lead as the cynical Major Reisman. This character has more in common with the rough and ready dozen than he does with the clean cut bureaucrats who assign him to the mission. Whilst not half as critical of the military as Aldrich's previous war movie Attack!, the aforementioned plot device is cleverly exploited so as to take subtle shots at the establishment. The Dirty Dozen also contains a restrained anti-war message, which may or may not go over the head of you as the viewer. Anyway as I was saying about performances, Ernest Borgnine also acquitted himself well as General Worden, as did Robert Ryan as Colonel Breed. A group of better actors couldn't have been selected to make up the dozen. We have the brilliant John Cassavetes, the always reliable Charles Bronson and everybody's favourite Greek, Telly Savalas. Jim Brown brings his energetic skill as a professional footballer to the role of Jefferson and George Kennedy and Richard Jaeckel were equally impressive as regular soldiers. There is a fine chemistry between the characters and the script contains some great and indeed very quotable dialogue. Apart from the climax, the movie has two highlights, the inspection of Colonel Breed's troops and the dozen proving their worth by capturing Colonel Breed and his staff during a war games exercise.
The explosive assault on the château is preceded by a gripping infiltration sequence which adds a tense air to the final half hour of the film. Epic in style, the climatic battle is just as taut as it is exhilarating. The entire sequence is constructed in a truly professional manor which removes the corniness present in the action scenes of so many other war movies. Aldrich gets plenty of mileage from the thunderous special effects, the château seems to be built to scale which makes for chilling realism when it is blown up. The machine guns discharge their bullets at such an extreme rate and there are some fantastic stunts too!
Blazing a new trail in it's genre, The Dirty Dozen redefines the war movie whilst alluding to the angst of 60s America. It would also be responsible for the birth of an amazing slice of cinema, the combat flick. 10/10