One of the smash hits of its year, this action-packed archetypal bloke-flick is violent and amoral and a magnificent adventure that stirs the blood and warms the heart.
Major John Reisman (Lee Marvin) is given the task of recruiting 12 death-row military inmates and turning the unruly bunch of convicted murderers, rapists and street punks into a highly trained fighting machine to parachute into certain death on a suicide mission – designated “Project Amnesty” – behind Nazi lines.
There are no complicated motives, no layers of intrigue – just the need to lay a righteous beating at the enemy’s heart.
The ‘dirty dozen’ includes a sex pervert (Telly Savalas), a psycho (John Cassavetes) and a mentally-challenged killer (Donald Sutherland).
Reisman initially uses the group to best the troops of his by-the-book superior officer, Colonel Breed (Robert Ryan), in war games.
They then lead a perilous assault on a well-guarded French chateau – used for conferences and recreation by German officers – and kill the Nazis vacationing there, becoming somewhat dubious heroes.
The violence is, in fact, mild by today’s standards, but it nevertheless leaves a nasty taste in the mouth and the movie rightly earned its original X certificate.
Some films show the absurdity of war, others satirise its insanity, but Robert Aldrich’s all-star caper just uses it as an adventure playground . . . Dem doity Nazi’s don’t stand a chance!
The irony is that these criminals redeem themselves by committing acts which are more barbaric than the ones they were condemned for – because anything is acceptable in war.
Major John Reisman
Lee Marvin General Worden
Ernest Borgnine Joseph Wladislaw
Charles Bronson Robert Jefferson
Jim Brown Victor Franko
John Cassavetes Sgt Bowren
Richard Jaeckel Maj Max Armbruster
George Kennedy Pedro Jiminez
Trini Lopez Capt Stuart Kinder
Ralph Meeker Col Everett Dasher Breed
Robert Ryan Archer Maggott
Telly Savalas Vernon Pinkley
Donald Sutherland Samson Posey
Clint Walker Colonel Denton
Robert Webber Milo Vladek
Tom Busby Glenn Gilpin
Ben Carruthers Roscoe Lever
Stuart Cooper Corporal Morgan
Robert Phillips Seth Sawyer
Colin Maitland Tassos Bravos
Al Mancini
Director Robert Aldrich
Video
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Major John Reisman (Lee Marvin) is given the task of recruiting 12 death-row military inmates and turning the unruly bunch of convicted murderers, rapists and street punks into a highly trained fighting machine to parachute into certain death on a suicide mission – designated “Project Amnesty” – behind Nazi lines.
They then lead a perilous assault on a well-guarded French chateau – used for conferences and recreation by German officers – and kill the Nazis vacationing there, becoming somewhat dubious heroes.
Major John Reisman
