The Dirty Dozen

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The Dirty Dozen

Released Jun 15, 1967

2h 29m

War

History

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

55 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

As D-Day approaches, Colonel Breed hands the roguish Major Reisman (Lee Marvin) an important assignment: He must train a team of soldiers to parachute across enemy lines and assassinate German personnel at a French chateau. The soldiers, recruited from murderers, rapists and criminals on death row, are promised commuted sentences. In spite of their history, the 12 men prove a spirited and courageous unit. Led by Major Reisman, they will exact revenge.

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Critics Consensus

Amoral on the surface and exuding testosterone, The Dirty Dozen utilizes combat and its staggering cast of likable scoundrels to deliver raucous entertainment.

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Clifford Terry

Chicago Tribune

Director Aldrich manages to zero in on the griping and grime, the chaos and cohesiveness of Americans at war, and in so doing, makes The Dirty Dozen a clean hit that packs the highest-echelon example of wit and wallop.

Jun 2, 2021

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Robert E. Golden

Arizona Republic

The Dirty Dozen with a fairly sharp script, plenty of excitement and adventure and a good cast still doesn't swim above the flood tide of over done World War II movie themes.

Nov 20, 2020

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David Wilson

Guardian

In spite of an intelligent performance from Lee Marvin as the officer, director Robert Aldrich spins it out at such length that by the time the men actually get to France one has lost all interest.

Nov 20, 2020

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

There was no shortage of grand-slam WWII action flicks in the 1960s; this is one of the best.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jun 30, 2024

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

The Dirty Dozen is every bit that an epic war thriller with an all-star cast should be.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 12, 2023

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

There’s action aplenty and male bonding under fire, but with a real dark side: [Lee] Marvin’s final solution just seems nasty, not the way we’re used to seeing American heroes behave on the screen

Jan 7, 2023

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karen n

Incredible movie with an all star cast. Loved it

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/11/25

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Scott M

Old school war film that I hated. The story is just not any good. Except for maybe the first 30 minutes when they are recruiting and training the men. The acting really is the only thing I enjoyed. Cassavettes is especially good. But the directing by Aldrich is terrible.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/10/25

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Audience Member

This movie is absolutely fantastic. I love the way Reisman earned their respect throughout the film. That final mission at the end of the film also kicked so much butt. I genuinely loved every part of it, what a fantastic script with a bunch of great actors. My only issue is, sometimes it feels as if it’s dragging and it’s easy to get bored in those moments. But if you wait out the boring parts you get some genuinely great scenes after. 4.5/5 stars. Probably top ten war movies ever made.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/25

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Russ G

Yes, it's All Star cast packed 'em into the theaters during the Johnson Administration, but this overly long and quite preposterous tale doesn't hold up. The plot includes a ridiculous war game that merely pads the running time past two and a half hours to pretend it's worthy of being called "epic." The actual mission isn't terribly convincing, either. It's basically a "Great Escape" wannabee, but this is thin gruel. The 60's saw too many of these over-the-top fictionalized versions of wartime action that actually devalued the suffering and sacrifice of the men who served.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/25

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Franky L

One of the best WWII movies, with an all star cast. Lee Marvin, in his greatest role, leads the Dirty Dozen to victory and salvation. With Telly, Bronson, Sutherland, Jimmy Brown, Earnest - absolutely superb.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/19/24

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Dane W

most of this movie is good its just to slow

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/19/23

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Robert Aldrich

Director

Lee Marvin

Maj. John Reisman

Ernest Borgnine

Maj. Gen. Worden

Charles Bronson

Joseph T. Wladislaw

Jim Brown

Robert T. Jefferson

John Cassavetes

Victor Franko

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Synopsis

As D-Day approaches, Colonel Breed hands the roguish Major Reisman (Lee Marvin) an important assignment: He must train a team of soldiers to parachute across enemy lines and assassinate German personnel at a French chateau. The soldiers, recruited from murderers, rapists and criminals on death row, are promised commuted sentences. In spite of their history, the 12 men prove a spirited and courageous unit. Led by Major Reisman, they will exact revenge.

Director: Robert Aldrich
Producer: Kenneth Hyman
Screenwriter: E.M. Nathanson, Nunnally Johnson, Lukas Heller
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., Warner Home Vídeo, Creative Design [us]
Production Co: MKH, Seven Arts Pictures, Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Genre: War, History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 15, 1967, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 8, 2015
Runtime: 2h 29m
Sound Mix: Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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