I’m not in the business of making bold statements, and I’m sure this will no doubt strike contention with many, but as far as I am concerned Robert Aldrich’s The Dirty Dozen is the greatest war film of them all. Sure Powell and Pressburger’s The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is a sublime piece of cinema, as is their A Matter of Life and Death,and while Terrence Malick’s The Thin Red Line revitalised a fledgling genre, I don’t personally believe that any of them can hold a candle to this tour de force of character-heavy action cinema. Granted its not the most stylish film, its not the best shot and its rough around the edges, but the characterisation is second to none, with great turns from John Cassavetes, Donald Sutherland, Lee Marvin, Ben Carruthers, Charles Bronson and Telly Savalas, to name but six of the extraordinary ensemble cast. 

The story of 12 wayward American soldiers held in prison during the second world war, who, in return for their freedom sign up for a suicide mission behind enemy lines. We follow their inception, their training and their mission, in a tale that revolves around the comradery of the group rather than the focus of the mission. This is the reason for the films success, in a way the locale and situation could be a number of interchangable ideals, but the successful factor would remain. A relatively grim ending for what is a largely lightweight piece of cinema surprises, but add’s to the action credentials that the film appears to be striving for. 

The cast is nigh on perfect. My adoration for John Cassavetes is noted, so I will refrain from superlating his turn in The Dirty Dozen too much. Suffice to say his Franko is my favourite of all of his commercial acting roles, with the description of “likeable-rogue” seemingly invented for the performance. Telly Savalas, best known for his role as TV’s Kojak provides a memorable and against-type turn as Maggott, a southern “gentleman” of a soldier obsessed with rape and punishment, and is the true villain of the piece. Donald Sutherland plays the fool, in the role that really kickstarted his film career, and proves to be one of his most memorable turns. Alongside M.A.S.H and Kelly’s Heroes Sutherland proved to be quite the player in the less-than-straight-war-film. Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson provide the ass-kicking hard bastard aspect, with great support from the lesser members of the Dozen. Special note must go to Ben Carruthers of John Cassavetes’ Shadows, in a rare performance. The cast truly is a treat, with it being a prime example of just how a strong ensemble line up can make the most tired of concepts stand the test of time.  

The Dirty Dozen’s influence has spread far and wide, with the most obvious being this summers upcoming Quentin Tarantino film Inglourious Basterds, yet the general result of such homages is usually not up to its predecessor.