HottWwjdIam There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Janis One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Joseph Pezzuto "I can't murder anybody." "We don't murder; we kill." 'The Big Red One' (1980), was made particularly in order to show people what the 1st Infantry Division entering WWII were truly like and how ordinary men fought, bled, and died for our great nation throughout the many hellish war zones and situations some narrowly survived for a few fatal years. The director, Samuel Fuller (Pickup on South Street, Shock Corridor), known for his low-budget genre movies with controversial themes, here wanted to capture the true essence of what these ordinary men had to do to survive extraordinary circumstances: the German artillery, D-Day on Omaha Beach in Normandy, a massive counterattack resulting in what became known as the Battle of the Bulge and other famous historical battles. Dodging gunfire and clinging to survival amidst dangerous war zones therein this gritty, gripping war flick, 'Big Red' is a loosely constructed epic account for reconstructing his Fuller's own days in Europe and North Africa between the years 1942 and 1945, displaying both raw power and a rough edge, all the while maintaining a cool and personal perspective that echoes his war-torn trials as they bleed from various moments throughout the picture as we sit there and witness it. So, did Fuller's version of what he personally experienced during the war truly capture the essence of it? Let's take a look.In October 1918, the patch as it is known, a red "1" on a solid olive green background, was officially approved for wear by members of the Division. Worn with pride, the patch symbolizes the legacy and tradition that binds all generations of those who have worn the Big Red One. On August 1, 1942, the first Division was recognized and redesignated as the 1st Infantry Division. The 1st Infantry Division entered combat in World War II as part of "Operation Torch", the invasion of North Africa, the first American campaign against the Axis powers that marched and combated through Algiers, Tunisia, Sicily, France, Belgium and then pushed into the German border. The Division continued its push into Germany, crossing the Rhine River. On December 16, twenty-four enemy divisions, ten of which were armored, launched a massive counterattack in the Ardennes sector, resulting in what became known as the Battle of the Bulge. The Big Red One held the critical shoulder of the "Bulge" at Bullingen, destroying hundreds of German tanks in the process. On Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945, the Division marched one-hundred fifty miles to the east of Siegen. On April 8, the Division crossed the Weser River into Czechoslovakia. The war was over May 8, 1945. Tragically at the end of WWII, there were over twenty-thousand casualties and over one hundred thousand prisoners of war had been taken. Forty-three thousand plus men had served in the ranks, winning a total of twenty-thousand plus medals and awards, including sixteen Congressional Medals of Honor. Nonetheless, the actors on the screen reflected just a glimpse of how the real soldiers back in the day fought for our great nation to the fullest extent. One of the main characters, Pvt. Griff (Mark Hamill), causes to violate his pacifist views because even amidst the chaos and utter destruction around him, he does not believe in and refuses to "murder". He values life to the fullest extent. He lives in believing and even states that the true glory of war is actually surviving it. Griff's position in the infantry is a marksman, and a skilled one at that. Nonetheless, the horrors of his war years have finally caught up with him. He is finally stripped of his pacifist views in one scene as he fires every one of his last bullets into a lone German hiding in one of the ovens in a concentration camp used to exterminate the Jews. His face contorting into agony and despair as he does so, it is revealed to him and to the audience that WWII had finally wreaked a psychological toll on Griff, regardless of his heroism and bravery for his country. The horrors of war have finally gripped him into a reality where his pacifist views have come to a grinding halt in his mentality, knowing that his aspects will never again be the same from here on out.I do believe there is a difference between killing and murder. Even though The Sergeant (Lee Marvin) explained the difference in the beginning of the film, I had to agree with what he said. However, my thoughts on the certain matter is that killing is what you have to do in war or in dangerous life-threatening situations where you have to shoot the enemy in order to defend and protect something big or meaningful, their case being the United States and the people of America. Murder has no rational thought, such as randomly stabbing someone with a knife for example. Some people murder only to save themselves or if they are convicted criminals, not for something heroic like fighting for their homeland or for victory. The plot was all about surviving WWII, along with the many horrors that encompassed it as well. This was a wonderful picture altogether, with a glorious display of historical battles given as torn pages from a found war journal for us to relive, recount and remember.

Thomas Lord I really have no idea why this film is so highly rated, I think it must be down to reviewers nostalgia from seeing it as a child. The attention to detail is awful; I understand that it was probably not possible to source authentic equipment in 1980 and obviously there was no CGI but really, is it too much to ask not to have 1980's hairstyles , modern Israeli(Oh the irony!) tank drivers with modern helmets and Germans shouting "Americaner schweinhund!". I've tried to watch it three times now, and I'm sure a modern re telling would do a much better job.It's clearly a fascinating story but this version doesn't make it so.

James Long I was looking forward to seeing this film as I am a big fan of WWII movies but this film was a big letdown. It is hard to know where to start and whether I should waste any more time commenting on a film that has already wasted nearly 3 hours of my life.What we have here is what seems to be a buddy movie. A group of friends having a whale of a time on holiday in Europe during WWII. I know that sounds ridiculous but thats how the movie feels. The starkness and harsh reality of war is not what you see in this movie, war almost seems like fun. Of course not for the minor characters who keep ending up dead but for the principal characters it is all just a laugh.The dialogues is terrible and full of clichés. I know many war movies are riddled with clichés but its not just that. The dialogues is just absurd at times. And all the characters are just walking clichés, especially the European characters. The Italians are typically over the top. Children and old grandmothers are sweet and innocent. These are just a couple of examples.All the sub-plots in the film are completely ridiculous. Children for some reason seem to be attracted to Lee Marvin's character like he is the kiddy snatcher from chitty chitty bang bang bearing gifts of sweeties. Germans fall out of line by telling their commanding officers how much they hate Hitler until their predictable execution. The whole ridiculous birth scene inside a tank is done in very bad taste. Then you have a young Hitler youth who has killed some American G.I's and then has his trousers pulled down and spanked.The beach scene when the Americans arrive in North Africa is probably the most ridiculous scene I have ever seen in a war movie. They start off fighting the French Vichy soldiers and as soon as the Vichy commander is killed the french troops surrender and then run over to embrace the Americans.As you have seen I have mostly just tried to state things as they actually happen and not give my personal opinion. You don't need to give opinions to show how absurd this film is, just stating what happens illustrates enough.Also there seem to be many homosexual innuendos in the film. Nothing wrong with that but they are very bizarre. I could go on and on here, I could talk about the terrible acting, the stupid plot and the historical inaccuracies but I will save it.If you like to hear things go BANG ! and see a bit of blood and guts then this is the movie for you. If however you want a movie with just a little substance to it then please do yourself a favour and avoid this awful movie.I know my review might be a little incoherent in style but I just wanted to quickly get this off my chest before going to bed. This is the first time I have written a review and that is because I have never felt so strongly about a films shortcomings as much as I did for this film.I know the director Fuller served in WWII, but that doesn't prove anything. I respect his bravery in serving his country during WWII but as a director I have no respect for him. This is simply one of the worst films I have ever seen.

matjusm Perhaps I am an exception but this film really did nothing for me.The premise is simple: the experiences of a US infantry squad led by Lee Marvin fighting in Europe and North Africa during WW II. It was supposed to be about the experiences of the men who fought but I didn't feel the film delivered that: none of the characters were really explored or given much depth, even the great Lee Marvin seemed distant and cold. There isn't too much dialogue, in fact there isn't too much of anything in this film. Its just there but it doesn't really give you much, it just leaves you cold. The plot is occasionally just plain weird and confusing, not the good kind of quirky type of weird but just strange for no apparent reason and with no charm to it.The action scenes are average, nothing special but enough for their purpose. What annoyed me was that so many different locations were so obviously filmed in the same sandy country (Israel) and it just didn't come off as very convincing. I didn't believe that what I was being shown was really the place it was supposed to be. Its also a quiet film, with very minimal music which in itself isn't bad but just gave the whole thing a somewhat sleepy atmosphere. I wouldn't go so far as to say the film was boring, it wasn't but it just wasn't that attention grabbing either.Its a film that is there but it did absolutely nothing for me. Others however might enjoy it.