United States

Who'd be crazy enough to trust WWII to a dozen deadly cons? The action never lets up in this extraordinary film of explosive suspense and dramatic fire from director Robert Aldrich. The Dirty Dozen - a strike force of violent criminals involved in one of the most bizarre and difficult combat missions ever. Rugged men, sick with hatred. Monsters in uniform, condemned by society. And now charged with defending society. Lee Marvin is U.S. Army Major John Reisman, whose job it is to train the prisoners. He's backed up by an excellent cast of stars who make up the Dozen: among them are Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, Telly Savalas, Trini Lopez, Donald Sutherland, and John Cassavetes, who won an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal. Their task is to infiltrate a protected German retreat where the upper echelon of Generals go for rest and relaxation. Getting in won't be easy. Some men will die. But nothing will be quite as tough as proving to the army they are worthy of the challenge. The Dirty Dozen also stars Ernest Borgnine, Richard Jaeckel, George Kennedy, Ralph Meeker and Robert Ryan in this tense story filled with sensational war power.