Jennifer Lawrence is Blazing Hot in "Catching Fire"

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013).

In what many call the Golden Age of Hollywood, the years of "Gone With The Wind," "Citizen Kane," "42nd Street" and too many classic films to list, the film industry's bread and butter was not the high-profile technicolor films of the auteurs like Orson Welles and Ernst Lubitsch. Instead, it was the lowly serial, exemplified by the "Flash Gordon" films. Even those, however, were the classy alternative to the real workhorses of the time, such as Buster Crabbe's "Billy the Kid" and "Billy Carson" efforts.

Katniss and Peeta, together again in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire."

Those films are forgotten now - have you ever heard anyone mention the Billy Carson film "Rustler's Hideout"? Or ever heard that there actually was a Billy Carson serial? - but they met the public's desire for continuity of character and theme. The serials fell completely out of favor by the dawn of the 1960s, most likely because episodic television satisfied that craving. With films becoming "events" to stay above the weekly riff-raff on the tube, sequels were rare (if any film ever truly deserved a sequel, it was 1959's "North By Northwest"), and serials all but extinct.

Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz and Elizabeth Banks lead a fine supporting cast in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire."

Well, serials are making a comeback. The recent "Twilight" books blossomed into five feature-length films that proved astoundingly popular, while "Harry Potter" generated even more. Truth be told, both of those series could still be running were it not for the fact that the source material finally petered out and, in the case of "Potter," the stars finally started showing signs of ageing out of their characters.

Donald Sutherland and Philip Seymour Hoffman in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire."

So, with both the "Potter" and "Twilight" gold mines played out, the lonely eyes of the suburban film warrior cast about for the next Big Thing. Many studios tried and failed to fill this niche - Disney no doubt had big plans for the failed "John Carter" that turned out to be clouds in its coffee - thus proving that it is no simple thing to turn audiences into frenzied fanatics drooling at the latest release featuring their favorite characters.

Beware the stormtroopers in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire."

"The Hunger Games," though, managed to pull it off. Upon its release in 2012, "The Hunger Games" pulled in audiences by the busload, set box office records (biggest opening outside of the peak summer and holiday seasons), and won all sorts of minor awards (how many films win awards at the CMT Music Awards?). This being the rebirth of the age of the serial, with a big yawning vacuum opening up with the end of "Potter" and "Twilight," the time was right for unassuming star Jennifer Lawrence to step up and blaze the way for more outrageous studio profits.

Philip Seymour Hoffman realizes a dream: a role in a big-budget blockbuster in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire."

"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" (2013) is based on the 2009 novel "Catching Fire" by American novelist Suzanne Collins, the sequel to her original 2008 "The Hunger Games." Directed by Francis Lawrence (no relation, apparently), a music video director who graduated to the Hollywood big leagues with Will Smith's "I Am Legend," and with a screenplay by Simon Beaufoy and Michael deBruyn, "Catching Fire" has the same stars and setting as the original. We catch up with the characters after their upset victory in one of the brutal life-or-death competitions that characterize the "Hunger Games" world.

There is a bit too much standing around at times in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire."

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have returned home after their triumph, but then receive an unexpected visit from President Coriolanus Snow. He is worried about the way they vowed to commit suicide due to the Games' requirement that only one of them could survive, which generated unrest in the districts (obviously, they both survived). To get back in the President's good graces, Katniss and Peeta must pretend that their reason for threatening suicide was not based on politics, but only on their supposed deep and undying love for each other à la Romeo and Juliet. Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss' mentor, emphasizes that they can only be safe if they maintain the fiction forever. Snow makes painfully clear that Katniss' and Peeta's families will be at risk if they fail to comply.

The CGI is done competently but not spectacularly in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire."

Embarking upon a victory tour, the pair quickly learn why Snow is concerned. A man in the District of Katniss' ally Rue, who died in the Games, inspires a spontaneous public protest. That turns out to not be a very good idea when he is immediately killed by government security forces, called Peacekeepers. To quell the incipient uprising, Katniss orchestrates a very public engagement between herself and Peeta. Government forces also crack down, and Katniss' friend Gale Hawthorne is publicly whipped after attacking the Peacekeepers' leader, Romulus Thread.

The Victory Tour is not what it seems in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire."

Snow also moves to mollify the mob, declaring that there will be a "Quarter Quell." This is a competition like the annual Hunger Games, but with all participants composed of previous victors of the Games - sort of a "Celebrity All-Star Survivor." Katniss and Haymitch wind up being selected, Peeta volunteering to take Haymitch's place.

Old pro Donald Sutherland gives a wave in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire."

The Games proceed, and Katniss and Peeta make allies who are quickly killed off for one reason or another. Another competitor, Johanna Mason, injures Katniss, but Katniss recovers and, using information gleaned from other competitors, shoots an arrow that winds up destroying the entire arena. Katniss awakens on a plane without Peeta, and learns to her horror that her home District has been destroyed.

Jennifer Lawrence fills out a wet suit nicely in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire."

Lionsgate was able to get all of the original stars of "The Hunger Games" to return, most with sizeable raises, but there is no question that Jennifer Lawrence dominates. She is a personable and versatile actress well suited to playing action roles. Josh Hutcherson plays Peeta, Liam Hemsworth is Gale Hawthorne, and Woody Harrelson is the genial Haymitch Abernathy. Donald Sutherland deserves special mention for his menacing portrayal of President Snow, while Lenny Kravitz plays fellow competitor Cinna and Philip Seymour Hoffman does his usual fine job as Plutarch Heavensbee, the head gameskeeper who has a secret.

Katniss uses her bow and arrow again in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire."

The scenery is another star of "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire." Filming was done on location in Hawaii and Atlanta, Georgia, and reports were that it was a grueling time for all concerned. While the first film had some shaky camerawork and other hallmarks of an unexpected success, "Catching Fire" has a much more polished and professional feel. James Newton Howard returned as the composer, with Coldplay contributing the popular song "Atlas." Other music industry veterans contributing to the project were Christina Aguilera, Patti Smith and Of Monsters and Men.

There are some odd scenes in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire."

There is no use quibbling about the unlikelihood of any of the events in a film such as "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" being plausible or even possible. Just like "Twilight," in the long run "Catching Fire" is likely to be little noted and not long remembered. It is what it is, a crowd-pleaser. It is enough to say that "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" is a rousing action/adventure/science fiction potboiler that satisfies the modern need for a strong female heroine who (inevitably) defies convention. Lawrence does a fine job in the director's chair, wisely dwelling more upon the franchise's philosophy and politics rather than the actual Games - been there, done that.

Jennifer Lawrence showing her quirky fashion sense at the premiere for "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire."

At heart, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" is a tale of a latter-day Spartacus waiting for her moment to lead the slaves to freedom. For fans of this genre, the big question is not whether Katniss ultimately succeeds, because that is a foregone conclusion: the bottom line is what price she has to pay to get there, and who makes it with her.

The cast on location in Hawaii for "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire."

The engaging Jennifer Lawrence has lifted the dormant "Top Female Idol of Female Reviewers" mantle from the bony shoulders of Kristen Stewart. Nothing makes an actress popular like success, and "The Hunger Games" series is about as sure-fire a winner as you will ever find in the film industry. Lawrence gets to be a bit more glammed-up this time around, going for a more girly look which contrasts nicely with her usual athletic posing. Eventually, Lawrence's day will pass - yes, it will happen, trust me, sic transit gloria mundo and all that - but, for now, she stands astride Hollywood like a female Colossus. To capitalize on her appeal, Lionsgate will pull a "Twilight" and split the third and concluding "Hunger Games" novel into two feature films in order to milk the cow bone dry. Only then will the search begin in earnest for the next cash cow.

Jennifer Lawrence and friends promoting "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire."

"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" is long, overblown, dull and wordy in spots. It follows the standard genre conventions of others sacrificing themselves for the heroes and giving them the means to succeed without getting any credit themselves - in fact, they invariably die, the modern equivalent of Red Shirts. The film also borrows a bit too noticeably from other science fiction classics, with the government troops looking uncannily like "Star Wars" Stormtroopers. Anyone succumbing to the hype and actually comparing "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" to a "Star Wars" film... well, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Where's my surfboard?

For all that, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" is a definite guilty pleasure. Just like its predecessor, it is "catching fire" at the box office, grossing the sixth highest opening weekend of all time. It is a must-see simply to be conversant with today's film vernacular. The trailers are below.



2017

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - More of Katniss and Peeta

"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"

"The Hunger Games," which was released on March 23, 2012 in the United States, was a huge success. It was a science fiction action/adventure tale that told the story of Katniss, a teenage girl who volunteers in place of her younger sister to participate in a mandatory survival-of-the-fittest annual affair called "The Hunger Games."

The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world in which a tyrranical government controls twelve subsidiary districts, each of which must send two teenage representatives to the Hunger Games each year. Katniss and her male partner from her district, Peeta, win the competition, killing off all the others, and show strong signs of having a deep love affair.

This is the first poster released of the "Victory Tour."

Here are pictures from the set. Obviously, the bows and arrows are once again taking lead billing:









The sequel will revolve around Katniss and Peeta going on a victory tour for President Snow. They sense a rebellion may be brewing in the 12 Districts against central authority. Meanwhile, the Capitol prepares for the 75th Annual Hunger Games - The Quarter Quell.

There is not much known about the sequel beyond this cover story.

"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" is set to be released by Lionsgate on November 22, 2013, in time for the holiday rush. It will be directed by Francis Lewis and will star:

• Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen
• Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark
• Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne
• Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy
• Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket
• Lenny Kravitz as Cinna
• Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman
• Donald Sutherland as President Snow
• Toby Jones as Claudius Templesmith
• Philip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch Heavensbee
• Sam Claflin as Finnick Odair
• Jeffrey Wright as Beetee
• Amanda Plummer as Wiress
• Jena Malone as Johanna Mason
• Lynn Cohen as Mags
• Meta Golding as Enobaria
• Bruno Gunn as Brutus
• Alan Ritchson as Gloss
• E. Roger Mitchell as Chaff
• Maria Howell as Seeder
• Stephanie Leigh Schlund as Cashmere
• Willow Shields as Primrose Everdeen
• Paula Malcomson as Mrs. Everdeen

James Newton Howard returns to do the score for "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," and the screenplay was prepared by Simon Deaufoy and Michael Arndt. The Producers are Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik. "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" is based on the book "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins.

This is the official logo released by Lionsgate.

According to Josh Hutcherson:

"When you see us go up in the pod in the games, it will open up into IMAX. It will be amazing. It's very cool,"

Filming is currently in progress as of January 2013. Principal photography is scheduled to wrap in March 2013. The locations used are Atlanta, Georgia and Hawaii. A couple of teaser trailers already have been released and you may watch it below.

The Hunger Games: Cute Girl Gets the Right Guy After Killing Off His Competition

"The Hunger Games" (2012).

One of the most anticipated films of 2012 was "The Hunger Games" from Lionsgate. It was perhaps the most eagerly awaited science fiction film without the words "Stars Wars" in the title in many years. Based on the book of the same name by Suzanne Collins, "The Hunger Games" (2012), directed by Gary Ross from a screenplay by Ross, Collins and Billy Ray, takes a common theme of fiction - people hunting each other - and projects it into the future as a way to create artificial drama. A massive box-office hit, "The Hunger Games" will generate a sequel set for release on November 22, 2013, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," and sequels on November 21, 2014 ("The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1") and November 20, 2015 ("The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2"). Well, at least they didn't put "Saga" in the sequels' titles. "The Hunger Games" continues the recent trend of capitalizing on a film's success quickly by cranking out a sequence of sequels within a short span, a practice perfected by Summit Entertainment with the five "Twilight" movies. That way, the same actors can be used before they outgrow their characters (Jennifer Lawrence is 20 and not getting any younger) or get more expensive. "Hunger Games," like "Twilight," is the modern version of the movie serials of the 1930s, a "Flash Gordon" for the 2000s, only so far, it is far more successful.

Katniss and Peeta making eyes at each other in "The Hunger Games."

It is a post-apocalyptic world (whether it is dystopian depends on your point of view), and the nation of Panem (pronounced "Pan-Am," making me wonder when it takes off) has evolved various unique customs. Due to a past rebellion of the twelve poor districts of the country against the wealthy Capitol, each district must send a pair of young people, a boy and girl termed "tributes," to an annual tournament (this is the 74th). The tributes are selected by a lottery called the "Reaping," and each is between 12 and 18 years of age. The tributes fight to the death, with the sole winner rewarded with fame and fortune.

The Capitol  building looks more than a little like a Fuhrer rally in "The Hunger Games."

In District 12, the Tributes chosen are 12-year-old Primrose Everdeen and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), a baker's son. Because Primrose is so young, her 16-year-old sister Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers to take her place. Catnip and Peet-uh, um, Katniss and Peeta go to the Capital accompanied by their mentor Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson). Haymitch won the competition years before, and he tells the two about "career" Tributes who spend their lives preparing for the Games in hope they will be selected.

Haymitch in "The Hunger Games."

Peeta professes his love for Katniss during an interview with Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci). Katniss is suspicious that he has a hidden agenda, but later decides that he is being sincere. The Games, held in a vast wilderness area, begin with a cache of weapons free for the taking in front of a structure called the Cornucopia (shaped like a horn of plenty). Ignoring Haymitch's wise advice to simply run off into the wilderness at once, Katniss tries to seize some weapons and is almost killed like half of the other participants.

Be careful, you might put someone's eye out with that thing in "The Hunger Games."

Peeta loosely teams up with four "Career" tributes, though his heart remains with Katniss. They track Katniss to a tree, in which she hides, and they negligently decide to rest directly below her. Another tribute, Rue (Amanda Stenberg), is hiding nearby and draws Katniss' attention to a juiced-up bee's nest in the tree near Katniss. Katniss obligingly drops the swarming nest on the sleeping men, stinging one to death. Katniss, also stung, falls unconscious but is cared for by Rue until Katniss recovers.

Cato, the heavy because he is not self-sacrificing in "The Hunger Games."

The Careers tracking Katniss have amassed a stockpile of supplies, so Katniss has Rue draw the boys off while she destroys their goods. One of the Careers, Cato (Alexander Ludwig), kills another who was supposed to be guarding the stockpile. Rue gets caught in a trap, and when Katniss goes to free her, one of the Careers, Marvel (Jack Quaid), throws a spear that misses Katniss but strikes Rue, ultimately killing her. Katniss then kills Marvel and takes care of Rue's body with expressions of contempt for the viewers (the competition has cameras everywhere). The whole incident angers Rue's district, and President Snow (Donald Sutherland) must summon the Gamemaker, Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley, who has very weird facial hair), to calm the angry citizens.

Katniss and Peeta in their gaudy combat suits in "The Hunger Games."

Haymitch suggests to Crane that he should allow tributes from the same district to win as a team, which Crane accepts. Katniss then finds Peeta, who has an infected leg wound. An announcer proclaims a feast where tributes can request one thing that they need, and Katniss goes to get medicine for her comrade despite Peeta's self-sacrificing protest. Clove (Isabelle Fuhrman), a Career, finds Katniss coming back and is prepared to kill Katniss, but Clove, like any villain in a story like this on the verge of success, makes the mistake of gloating over the death of Rue. This causes the other tribute from Rue's District, Thresh (Dayo Okeniyi), to kill Clove instead and let Katniss go (quite self-sacrificing of him, too, I'd have killed them both). Katniss returns with the medicine and gets Peeta back on his feet.

Katniss on the prowl in "The Hunger Games."

Peeta gathers some berries to eat, but Foxface, another tribute, steals them and dies because they turn out to be poisonous (she gets her just desserts!). Crane, getting impatient with the slow pace of the killing, releases some vicious wolf-like animals into the arena to stir things up. Katniss and Peeta hide from them on the Cornucopia, where Cato confronts them. Katniss wings him with an arrow, then Peeta pushes him off the roof so the creatures can get him. Katniss puts Cato out of his misery with an arrow.

Katniss introduced to the city by Caesar with Katniss doing the typical female frown that is so popular in "The Hunger Games."

With Peeta and Katniss the only two Tributes left, Crane changes his mind about the rule change he agreed to earlier, saying there can only be one winner. Peeta offers himself as a sacrifice to Katniss, but she prepares to commit suicide with him. With that, Crane relents and allows them both to be declared victors, while Crane himself is forced to commit suicide by the President.

Peeta in "The Hunger Games."

"The Hunger Games" obviously is full of melodrama, false sentimentality and a complete lack of all rationality. However, it is full of action, has a strong female lead, and has a cathartic effect for those who need to relieve some aggression. The image of Katniss with a bow and arrow propelled interest in archery to record levels, even though that weapon only figures into the plot decisively at the end. If one is willing to suspend disbelief and play into the class-conscious set-up and "Survivor"-like battle, it is almost like watching a season-ending contest at Summer Camp, where campers are individually knocked out of the running for the grand prize of extra ice cream after dinner. The unexpected touch of having Crane, a peripheral figure, face the ultimate consequence for having done basically nothing wrong is just weird. as if it is a "everyone else must lose for me to win" scenario.

For some reason, people are upset when Rue dies, but not when the other 21 people bite it in "The Hunger Games."

Because of the raw "reality show" foundation of "The Hunger Games," viewers naturally pick and choose their favorites. There is an air of absurdity about the whole thing, with the little campers scrambling through the brush bumping each other off, but that only brings the logic of reality "Survivor" shows to its logical conclusion - you don't get voted off the island, you get shot and eaten by wolves. It's all a ridiculous parable about "who's really the toughest after all, the "tough" guy or the weak one with feminine sensitivity." The winner is chosen arbitrarily by the author to complete whatever point she had in mind, making this kind of film even less realistic than silly television reality shows, which at least have restrictive ground rules which guide the group toward an eventual "winner" based on nebulous opinions by a group. The author's intention here appears determined to create a powerful female heroine who decides everyone's fate, supported by a self-sacrificing weaker male sidekick, and if that is something that interests you, "Hunger Games" is the best film of the decade so far. In the end, it remains the basic "let the female decide with whom she shall mate" that has been the staple of cinema since the days of Thomas Edison. There are so many diva moments in "The Hunger Games" that you need all your fingers and most of your toes to count them. If you don't see the similarities to "Twilight" with its "dangerous love" theme in the wild, you simply aren't paying close enough attention. The fact that Katniss is a cold-blooded murderess is glossed over because, you know, that is part of the "game." Cato, of course, is a murderer, but he's not glorious Katniss, so when he kills, he ultimately must pay.

President Snow and Seneca, the one with the crazy whiskers in "The Hunger Games."

Naturally, this dominating heroine is the stunningly attractive Jennifer Lawrence, making her all the more sympathetic. If Katniss were ugly and boorish, with moles and buck teeth, the tale wouldn't be nearly as much fun for little girls to imagine themselves in her place. The film-makers are playing with the old "girls with guns" stereotypes without anybody caring, it is just more subtle, so all the cries about how this is a "feminist film" are so much hogwash. Having a sports contest in a futuristic or otherwise alien setting that features real violence and killing is an idea as old as the hills, at least as old as the 1932 "The Most Dangerous" which schoolkids are required to read. The idea continued on up through "The Running Man" (which this film's story echoes very strongly, even complete with echoes of the revolt at the end). "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson also springs to mind, and too many other projects to list. The idea of satirizing shows like "Survivor" by having the losers stabbed or whatever has been a staple of comedy for years, with one amusing instance showing up in the obscure "Run Ronnie Run." That "The Hunger Games" comes along ten years later acting as if this is some kind of new idea is a triumph of marketing. These types of "winner kills all" concepts just try to make pointless exercises seem to matter more than they would if everyone walked away and went home, as at the end of summer camp. The idea that people would send young girls off to fight to the death, then get upset when they are killed, shows lazy or distorted thinking by the author of this nonsense, and the idea that there are any rules in a "killer takes all" contest, or that anybody would trust anyone else at all in such circumstances is a laughable concept. Having people able to volunteer to take someone else's place also puts in question the entire framework, another loose thread revealing the artifice. "The Hunger Games" is full of conceits that avoid the painful truth that when death is the outcome, there are no rules, no civilization, only pure sadism and destruction from which nobody walks away unscathed.

It's all movie magic in "The Hunger Games."

"The Hunger Games" is big business, and franchise films are the rock stars of the era. Films are becoming increasingly unrealistic political vehicles for social groups to cheer on their "identity politics" heroes, and "The Hunger Games" is but the latest example, whether everybody in the audience realizes it or not. Why shouldn't there be action heroes for girls? They're all impossible and distorted caricatures anyway. "The Avengers" was the better 2012 film, but you might as well hop aboard the "Hunger Games" express. It may be high-concept and polemical, but it also can be crazy fun if you want to check your brains at the door.







2017

Greatest World War II Film

"The Dirty Dozen" (1967).

"The Dirty Dozen" (1967) is my favorite World War II movie, directed by Robert Aldrich from a book by E.M. Nathanson. It has it all: drama, fireworks, explosions, tough guys, top performances, even some sly comedy thrown in.  If the film has any drawback at all, it is that the "mission" passes too quickly and it has to end at some point. This is the ultimate "tough guy" movie and it gets my highest rating. Condemned men are chosen by a tough Major to lead a suicidal assault on a German headquarters in exchange for the promise of freedom if they survive. Who lives and who dies?

The Dirty Dozen.

The thing about movie tough guys is that they become completely dull if they don't have an underlying humility and display some recognition that all the hurdles they have to jump over are inherently absurd. A movie tough guy without a sense of irony or humor just doesn't make it. He also has to display somewhat realistic vulnerability that may or may not get him through. Not too many movie tough guys pass these tests.

John Cassavetes showing how to steal a scene in "The Dirty Dozen."

"The Dirty Dozen" passes these tests, and more. The opening is classic, with the "heroes" shown to be condemned men, outcasts of society. But tough guys exist outside society, so being behind bars is not a detriment, but rather only adds spice to their characters. The locations are extraordinary - these were the days before CGI, so they actually went places and acted at them. "The Dirty Dozen" is notorious for one thing: the producers actually built a French chateau for the film - and then blew it up. That injects a note of realism into the film that many more recent films lack.

Robert Ryan plays the heavy in "The Dirty Dozen,"; he was an actual World War II hero.

A key aspect of a tough guy is that the real obstacles he faces are not those of the "enemy," because the enemy ultimately will be confronted and overcome. The obstacles are imposed by those around him which can prevent the tough guy from even coming to grips with the "enemy." Inevitably, someone doesn't believe they are up to the task, or wrongly thinks they don't deserve it, or don't have the right character to be fit for the job. This film abounds with those types of issues.

Capturing the "enemy" headquarters in "The Dirty Dozen." How often do you see Jim Brown, Donald Sutherland and Charles Bronson in the same frame outside of this film? Not too often.

So, here we have the perfect tough guy movie. A group of condemned men, forced together for a possible suicide mission, looked down upon by the rest of the military. To even get to the suicide mission, they must overcome their own comrades in the military bureaucracy and the envy, spitefulness and obstruction of the "allies" around them. A tough guy has a job to do, and he does it, without pettiness. Those who display pettiness and get in his way, well, they are simply amusing and must be overcome.

Lee Marvin just takes over "The Dirty Dozen."

The cast here is brilliant, a collection of all-stars. A similar group could not possibly be assembled today, many of these actors having come up the hard way. Several actually served in World War II and saw real combat. Career performances are drawn from Jim Brown (who retired from the NFL because of his role here), Telly Savalas (who actually acts out a character and not himself as in, say, "Kojak" for a change), Lee Marvin (a former Marine who helped invade 21 islands), Donald Sutherland, Richard Jaeckel (USN 1944-48), Ernest Borgnine (USN 1935-45), Robert Ryan (former US Marine and boxing champion), and John Cassavetes.

Jim Brown quit NFL football to complete "The Dirty Dozen." It was the NFL's loss and Hollywood's gain.

Obviously, this tale is pure fiction. Lee Marvin, in fact, considered "The Dirty Dozen" a bit of a joke. He, Borgnine, Robert Webber (US Marine at Okinawa), and several others in the cast had every right to, having actually served in World War II. Marvin served in the Pacific Theater as a grunt and participated in several contested beach landings. Lee Marvin really is the real deal, not just pretending to be the real deal, so his opinion carries a lot of weight... but I still love this film.

The epic conclusion to an epic war film. THIS is how you end a World War II film like "The Dirty Dozen."

But there is underlying realism to it - there actually were "punishment" units during World War II among both the Germans and Allies, and there were paratrooper raids on the eve of the Normandy invasion, and an actual squad called "The Filthy Thirteen" who did demolitions on D-Day.  There is just enough reality to overcome the unrealistic aspects (such as Germans in Occupied France who apparently never heard of a blackout).

The supporting characters in "The Dirty Dozen" are pitch-perfect - Robert Webber was another real-life war hero.

The most interesting aspects of this film to me are its hard-edged humor and its structure. A favorite scene is one in which Donald Sutherland, as one of the Dozen, impersonates a General in order to get his unit out of a tight fix. "So, where are you from?" Blah blah. "Never heard of it." Classic!  That scene led to Sutherland's casting in "MASH," which led to Sutherland becoming a star.  The black humor is essential, and it the lack of it that keeps so many other war films from greatness. And the humor never gets out of hand or loses it punch, as in, say, "MASH."

Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson infiltrating the enemy chateau in "The Dirty Dozen." I'm sure there was a lot of joking on set about how realistically they could portray Wehrmacht officers.

The structure is important because the majority of the film concerns the unit's preparation for its mission. That is precisely right. Real soldiers spend huge amounts of time in preparation, and the actual fight passes in an instant. Preparation is the key to everything in life. I applaud this film for having the preparation phase as the longest and most interesting section, though of course the climactic assault is the exciting part.

They built a fantastic chateau at great expense for "The Dirty Dozen" - and then blew it up.

When the château, the ultimate target, is finally spied over a ridge, we get a momentary thrill, underlined by the musical score - but then it is down to business - war business. And here, unlike in, say, "Where Eagles Dare," the Germans can actually shoot straight when they have to.  The chateau, incidentally, was built for the film, one of the largest sets ever constructed.

"The Dirty Dozen" is one of Oscar-winner George Kennedy's most underrated performances.

Several sequels were made which were not very interesting, though they had their moments. It was the deep cast that made this film, one of the best casts in war-movie history. A contemporary documentary on the making of the film that is included on the DVD is highly amusing because it juxtaposes movie tough guys on real-life 1960s London, and the result is pure unintentional comedy ("Here is Lee Marvin at a local motorcycle race staring into space. What deep thoughts is he thinking?").

Telly Savalas almost steals "The Dirty Dozen" as a demented GI, but he has a lot of competition.

I could go on and on with praise for "The Dirty Dozen." It is one of the most under-rated films of all time. It is not "supposed" to be a good film, so nobody treats it that way, but it practically defines the whole "Rambo/Schwarzenegger" genre two decades in advance. If you like war films or tough guy films or just plain good acting, you must see "The Dirty Dozen." It is one of those films that rewards repeated viewings, too.

Below is the original trailer from 1967.


2017