The The Dirty Dozen reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Jul-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

The Dirty Dozen

The Dirty Dozen is a 1967 fictional war movie directed by Robert Aldrich from the novel by E.M. Nathanson. It stars Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland and Ernest Borgnine.

Warning: Plot details follow.

The movie takes place during World War II. Twelve Allied soldiers, all imprisoned and facing sentences of death or long terms of imprisonment, are give the chance to go on a very risky mission. If they survive, their sentences will be set aside.

John Reisman (Marvin) is in charge of the mission. It is an assault on a chateau in Normandy, frequented by German officers. The mission is set to happen just prior to the D-Day invasion.

Of the twelve, only Wladislaw (Bronson) survives. Group troublemaker Victor Franko (Cassavetes) almost survives, but gets shot in the back just as they are leaving the operation.

Also worth noting is war movie fixture Telly Savalas. He plays the highly religious, psychologically unstable Archer Maggot.

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