Episode 111: The Dirty Dozen (1967)

I revisit Robert Aldrich’s The Dirty Dozen, a film that has always been regarded as a classic and one that I mostly knew through my dad’s memories of it. Watching it properly for the first time (or at least the first time I could remember), I was surprised by how much fun it is.

Lee Marvin is perfectly cast as the tough-as-nails Major Reisman, while John Cassavetes steals scenes as the rebellious Franco and Charles Bronson shows why he was such a compelling screen presence.

For me, the most interesting part of the film wasn’t the final mission, but the process of bringing these twelve very different men together. The training, the clashes and the building of the team are what make the film memorable.