Review of The Dirty Dozen (1967) by Filipeneto — 02 May 2020

This film, set in the World War II, is an adventure in which a group of twelve American soldiers, chosen among those convicted of several military crimes, is trained and sent on a suicide mission behind German lines, in occupied France, to kill as many German officers as possible in a castle that was used as a place of rest and recreation. It is an engaging but long film, and I think it has some problems, as the preparation and training of these soldiers occupies more than half of the film's leght and the operation itself is placed without much detail or attention, when compared to the trainings.

The film is directed by Robert Aldrich, and it is his first work that I have seen, but it seems good enough. The question I mentioned above, about the difference between the time spent showing the trainings and the time spent with the military action, was something that he could have solved. One thing, for example, in which the film does not spend a minute of celluloid is the return or evacuation of the survival soldiers. What compensates these flaws is the light and well-placed humour and the action, always present in one way or another.

The cast is one of the most interesting things here. In addition to Lee Marvin, a veteran of cowboy or soldier movies, we have other famous "tough guys" like Robert Ryan, Ernest Borgnine, Clint Walker, Telly Savalas (in one of the most complex roles in the film, a fanatical religious freak) and Donald Sutherland. John Cassavetes has one of the most central roles in the plot and is simply excellent, as is Charles Bronson. Its the "tough squad" of cinema assembled in a film loaded with testosterone and masculinity. Everyone does a good job, they are good actors in the genre they are used to, and they do not disappoint the public. However, people looking for something intellectual or psychologically profound may prefer to see something else.

Technically, the film seems to me quite regular. A somewhat dated cinematography, the state of the art when the film was made, good special, visual and sound effects, costumes and sets according to the time (as far as I could tell, an expert in old military material maybe more skilful than me) and a suitable soundtrack, but it doesn't stand out.