The Dirty Dozen

The Dirty Dozen (1967)

Runtime: 150 minutes

Directed by: Robert Aldrich

Starring: Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Ernest Borgnine

From: MGM

All this extended weekend Turner Classic Movies has been running war movies nonstop, for obvious reasons. Also for obvious reasons I figured it'd be appropriate to review at least one during the same time period. As this was just on earlier tonight and it was too long since I had last seen it, I gave it a spin.

To steal the plot description from the IMDb: “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.” Correct. As expected they are a ragtag group of people. The movie does take its time in showing how all the 12 men and the Major (Marvin) act, and it takes time but eventually they work together and they become an unorthodox but awesome fighting force and they have to destroy what's pretty much a resort for all high-ranking German officers and many of them can be found there at one time.

I'll admit that the movie is rough around the edges but that matches most of the characters you get to spend 2 ½ hours with. I mean, even though it is uneven at times, it's always entertaining despite its length and the long finale where they try to blow up the chateau is still rather thrilling even 47 years after the fact. Overall I do rank the movie pretty highly and I was glad to see it again tonight, especially in HD.

A very important thing to note is that this may be the manliest movie ever created. Besides the cast I already listed there's also the likes of George Kennedy, Robert Ryan, Telly Savalas, and Donald Sutherland. Several of the men actually served in World War II. I did not look into it fully but I know that at least Savalas, Ryan, Kennedy, Bronson and Marvin all were participants in the war, and old Lee actually was wounded in battle; he literally was shot in his hindquarters. That helps lend an air of authenticity.... their military service, I mean, not Marvin being shot in the ass.

I shall return tomorrow night.