
The story of a hardened army sergeant and four of his men, from their first fight at the Kasserine Pass after the invasion of North Africa through to the invasion of Sicily, D-Day, the Ardennes forest and the liberation of a concentration camp at the end of the war. As the five of them fight - and survive to fight yet again in the next battle - new recruits joining the squad are swatted down by the enemy on a regular basis. The four privates are naturally reluctant to get to ... (Full plot summary below)
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The story of a hardened army sergeant and four of his men, from their first fight at the Kasserine Pass after the invasion of North Africa through to the invasion of Sicily, D-Day, the Ardennes forest and the liberation of a concentration camp at the end of the war. As the five of them fight - and survive to fight yet again in the next battle - new recruits joining the squad are swatted down by the enemy on a regular basis. The four privates are naturally reluctant to get to know any of the new recruits joining the squad, who become just a series of nameless faces.
Leave your thoughts about The Big Red One.
| New YorkerAnthony LaneIts kitschy grabs at the surreal--the scene in a lunatic asylum, where German troops are billeted, manages to be at once implausible and offensive--that blocks any close engagement with the drama. That said, you must see this film for one unstoppable reason, and that is Lee Marvin. |
| Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumA grand-style, idiosyncratic war epic, with wonderful poetic ideas, intense emotions, and haunting images rich in metaphysical portent. |
| Countingdown.comLarry CarrollA solid war movie with a great performance by Lee Marvin. If you're a war buff, give this one a shot. |
| NewsweekDavid AnsenMarvin's taciturn performance--a moving demonstration of masculine grace under pressure--may be his finest. |
| Kansas City KansanSteve CrumUntil "Saving Private Ryan," this film was the most graphic WWII picture made. |
| Washington PostMichael O'SullivanWhat the movie may lack in "Saving Private Ryan"-style gloss, it more than makes up for in authenticity, or, in other words, heart. |
| Salt Lake TribuneSean P. MeansThese places were where Fuller himself served during the war, and he imbues these stories with the same gritty detail he probably delivered telling them over a beer. |
| Empire MagazineAngie ErrigoAlthough these are the stock characters of war drama - the sage, grizzled Sarge, the farm boy, the street kid, the nice guy who doesn't want to kill anyone and the witness - Fuller's are particularly credible ordinary people. |
| New York Daily NewsJami BernardThe combination of old-time Hollywood valor and ahead-of-its-time surprises makes this restoration a big event. |
| Seanax.comSean Axmaker... if you want a World War II story from a real vet's perspective, Sam Fuller is still the man and The Big Red One, drawn from his own war experiences, is the film |