The Dirty Dozen by Warner Home Video by Robert Aldrich

The Dirty Dozen, 1967 filmThis film begins with a hanging. Major Wiseman meets the General (who has orders). Twelve condemned prisoners will be used for a behind the lines attack on German General officers at a mansion in Rennes. [Is this practical?] The Major meets the prisoners and orders them to drill. Then he talks to each of them about their past (as an introduction). [Note how he converses with each one.] They build a new camp in the woods. [This pads out the story.] The prisoners begin their training. They must function as a team. Their refusal to shave with cold water units "the dirty dozen". Their training will conclude with parachute training. There is a joke about inspecting troops. [A comment on these times?] "They tried to make me talk." One man sings a song about a bramble bush. Eight ladies are brought to cheer them up for one night. Colonel Breed arrives with armed soldiers to investigate. Things don't go as planned.Colonel Breed complains to General Worden. The Major's men will take part in an exercise to show their worth. [Removing a distributor rotor will immobilize a truck.] There is an incident on the road and men are wounded. We see the trick to invade command HQ. It works. After the celebration they rehearse with a model of the enemy target. They are dropped by parachute near the target at night. Some soldiers wear enemy uniforms to enter the mansion. Others climb a rope to get to the roof. Is the roof sound? Will there be a mistake? A woman screams! It is treated like a joke. There are shots and explosions, the alarm goes off. People run to the bomb shelter. [Next to explosives?] They locate the air vents to the cellar. A sniper fires at them. Grenades are dropped into the vents. The explosions cause damage to the mansion. There is more shooting from both sides. [What was a big tracked vehicle doing there?] The survivor's records will be amended and they will be returned to active duty.When you think about this story it seems too fantastic for reality. Yet it was a big hit that year. Few World War II movies were made after the mid 1960s. This action movie seems to mock a colonel who tries to follow the rules. It doesn't seem as good today as it was four decades ago. You see some actors who are old and some who are new.

An opportunity arises to make a big difference in the war with just one operation. However it is determined a possibility that no one will survive. So who better to choose than soldiers that are already condemned to die?The formula is standard where all the 12 individual personalities are introduced. Throughout the film they display their individual strengths and weaknesses as they become a team.As with many big-budget movies the 12 actors used to portray the 12 soldiers are well known at the time of the production. Of course we will all have our favorites; and with 12 personalities to choose from not all 12 actors will have the same strength of character. However they are all needed to balance the story.It is not the story behind the film that gives it its strength. A few faux pas’s are overlooked. As you will soon feel that you are part of this expedition.I find myself periodically rewatching this movie and each time still pick up or really remember nuances that were overlooked. So if you have an opportunity you will want to rewatch this movie.The Devil's Brigade