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Lee Marvin leads a dozen military convicts on a secret mission to infiltrate a Nazi stronghold and assassinate several German officers. Many of the ‘Dirty Dozen’ are sentenced to hang, but Marvin slowly earns their trust as he whips them into shape. After training and practice, they parachute into Germany to launch their attack — knowing full well that many of them may not return.
The Dirty Dozen was one of 1967’s biggest money-makers and played in theaters for nearly two full years. Director Robert Aldrich (What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?) and screenwriters Nunnally Johnson (The Grapes of Wrath) and Lukas Heller (Flight of the Phoenix) strike a winning tone, combining serious action and character-driven comedy in a way that would help define the next several decades of ‘buddy action’ flicks. Marvin, hot off his Oscar win for Cat Ballou, is confident and cool, somehow managing to serve as both the men’s drill sergeant and something of a father figure. He’s surrounded by a remarkable ensemble that includes Telly Savalas as a dangerous misogynist, Donald Sutherland as a lovable dim-wit, and Ernest Borgnine as Marvin’s superior officer. John Cassavetes was Oscar-nominated for his role as a defiant hot head who threatens the group’s solidarity in the beginning.
Most of the action is reserved for the climax, but there’s a fun mock-battle sequence in the middle of the film where the ‘dirty dozen’ prove their ability to work cohesively. The film runs a little long for such a simple, straight-forward story, but it has enough personality to sustain its two-and-a-half hour run time. It’s one of the ultimate male bonding pictures, where the characters goad and ridicule to toughen each other up. And if someone threatens one member of the troop, that man can rest assured the other eleven will have his back. One might think a movie where most of the characters die would be a downer, but Aldrich and the ensemble cast keep things fun throughout. If anything, it’s a bit comforting to see these condemned men restore their reputations through sacrifice.
With Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, George Kennedy, Richard Jaeckel, Trini Lopez, Clint Walker, Robert Ryan, and music by DeVol.
Academy Award: Best Sound Effects
Oscar Nominations: Best Supporting Actor (John Cassavetes), Sound, Film Editing