The Dirty Dozen poster & wallpaper

Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson

During World War II, an American Major is given the task of recruiting 12 soldiers from an American military prison for a special guerrilla mission that will give them the chance to regain their honor...( read more  read more... ).

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Unrated, 2 hrs. 30 min.

Directed by: Robert Aldrich

Release Date: June 15, 1967

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DVD Release Date: April 28, 1998

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Flixster Reviews (1,365)

  • mrpopcorn
    August 12, 2009
    mrpopcorn
    "Feed the French, kill the Germans"

    A US Army Major is assigned a dozen convicted murderers to train and lead them into a mass assassination mission of German officers in World War II.

    REVIEW

    R...( read more)efreshingly devoid of heroism (while remaining gleefully knee-deep in sensationalism), this movie honestly surprised me with it's depth. Lee Marvin is a marvel as a tough Army major assigned to whip a bunch of violent Army felons into shape for a covert mission in German territory. John Cassavetes and Charles Bronson, both smoldering, anchor the charismatic cast of convicts (half of whom remain rather anonymous, unfortunately), and Telly Savalas adds an addled charm as the psychopathic Pvt. Maggott even though his character's story arc is somewhat mishandled down the stretch. The film is rollicking at times but it remains clear-eyed throughout, and revels in the coldness of armed conflict as opposed to cheap dramatics it could have plumbed out of such a familiar story.
  • PvtCaboose91
    August 11, 2009
    PvtCaboose91
    "I never went in for embroidery, just results."


    The Dirty Dozen is a quintessential man's movie - a blokey salute to courage, determination and true grit. Director Robert Aldrich seizes a traditional World War II adventure tale and cleverly blends

    ...( read more)it with anti-authoritarian attitudes that were flourishing in America by the late 1960s (as the unpopular Vietnam War continued to escalate). Amazingly for such a beefy two-and-a-half-hour movie, The Dirty Dozen is nimbly paced and not a moment feels inessential. It's unable to hold a candle to the visceral war films of later decades (like Saving Private Ryan), but The Dirty Dozen remains undeniably enjoyable and captivating.


    Set just before D-Day, the film involves a cynical army major named John Reisman (Marvin). As a prelude to the Normandy invasion, Reisman's superiors order him to carry out a classified mission: recruit and train twelve army prisoners (who are condemned to either death or life imprisonment), and lead them behind enemy lines to destroy a Nazi chateau. This chateau houses a variety of high-ranking German officers, and killing them could disrupt the enemies' chain of command. Reisman's twelve soldiers (known as the Dirty Dozen because they were stripped of their bathing privileges as a form of punishment) will be granted a full pardon if they return from their suicide mission alive.


    The story is straightforward, but our intimate involvement with the characters carries this simple story a lot further. The Dirty Dozen fleshes out its characters as much as the story demands without resorting to meandering bonding scenes or dated montages. Even despite the fact that some of these characters are alleged murderers, they're wonderfully humanised and likeable.


    The team of misfits initially detest one another, but they're brought together through their hard, laborious training. By the third act the twelve soldiers share a unique brotherhood, but this is not long-lived. The climax may not be the most spectacular combat sequence in history, but the film's brutal honesty in displaying the systematic elimination of members of the Dirty Dozen is astonishing. Normally in mainstream cinema, the heroes survive and save the day. But in The Dirty Dozen, the heroes learn a cruel reality of war: people die.


    The Dirty Dozen is based on the novel of the same name by E.M. Nathanson. Neither the book nor the film has any particular historical antecedent, though it was common practice in wars to send criminals into battle with the promise of a full pardon if they survive. Those who are sticklers for detail will find a lot to nitpick about The Dirty Dozen - its depiction of the military and of military procedures is slipshod, the wargames sequence is at times absurd, and its set-up of the climax (with guards in short supply) is contrived. The biggest flaw, however, is that the Nazis are written as too conveniently stupid. Had they been that dumb in real life, the war would have been won in a matter of days. These problems don't interfere too severely with one's overall enjoyment of the film though, which is a testament to Aldrich's directorial skill.


    The Dirty Dozen was created during an era before computer-generated special effects became an integral part of the moviemaking process. Therefore a significant portion of the budget for this film went towards constructing an actual mansion for the final battle. The pyrotechnics and practical effects in general are refreshing in an age of CGI-overwhelmed blockbusters. The climax itself is an impressive action sequence brimming with nail-biting intensity. It definitely lacks a certain visceral punch in terms of gunshot wounds (those who are shot just fall to the ground without any palpable injury), but it nevertheless remains an incredibly entertaining sequence...the half an hour just flies by.


    While it can be perceived as fairly tame, The Dirty Dozen was edgy for its era and hit a nerve with audiences upon release in 1967. The film isn't weighed down by messages or moral lessons, but it was one of the first motion pictures in history to display the darker side of war - that the best soldiers are often societal outcasts who murder and rape. War is hell, it ain't civilised, and it brings out the savage in everyone.


    Aldrich's film provides a cynical view of the army, of authority and of the mission the dozen are asked to execute (after all, why couldn't they just bomb the chateau?). The fact that the mission seems suicidal and unnecessary is deliberate, as Aldrich's primary target was military idiocy. Throughout the course of the film he even takes swipes at the death penalty and race relations. The Dirty Dozen also became the first major mainstream movie to acknowledge that atrocities took place on both sides during World War II. The film's protagonists kill plenty of Germans (some of whom are innocent civilians) in cold blood. Arriving on screens in the middle of the increasingly ostracised Vietnam War, The Dirty Dozen broke a barrier, blurring the line between the "good guys" and the "bad guys".


    One of the most distinguished aspects of this ensemble action flick is the cast. Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson are major badasses, and their characters are representative of their own personalities. John Wayne was apparently considered for the part of Major Reisman but he declined in order to make The Green Berets, and Lee Marvin stepped into the role instead. Marvin is excellent; portraying Reisman as an unflinchingly authoritarian. Other standouts in the cast include John Cassavetes, who earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his work as the most outspoken and toughest of Reisman's convicts.
    As for the rest of the cast, there's Ernest Borgnine, Jim Brown, Richard Jaeckel, George Kennedy, Trini López, Ralph Meeker, Robert Ryan, Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland, Clint Walker, Robert Webber, Tom Busby, Ben Carruthers, Colin Maitland, Stuart Cooper and Al Mancini among others - every one of whom hit their marks.


    The Dirty Dozen even influenced numerous films, ranging from made-for-television sequels to movies which employ a similar premise and modify it (Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables, and so on).


    Sure, The Dirty Dozen is flawed and it's more of a macho male's fantasy than a realistic war film, but it remains an eminently watchable 145-minute cinematic experience. This is just a good old-fashioned manly movie. Not to be missed.
  • garyX
    January 13, 2009
    garyX
    Lee Marvin stars as a maverick colonel who is "volunteered" for the task of whipping a dozen death row inmates into shape to attack a target behind enemy lines. On more than one occasion, female acquaintances have refused to watch certain films because they are "boy's films", som...( read more)ething I find irritatingly dismissive. But where The Dirty Dozen is concerned, it's a case of guilty as charged. If Star Wars is the film that reminds me of being 8 again, this film takes me back to the 12 year old me, playing with my Action Man (GI Joe to you colonials...) Lee Marvin is at his gruff best, and Charles Bronson, John Cassavetes, Jim Brown et al dole out the testosterone soaked heroics to have at the dreaded hun. It's the kind of old fashioned boy's own war film that Aldrich excelled at, and a supporting cast also including comic relief from slow-witted "General" Donald Sutherland and a darker edge provided by religious psychopath Telly Savalas, it covers all possible bases. The bootcamp-maneuvres-mission formula has been copied umpteen times since and the broad comedy of the first half of the film contrasts with the Magnificent Seven style slam-bang finale behind enemy lines perfectly. It's huge fun if you like this type of thing, but it's definitely aimed at an XY audience.
  • sononothing
    September 26, 2008
    sononothing
    The Dirty Dozen is a war movie that was released in an era when the country was divided on the war in Vietnam and it shows. Much of the dialogue throughout The Dirty Dozen is filled with shots at the brass who are making stupid decisions and wasting lives. The film is about a reb...( read more)el major (Lee Marvin in another bad ass role) who is volunteered to lead an assignment behind the lines as a prelude to D-Day. He is to put together a small unit of soldiers from men sentenced to death or decades in prison for an attack on a French chateau that's full of German high command.

    The film feels as if it's trying to be The Great Escape, but doesn't quite get it. Yes, Charles Bronson is back playing another Polish character. Donald Sutherland, Telly Savalas, and Jim Brown are the highlights of the dozen with Ernest Borgnine playing the general that sends Marvin on his mission and George Kennedy as the major that seems to be the voice of reason between Marvin's charcter and the brass. It's a great cast and a good script, though it seems to lull during the initial training phase the film builds up into a harrowing climax that leaves you on the edge of your seat as they take the chateau. It's this 20 minute sequences that real makes this a great film.

    The Dirty Dozen is one of those World War II films that raised its head from the pool of hundreds of WWII films that have been released during the last sixty years. The story is implausible, yet the characters are engaging with some wit thrown in for good measure. It may not be the greatest war film, but it deserves recognition as a film filled with action and a bit of sarcasm at the guys that make the decisions.
  • Deano78
    September 6, 2008
    Deano78
    A very good war film as a tough group is formed for a special mission.
  • spacecasefukface
    November 12, 2009
    spacecasefukface
    what a perfect cast this movie has. its just an all star line up here. the wonderful thing about this movie is that the chemistry is so good that it just draws you in and you just cant not watch this film. all the big tough guys are here bronson, marvin savalas, jim brown, to do ...( read more)what they do best kick ass !!!!!
  • spencergrande6
    November 9, 2009
    spencergrande6
    Solid, respectful "men on a mission" film, with an overblown ending.
  • calum18mcdonald
    October 5, 2009
    calum18mcdonald
    got to be my all time fave hope it arrives on blu ray .
  • TecmoSmokaBowl
    October 1, 2009
    TecmoSmokaBowl
    Classic badass movie! Anytime you throw Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, and Jim Brown together, you are gonna get a fight!
  • jscottcorley
    September 5, 2009
    jscottcorley
    Instead of pointing out how great this movie is, let me just say that John Cassavetes friggin' rules.

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  • "I don't think it'd pay to advertise the fact that one of the men that we're working for has to be a raving lunatic." Is a quote from which classic film?   Answer »
  • Name the movie in which a bunch of malcontents, murderers, thieves, and convicts were chosen to take a special mission in WWII for their freedom.  Answer »
  • Was the movie American Tiger ever released?  Answer »
  • which actors played in the dirty dozen  Answer »
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