Review of The Dirty Dozen (1967) by The Critic ( — 13 Jun 2013

Divided into three distinctive acts, 'The Dirty Dozen' only allows a handful of its titular characters any depth and development. This is expected, considering how much the film fits into two-and-a-half hours, giving the tale some diverse people to barrack for; Lee Marvin is solid as leader of the pack Reisman, with John Cassavetes as back-talking Franko, a charming Donald Sutherland as simpleton Pinkley, Telley Savalas as the psychopathic Maggott, a restrained Charles Bronson as Wladislaw, likeable Jim Brown as Jefferson and handsome Clint Walker as temperamental, gentle giant Posey providing the most interesting members of his team.

There's a superbly handled balance of humour and drama here, and the final act is an intense mixture of thrills and explosive action sequences. 'The Dirty Dozen' is an engaging journey; MGM's biggest box office hit of 1967 that spawned a number of sequels.