Classic WWII action flick from the 60's

Rating: Null/10 (18 November 1999)

The Dirty Dozen was right up there with the other WWII epics that were made in the 60's. Lee Marvin has always shined in these roles because he actually saw combat and was wounded in WWII, so what you're seeing on the screen is close to the real deal. The Big Red One is another example. Here, Lee is given the task of training a dozen army convicts, some basically decent guys, some real psychos, and lead them on a suicide mission to a French chateau to assassinate as many German officers as possible. Along the way, we see them training, eventually bonding, and then finally going on the mission. It has a few scenes that are comedic, and some scenes have a certain edge, or meanness to them, like when innocent civilians get killed with cold detachment. The cast is great, with each principal actor given his moment to establish his character. So all in all, it's a great action flick, especially the last hour.