Note: This movie has nothing to do with the similarly titled Tarantino film that was released this year other than the fact that they both were set during WWII and were both very fictional accounts of American soldiers on a mission.
In many ways, this film is like an impromptu Italian-produced version of THE DIRTY DOZEN. A group of American soldiers during WWII are being taken back to headquarters to face court martials for a variety of crimes. However, on the way, the caravan carrying them is attacked by the Germans and the prisoners are able to escape. Since they all are wanted for a variety of crimes (some of which might even get shot), the men make for the Swiss border. On the way, however, they become involved in a variety of fire fights and adventures--including fighting with naked Nazi babes (this sounds like a dream I had when I was 14, but this is neither the time nor place to talk about this further).
Eventually, the men manage to get mistaken for a group of commandos sent by the US to help the French resistance. Unable to escape, the men decide to pretend that they are indeed the men and decide to go with it. When the Colonel arrives, the prisoners tell him who they are and he doesn't have much choice but to accept their offer to fulfill the mission.
Overall, it's like a poor man's DIRTY DOZEN, with the action and acting a bit over the top, some very clichéd characters (such as the coward who suddenly becomes a super soldier) and not nearly as convincing as the original. Still, for a cheap knockoff, it is a good one--exciting to watch brain candy and not a film for people who think too much! So, just turn off your brains and enjoy.
Not that it really mattered, but a few mistakes made it into the film. First, there is one scene where Fred Williamson throws a grenade at a group of soldiers. If you look carefully, you can see the wire on one of the Germans as he's being pulled up--simulating being catapulted by the explosion. It's a sloppy stunt, but you have to look carefully--it's at about the 32 minute mark. The second is less a mistake and more just sloppy writing. In a castle, Fred Williamson takes an officer by surprise and holds a sword on him. The officer then orders his men to drop their weapons. It's doubtful if the soldiers would have done this but what bothered me is that none of them yelled or sounded any sort of alarm to let the other soldiers know what was happening. Duh!! A third problem was the hhttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076584/usercomments-enterippie member of the group. He was an even bigger anachronism than the beatnik-like guy in KELLY'S HEROES. No one had long flowing hair back in WWII except women. This pony-tailed soldier who was fond of "flipping the bird" just doesn't fit into the film and is pure 1960s-70s. Heck, for that matter, Bo Svenson's hair was also too long, but at least it was kind of close. But again,...this film wasn't intended to be exactly a realistic view of the Second World War.
By the way, I think the man who came off best in the film was the Swedish-born Svenson. He was a pretty hardcore guy and I am surprised his career seemed to fade by the 1980s. Read his IMDb biography--he is a very, very impressive guy in real life.
In many ways, this film is like an impromptu Italian-produced version of THE DIRTY DOZEN. A group of American soldiers during WWII are being taken back to headquarters to face court martials for a variety of crimes. However, on the way, the caravan carrying them is attacked by the Germans and the prisoners are able to escape. Since they all are wanted for a variety of crimes (some of which might even get shot), the men make for the Swiss border. On the way, however, they become involved in a variety of fire fights and adventures--including fighting with naked Nazi babes (this sounds like a dream I had when I was 14, but this is neither the time nor place to talk about this further).
Eventually, the men manage to get mistaken for a group of commandos sent by the US to help the French resistance. Unable to escape, the men decide to pretend that they are indeed the men and decide to go with it. When the Colonel arrives, the prisoners tell him who they are and he doesn't have much choice but to accept their offer to fulfill the mission.
Overall, it's like a poor man's DIRTY DOZEN, with the action and acting a bit over the top, some very clichéd characters (such as the coward who suddenly becomes a super soldier) and not nearly as convincing as the original. Still, for a cheap knockoff, it is a good one--exciting to watch brain candy and not a film for people who think too much! So, just turn off your brains and enjoy.
Not that it really mattered, but a few mistakes made it into the film. First, there is one scene where Fred Williamson throws a grenade at a group of soldiers. If you look carefully, you can see the wire on one of the Germans as he's being pulled up--simulating being catapulted by the explosion. It's a sloppy stunt, but you have to look carefully--it's at about the 32 minute mark. The second is less a mistake and more just sloppy writing. In a castle, Fred Williamson takes an officer by surprise and holds a sword on him. The officer then orders his men to drop their weapons. It's doubtful if the soldiers would have done this but what bothered me is that none of them yelled or sounded any sort of alarm to let the other soldiers know what was happening. Duh!! A third problem was the hhttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076584/usercomments-enterippie member of the group. He was an even bigger anachronism than the beatnik-like guy in KELLY'S HEROES. No one had long flowing hair back in WWII except women. This pony-tailed soldier who was fond of "flipping the bird" just doesn't fit into the film and is pure 1960s-70s. Heck, for that matter, Bo Svenson's hair was also too long, but at least it was kind of close. But again,...this film wasn't intended to be exactly a realistic view of the Second World War.
By the way, I think the man who came off best in the film was the Swedish-born Svenson. He was a pretty hardcore guy and I am surprised his career seemed to fade by the 1980s. Read his IMDb biography--he is a very, very impressive guy in real life.