听 Lee Marvin plays US Army Major John Reisman, whose job it is to train up a group of prisoners to be sent on a seemingly suicidal mission to infiltrate a German retreat. His acid tongue and rigid discipline sets an unbreakable rod against which a top-rate cast get to flex against in this highly entertaining film.
The prisoners are a starry bunch with John Cassavetes Oscar nominated for his performance as a tough Chicago rebel who pitches himself against Marvin only to be ruthlessly crushed. Charles Bronson appears as a Polish American who seemingly never breaks under even the most torturous pressure. And joining them is a dumb Donald Sutherland, the ever-imposing George Kennedy and a wisecracking Telly Savalas amongst others.
Few of the prisoners seem to have any past but as they're all from death row it's safe to assume that they're as hard as they come. But director Robert Aldrich tests the audience by subjecting these initially unsympathetic dozen to the unflinchingly tough Marvin. Added to that is the looming realisation that these men have been chosen as they are regarded as expendable, against odds that seem impossible to overcome.
The mission to France certainly generates plenty of excitement as this host of heavyweights blast through the enemy. But as the film progresses it is watching the various members of the dozen redeeming themselves in some way that is one of the film's strengths when compared to other gung-ho efforts.
