Jun 24, 2006

DVD Review - The Dirty Dozen

The Dirty Dozen special edition
Warner Home Video

For the two of you that are not familiar with The Dirty Dozen, let me set the scene: Lee Marvin plays a tough Major that is” volunteered” to lead a mission into Nazi Germany. He is to lead a band of imprisoned thugs, killers and crazies (The clinical term for them is “whackjob”) who will earn their freedom…should they survive.

To say this film is a classic would be an understatement. The Dirty Dozen created a genre. Many films have been done along these lines, but none have nailed it quite so wonderfully. The cast is truly star-studded with the likes of Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, George Kennedy, Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland and Jim Brown.

This Special Edition is loaded to the gills with all sorts of fun bonus features. Though I must confess I would not call the addition of the 1985 sequel, The Dirty Dozen: the next mission, a bonus, it is more like penance. Despite the inclusion of that painful film, this package really gives great bang for your buck. There is an old Marine Corps recruitment video that features Lee Marvin. How could anyone resist Lee Marvin’s request to serve his or her county? There is also an audio commentary featuring members of the cast, the author of the novel and the military advisor to the film. This group gives an interesting mix of filming anecdotes and historical facts. These are just the tip of the iceberg as far as extras go.

The bottom line is: This is The Dirty Dozen and should be in every film lover’s library.
Jeremy Lynch

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Telly Savalas is a very bad man.