Some movies need to bee seen by everyone at least once. The Dirty Dozen is one of those films. I had the good luck of seeing this film as a youngster, my father watched the film in his youth and was thoughtful enough to give my brother and I the opportunity to do the same.
This film is about 12 convicted murderers that are serving sentences in a military prison. They are offered repreive from their scentences if they participate in a secret suicide mission, and are able to come out alive. The target is a German chateau used by Nazi Officers for R&R.
The film follows this motley crew through training and we see all the trials and tribulations of trying to get hardened murderers to work as a team. The movie is simply one of the greatest military films of all time, and has amazing dynamics between the charachters.
Lee Marvin plays Major Reisman and is the man responsible for leading this group of murderers into Germany. He comes off as a believable leader, and is totally macho. He really pulled the movie together for me and I cannot stress enough how good he does in this role.
For a war movie, we do not see alot of combat until the final act. The last scene is great and it is a killer battle. Part of the magic is that we get to see what the team has learned, put to use, and we get to see some of the less sane characters slip back into madness. It is in the final battle that we see if this crazy idea works or not. Will a dozen criminals come together and be victorious, will they be redeemed through their acts of bravery or would they of been better off in prison.
International Friends – If you have not seen this movie, please do so.
