TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

SoftInloveRox Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

Hulkeasexo it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

elvircorhodzic THE DIRTY DOZEN is a war action film that, in an unconventional and violent way, but with a lot of emotions, glorifies a group of criminal soldiers. This story is very brutal and perverted with a single sadistic note, but it is not irresponsible. It is based on E. M. Nathanson's novel of the same name that was inspired by a real-life group called the "Filthy Thirteen".Major Reisman is assigned to coordinate a suicide mission on a French château held by top Nazi officers. He is to train a small band of the Army's worst convicts (selected for him) and turn them into commandos to be sent on a virtual suicide mission. After witnessing a hanging in a military prison, Reisman meets his 12 convicts (the 'Dirty Dozen'), all either serving lengthy sentences or awaiting execution. He visits them individually in their cells. Some details of their crimes are revealed and he uses a different approach with each in an effort to gain their cooperation. After being forced to construct their own living quarters, the 12 men are trained in close combat by Reisman and gradually learn how to operate as a group...Simply, it is difficult to imagine such a situation and conditions, but the plots are very exciting. The characters have an anti heroic mood, which corresponds to their harsh habits and indiscipline. This story does not resist various forms of sadism and morbid situations. Mr. Aldrich has made a trap, as he has managed to bring the army and the criminals into an imaginary line. This may be somehow absurd, however, given the conditions of warfare, that makes sense. Simply, in this movie, they are all rough, crazy and incapable for something.The characterization is not bad, but dialogues are pretty poor.Lee Marvin as Maj. John Reisman is an impolite and ruthless but very brave colonel. Charles Bronson as Joseph Wladislaw is a silent and staid killer. John Cassavetes as Victor R. Franko is a psychopathic rebel, who has a strange desire to prove to himself. Telly Savalas as Archer J. Maggott is a sexual maniac under the guise of a religious fanaticism. He is, probably, the most striking character in the movie. Jim Brown as Robert T. Jefferson is an athlete who seems to be in a wrong place. Donald Sutherland as Vernon L. Pinkley is a good-natured laddie with a mild form of mental retardation.Other actors respond well to their roles This war experience is quite exciting and morbid to some extent.

Lebowskidoo Or: The Expendables is basically The Dirty Dozen 2010's, that was my point, it is completely derived from The Dirty Dozen. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's obviously the blueprint for so many action movies that followed. A lot meaner and funnier than I expected going in. Everyone's so young and alive! Charles Bronson had yet to grow his trademark moustache and Donald Sutherland looks like a teenager.I enjoyed this movie and the odd cast mixing together. Telly Savalas as "Maggot" was one creepy weirdo! Makes you wonder how this sort of movie plays in Germany, if at all?

BoomerDT Understand this: in WW2 (and today) there was no shortage of elite, well-trained and disciplined commandos willing to risk life and limb to go on suicidal missions. So under no circumstance would it be necessary to send a dozen men from a military prison, who were either condemned to execution or sentenced to lengthy prison term at hard labor, on a mission to go behind enemy lines on the eve of DDay to try and kill as many officers as possible of the German high command, enjoying R&R in a French château.However, this contrived premise becomes the hook that elevates TDD above another WW2 action movie. I actually find the first 2/3 of the movie dealing with the assembly of the unit and how Lee Marvin as Maj. Reisman trains them to be a crack and cohesive combat unit more interesting than the actual mission. It's an excellent cast. Marvin was at his peak, having recently had a couple brilliant roles, 1 dramatic as an alcoholic in "Ship of Fools" and the other as a drunken gunfighter in the comedy, "Cat Ballou." In TDD Marvin gets to do his tough guy personification again, but he shows a wonderful touch of wryly delivering comedic lines. TDD has a superb cast playing the Army brass and the prisoners. Ernest Borgnine gives a good low key performance as the general who concocted this plan, as does George Kennedy as his aide. Robert Ryan is the arrogant and pompous Col. Breed who despises Maj. Reisman. Richard Jaeckel gives another top notch performance as the MP Sgt who has to assist Reisman in keeping order, while the vastly underrated Ralph Meeker has a great bit as an Army shrink who analyzes the misfits.At the heart of this are the "Dozen" the convicts who will be expected to pull of this mission or die trying to even have a shot at clemency. Actually for the audience we only really get to know 6 of them. Bronson and Clint Walker were good soldiers who ended up on death row, Bronson after he fragged a cowardly officer and Walker after he lost his temper and killed a man with a punch. Football great Jim Brown made his initial movie appearance, waiting to die after killing a racist who wanted to castrate him. His adversary among the prisoners becomes Telly Savalas as Pvt. Maggot, truly a psychotic and racist killer. Donald Sutherland gives a good comedic bit as a rather dim-witted soldier, while the great John Cassavetes delivers perhaps the stand out performance of the 12 as Franco, a low level ex-Chicago mobster, sentenced to death after a penny ante holdup went astray. Franco ends up becoming sort of the ex post facto leader of the 12 as they eventually become an efficient killing machine.One of those flicks that is fun to continually watch, if nothing else for one of the truly great movie casts of all time.

bpladybug Over forty years and this movie continues to thrill and entertain. I have seen it several times. If you like the war film genre or just exciting action with ironic humor then you MUST make time to see the original Dirty Dozen.wow, I need ten linesCharles Bronson, Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Jim Brown, Telly SavalisIf you are a young person then you might want to watch these actors - greats in their time. The movie does lack a significant female lead but that was typical for the times.