The Dirty Dozen (1967) Review

 

The Dirty Dozen (1967)

Set in the midst of WW2 in 1944, The Dirty Dozen centers on Major Reisman, after he is tasked with putting together a ragtag team of military criminals to undertake a top secret mission in Nazi occupied France.

Made during the golden age of Hollywood in the United States when military films were all the rage, this was the movie that set the precedent for films like Police Academy, Longest Yard, and even James Gunn citing it as a direct reference for the upcoming The Suicide Squad. And with good reason; it blends together comedy, action, and good old fashioned patriotism, while really diverting expectations. It takes the unlikely group dynamic, who are trained and made out to be nothing, while turning out to be something, but still managing to mess things up one way or another.

The dirty dozen themselves are awesome, with standout performances from Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, John Cassavetes, Jim Brown, and a young Donald Sutherland! The character and personality each character got, was bolstered well by the real life egos of these A-list actors, something that would normally conflict, but worked well for this gang of misfits.

Directed by Robert Aldrich, who coincidentally also did The Longest Yard with Burt Reynolds, this was another classic war film, that for once replaced the prideful nationalism of the time, with more of a brotherhood of guys who knew they were facing an impossible mountain ahead of them, or guaranteed death. It created an interesting dynamic that at first was, obviously, rebellious and disobedient, but gradually turned into respect not only for another, but for their command as well. Definitely one of the more enjoyable WW2 era films to come out of the time period, using lightheartedness and humor in place of the usual ‘stick up the ass attitude’. Even with the ending being unbelievably bleak and short, this still made the third act equal parts comical as can be and very action heavy, which of course was awesome to see.

Hilariously, this film was actually controversial at the time for its overuse of violence, which was very tame by modern standards over 50 years later!

6.9/10