I had forgotten just how great the classic guys movie THE DIRTY DOZEN is, with an all star cast led by Lee Marvin and war action galore.
Marvin stars as Major Reisman, an officer with discipline problems of his own, asked to select 12 murderers for a suicide mission against the Nazis.
The ragtag group he assembles includes some great actors at their best, including manic John Cassavettes, tough Charles Bronson, crazy Telly Savalas, giant Clint Walker and the hilarious Donald Sutherland.
The mission is to insert this motley crew into German territory on a suicide mission to blow up a huge Chateau where German Generals and senior officers are away on R&R.
Some of the best scenes are Marvin and the Dozen getting the best of stuffy American Col. Breed (Robert Ryan) under the appreciative eye of General Worden (Ernest Borgnine at his best).
At over two and a half hours, Director Robert Aldrich (The Longest Yard) keeps things fast, interesting and action packed.
Jim Brown has his best film role (along with Ice Station Zebra) as one of the dozen and his scene dropping grenades into vents at the chateau as he dodges enemy gunfire is a sixties action classic moment.
They don't make 'em like this anymore and there certainly aren't actors like Lee Marvin anymore! This is one of his best films and it brings back some great memories of seeing this with my Dad back in the day.
A modern action classic that had major influences on Tarantino (Inglorious Basterds) and nearly every action film that followed its release in 1967.
It earns an explosive A+ and a spot in my all-time Top 100 films.
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