Customer Reviews

The Devil's Brigade

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This fact based WW2 film is one of the great whip 'em into shape movies. When the call went out for U.S. and Canadian volunteers for a commando unit many commanders used this as a oppurtunity to unload their trouble makers. Choir boys don't make good commandos so the right men were available for the job. This film shows the tough training that these men endured including skiing, mountain warfare and advanced hand to hand combat. I've read a few books on these men and the film accurately potrays the bonding developed between the US and Canadians as they teamed up in the local bars to fight lumberjacks and miners. After their harsh training the force is sent to Italy. The film makes no mention that the force's first mission was against the Japanese in the Aluetion Islands. The climax of the film is an assault on a mountain top in Italy. These scences are so well done that when I attended the USMC mountain warfare school at Bridgeport CA. they used this clip as a training tool. The film has a great soundtrack and lots of hero type actors. Just one problem-where did those red berets come from? Read the 2001 published book, "The Black Devil Brigade" told by the men themselves.

At the time of the release of THE DEVIL'S BRIGADE it was unfairly compared to THE DIRTY DOZEN as being another copycat in the same genre. That was both inaccurate and unfortunate. THE DEVIL'S BRIGADE is a great film and an entity unto itself. The only similarity between the two films is the use of Army convicts to develop what would now be called a 'special forces' unit. The similarities end there. Robert Aldrich tries to imitate John Ford's directorial style with only partial success in THE DIRTY DOZEN. Aldrich tries to go for a type of realism throughout his film and doesn't really seem to know how to manage the fine balance between comic relief and drama. In THE DEVIL'S BRIGADE Andrew V. McLaglen certainly knows when to play it straight and when to lay on the heavy-handed comedy that was a John Ford trademark. John Ford no doubt influenced Andrew V. McLaglen the son of Victor McLaglen. Victor McLaglen was one of John Ford's favorite actors and was one of many influenced by this great director. The bawdy humor in THE DEVIL'S BRIGADE prepares us for the emotionally charged final confrontation with the Germans and makes the carnage all the more real for the viewer. There is exceptionally great depth to all the characters in THE DEVIL'S BRIGADE and McLaglen builds real camaraderie between them. The dialogue is very engaging with its shear magnetism and is never cynical. When these guys fight, kill and die in combat we really feel for them. We cheer them on and we cry when they fall. There is more than just the mission at stake. There are lives on the line. Lives that we grew to like and feel for. The final mission is just not a little sortie to attack a Nazi stronghold on a hillside precipice. It is an assault, which breaks out into a full-scale battle with deadly hand-to-hand combat and feats of genuine heroism. William Holden, Cliff Robertson, Claude Akins, Richard Jaeckel, Andrew Prine, Jeremy Slate, Jack Watson, Michael Rennie and Carroll O'Connor are all excellent in their roles. Alex North's fine score and theme have also never been given their due. This is a strong film that examines friendship, camaraderie, and teamwork. Its message is not one of cynicism but the good that can be found in the human spirit. You just have to stand up and cheer for this should-be-classic. Seeing this film's images in widescreen after all these years gives it even greater depth and shows how well a craftsman Andrew V. McLaglen really was. There are just so many scenes that have multiple images going on simultaneously that add richness and texture to the legend of these unsung heroes. My heart really goes out to this film and to the human spirit of the men that it eloquently captures so effortlessly but so indelibly. This is one of my favorite films of all time.

William Holden, Cliff Robertson, and Vince Edwards turn in their customary fine performances in this excellent story about one of the early Special Operations units. The storyline is simple enough. A Special Ops unit is formed for a specific mission in Norway (the mission is eventually changed. Nice bit part by Michael Rennie as General Mark Clark). For reasons I was never quite clear on, the unit is comprised of equal parts of American misfits and Canadian elite troops. (This is said to be historically accurate). My favorite part of the movie is the interaction between the American rogues and the more cultured, but equally tough, Canadian troops. There are some hilarious scenes that take place during pre-combat training which show how the unit gelled together into an elite force.

The action scenes are very well done, and the attitude of the regular army units towards the unconventional Special Ops unit is true-to-life. Special Ops units have traditionally, at least until recently, been the orphans of the army, and that is brought out very well in this fine movie.

If you like a straightforward, well-acted war movie, this is one of the better ones.

Just bought this old classic on DVD. Why can't they make movies like this anymore? The answer...because there aren't actors like William Holden, Claude Akins, Richard Jaekel and Jack Watson around anymore. The Devil's Brigade is a true story which accurately depicts the camaraderie all fighting men develop. It's great to see some real machismo stuff and not feminist, PC nonsense were subjected to nowadays. The real men of the Devil's Brigade helped save the world 60 years ago.

This film is about one of the elite units of WWII, a unit that is part of the lineage of modern day Special Operations. The film does a very good job of depicting the main points of the birth of this unit and some of the trials and tribulations that it had to go through. The film is historically accurate in the depiction of the undesireable soldiers that the United States contributed to the unit and the better trained Canadians. This film does an excellent job of showing how Special Operations units are unappreciated by the main stream military brass. Having served in the United States Army Special Forces for 5 years, I know how hard it can be to depict special operations capabilities in such a short movie. Again, this film hits the high points and is entertaining. It is a must see for any war movie buff and especially any student of special operations history.

The 1st Special Service Force really existed and accomplished far more than this film would indicate. Any critic who whines about "improbable events" is a gabbing ignoramus...

Having said that... Most veterans of the Force do not like the film. The idiots with checkbooks would only back the film if it was "rousing" (read Hollywood treatment) rather than lovingly accurate.

The chief technical advisor was Lt. General Frederic (ret) himself... so the producers and director certainly had the facts to hand. Many of those facts and much of the history never made it onto the screen.

What don't the Forcemen like? Well, the Americans certainly had more than their share of guardhouse sweepings and tough characters sent their way by other commands (though those who could not learn to accept discipline and bond with others were rapidly washed out...) and excellent Canadians... but the "border warfare" premise is essentially false.

U.S. uniforms for all but the Americans got higher pay... (different pay days for each group, so always borrowing from each other) When the drek was chased off both nationalities settled in quite well with each other.

Kiska was almost bloodless (Canadian and American troops did accidentally shoot each other when the Japanese proved to have pulled out... but not the Force... their fire discipline was superb...) One part of the Force was prepared to make a parachute drop into action... The Force had the "friction" of battle without the losses... This honed them to a fine edge... and the film ignored the whole episode.

Their jump training was almost ignored (except for jump boots and jump wings shown on the screen) along with their demolition and amphibious training. Their loving relationship with Helena and its people was reduced in the film to a night of whoring, boozing and brawling.

In short, many vets of the Force did not recognize themselves in the film. Relatively few people knew about the Force, and those seeing the film would either think it total fiction or else have a skewed view of what Winston Churchill called "The finest fighting force of its size ever fielded by North America..."

When viewed as a movie, rather than as history... Well the cast is pretty good. Many cameos (not "bit parts") by fading stars such as Grechen Wyler and Dana Andrews... give it a certain class.

William Holden would have been perfect in the part... a dozen years earlier when he was doing Bridge on the River Kwai... Frederic was almost a "boy general" by the time he left the Force... Holden was a bit long in the tooth and tired... On the positive side, he conveys authority and was quite happy to get his hands dirty making the film.

Cliff Robertson is fine as Major Crown and most of the rest of the cast is good. Claude Akins is fine in his role as Rocky... but for all of his size, strength and toughness... his character is a waste... he gets captured on the earlier raid and rather than do what all good soldiers must in an assault... keep moving... he bounces around a critically wounded soldier, kills his prisoner and is absent from where he is needed. His love of Peacock is believable, but is mawkishly displayed on the screen.

So having said all of the above, why would *I* give the film a (qualified) rating of 4 stars (an unqualified five would go to Lawrence of Arabia...)? In part because of the subject matter... However much the Hollywood treatment and however mucked up the history... the Force was one of the most remarkable units ever fielded.

The director (Andrew V.) had some fine films to his credit, but too many of the other kind... to the point where some would call him a "hack director..." But it is obvious in The Devil's Brigade that he had a fondness for the unit and the men who served in it. The cliches and overly broad humor can't hide this.

Most of the cast (and assigned soldiers) give the impression that when the cameras stop rolling that they really felt like part of a team doing something special (even if a few of them refused to follow Holden into the pyrotechnic strewn fields...)

While the film could have been better... to truly tell the story of the First Special Service Force... a multi-part effort such as Band of Brothers would be required to do the subject (and the surviving Forcemen) justice...

I have served with Canadians in two wars... While there are some very real differences, at the "sharp end" the teamwork is outstanding... Never more true than with the 1st Special Service Force...

I had the pleasure of seeing this movie made. It was filmed in Utah, my father was an extra in the movie and was an advisor also. The men that were used for extras were actual soldiers. I feel that this movie told a story about war and about the people that fought it. There wasn't all the blood and guts like you have in todays movies. I am proud of this film and its an experience everyone should be able to experience. It was such a thrill seeing this movie made. I am especially proud to say my father, HARRY LEEDS JR. was a part of cinema history.

At the time of the release of the "The Devil's Brigade" it was unfairly compared to the "The Dirty Dozen" as being another copycat in the same genre. That was unfortunate. "The Devil's Brigade" is a great film and an entity unto itself. The only similarity between the two films is the use of Army convicts to develop what would now be called a `special forces' unit. The similarities end there. Robert Aldrich tries to imitate John Ford's directorial style with only partial success in "The Dirty Dozen." Aldrich tries to go for realism throughout his film and doesn't really seem to know the definition of comic relief. In "The Devil's Brigade" Andrew V. McLaglen certainly knows when to play it straight and when to lay on the heavy-handed comedy a John Ford trademark. John Ford no doubt influenced Andrew V. McLaglen the son of Victor McLaglen. Victor McLaglen was one of John Ford's favorite actors and was one of many influenced by this great director. The bawdy humor in "The Devil's Brigade" prepares us for the emotional charged final confrontation with the Germans and makes the carnage all the more real for the viewer. There is exceptionally great depth to all the characters in "The Devil's Brigade" and McLaglen builds real camaraderie between them. The dialogue is very engaging with its shear magnetism and is never cynical. When these guys fight, kill and die in combat we really feel for them. We cheer them on and we cry when they fall. There is more than just the mission at stake. There are lives on the line. Lives that we grew to like and feel for. The final mission is just not a little sortie to attack a Nazi stronghold on a hillside precipice. It is an assault, which breaks out into a full-scale battle with deadly hand-to-hand combat. William Holden, Cliff Robertson, Claude Akins, Richard Jaeckel, Andrew Prine, Jeremy Slate, Jack Watson, Michael Rennie and Carroll O'Connor are all excellent in their roles. Alex North's fine score and theme have also never been given their due. This is a strong film that examines friendship, camaraderie, and teamwork. Its message is not one of cynicism but the good that can be found in the human spirit. You just have to stand up and cheer for this should-be-classic.

A movie noteworthy mostly because of the supporting cast of character actors. Most notable are Richard Jaeckel (THE DIRTY DOZEN), Claude Akins (RIO BRAVO, tv's SHERIFF LOBO), Luke Askew, Andrew Prine (tv's V-THE MINISERIES/THE FINAL BATTLE), and even Richard Dawson (tv's HOGAN'S HEROES, FAMILY FEUD). Otherwise this is a basic WWII action flick with some big name stars (William Holden, Cliff Robertson, Carrol O'Conner, Micheal Rennie, Vince Edwards). An Allied special forces commando unit is hastily created to enter the early days of WWII to keep the Germans occupied until the actual American forces can send troops. This commando unit consists of misfit American GI's and elite Canadian soldiers. Part of the movie is a cliched plot where the ragtag Americans must get along with the posh Canadians. At first the two groups hate each other until fisticuffs at a local bar againts lumberjacks unites the two groups. Then, when this happens they become a fine tuned fighting unit. Pretty predictable stuff, but entertaining nonetheless with some great war action sequences and cliched characters. Standout performances by Richard Jaeckel as Pvt. Omar Greco (supposedly an acrobatic circus performer), and Claude Akins as Rockman.

What may amaze anyone who picks up this DVD is that this is based on a true story, and that the real events are actually downplayed in the film. I had a chance to speak with Joeseph Springer, who wrote a book called "The Black Devil Brigade". During the conversation, he told me of the comparisons of real life, & the movie. He stated that Devil Brigade is a adaptation that is paralell to that of Audy Murphy's life story in "To Hell & Back", again where real life events were downplayed. Overall, I find this to be a great old war movie that John Wayne would be proud of.