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9 out of 11 people found the following review useful: Fun, dynamite stuff, straddling 'exploitation' and high-caliber film-making, 7 June 2009 Author: MisterWhiplash from United States
I wasn't sure at first what to expect from director Enzo G. Castellari. I saw his film 1990: Bronx Warriors and it was a lot of fun, but in that way that comes with knowing a man made a no-holds-barred exploitation rip-off on the Warriors that, truth be told, was barely even shot in the Bronx. But, of course, movie-PHD Quentin Tarantino held up this man's work, particularly this film, to such high esteem he took the title (if not the skeleton of the subject matter) for his latest opus. Why not give a late 70s war movie a shot featuring Fred "The Hammer" Williamson, one of those unsung bad-asses, and Bo Svenson, an underrated actor-cum-star, a shot? Turns out, the shot was a big surprise. In the best possible way.Inglorious Bastards is made by a real professional, not by some slacker just looking to slap together some used sets and flunky character folk for roles. This is the real deal; if it's not one of the very best war films, it's certainly one that is one of the best you haven't heard of (least until recently thanks to the aforementioned PHD-in-film-incarnate). It's one of those "guys-on-a-mission" movies where it features a tag-line "Whatever the Dirty Dozen did – they do DIRTIER!" and with, from the looks of the trailer, either very good or very shoddy fx and a lot of ammo. Basically, a bunch of US soldiers, on their way for court-martial/execution, somehow, escape after an incident, and go on the run... only to find themselves getting embroiled in a mission involving a train, a whole s***load of Nazi's, and perhaps a few casualties here and there – few dozen to few hundred give or take.There's barely a line wasted in this flick, barely a scene that doesn't actually try and provide its actors like Svenson and Williamson – also other very good players like Peter Hooten and Jackie Basehart and Ian Bannen as the tricky Colonel Buckner – some good meaty dialog to chew on when they're not blowing stuff up to bits (written, and I was even more surprised by this than you, by five writers). Oh, sure, you could argue that it's violent, maybe needlessly so. But that is part of the point. It actually doesn't go *too* over-the-top, not as far as I expected given its Italian-cult credibility and that of Castellari's speckled career.The action is shot and edited with the great ferocity possible when a crew gets enough money and enough verve to push buttons. It does get bloody, and there's a pile of bodies that reaches up to a small skyscraper. But it's also a lot of fun to watch it, and it even goes beyond being a guilty pleasure into being just plain awesome. You lose yourself with these guys on their mission, with Williamson gritting and showing off why he is "The Hammer", or how Svenson could be such a persuadable star in good hands. And, yes, it probably does crib from the likes of the Great Escape (motorcycle jumps, anyone) and Bridge on the River Kwai (bridge blow-up, anyone), and at the same time it holds its own as a legitimate effort.I imagine that's what Tarantino saw in it, its own sense of paying tribute to so many other war pictures while holding its own for a bunch of dudes watching a bunch of dudes go to extreme in Nazi-occupied France. It's surprisingly tense, terrific genre film-making that doesn't force the Platoon treatment – it just asks you go just a little "Dirtier" with the flow of the average war flick, like Sam Fuller with a face full of pasta yelling out orders.
10 out of 13 people found the following review useful: Fun Italian War Adventure, 4 December 2002 Author: SgtSlaughter from St. Davids, Pennsylvania, USA
Here's one the lightest, most fun Italian war movies I've come across. It features a top notch cast and some great action scenes.Bo Svenson stars as an American officer who's thrown into a prison convoy with a murderer, Tony (Peter Hooten), Fred (Fred Williamson), a thief, Nick (Michael Pergolani), and a coward, Berle (Jackie Basehart). The convoy comes under attack by the Germans and the men escape across the French countryside. They enventually become wrapped up in an important Allied mission headed by Colonel Buckner (Ian Bannen).The movie features a top notch cast. Peter Hooten is especially memorable as the bigot, Tony and Fred Williamson turns in a great performance. Bo Svenson, himself a renegade, still tries to do the decent job as an officer and keep these boys in line. Michael Pergolani has little to do in his role as the hippie/thief; he does have one great motorcycle stunt scene, though, a la Steve McQueen in THE GREAT ESCAPE. Watch for Michel Constantin (THE DIRTY HEROES) as a partisan leader; Donald O'Brien as a German officer and Enzo Castellari himself as a German officer.The movie has some stunning action scenes; there are plenty of shootouts and explosions. The big gun battle amidst ruined German and American trucks and halftracks is especially impressive. The Partisan raid on the train near the end is well filmed, but features many repeated shots of the same action happening over and over again. The miniature work is not the greatest, but is much better than the later BATTLE OF THE EAGLES.The plot is basically a combination of THE DIRTY DOZEN and BATTLE OF THE COMMANDOS, but it's so fast-paced that you won't really care. Castellari lets only a few minutes go by before something important happens. He really develops his lead characters, which is another important feature we don't get to see much of in typical Italian war films.Despite all of the good stuff, this movie has a few rough spots. For one thing, it's got a very needless love story sub-plot that never goes anywhere and has nothing to do with the rest of the movie. Another complaint: there are some lengthy conversations between the German characters that weren't dubbed. It's impossible to understand what they're saying.The movie is not for young kids. It features graphic violence, plenty of profanity and even *full* female nudity in one scene.The version I saw was from Lightning Video, entitled DEADLY MISSION. The source print was of top quality, with fresh picture and good sound. The opening and closing titles, however, were apparently new material and feature some music that isn't heard anywhere else in the feature.Overall, this is a fun-to-watch Italian adventure piece. For the great cast, production values and action scenes, I'll give a 6/10.
9 out of 12 people found the following review useful: Badass form start to finish, 9 May 2009 Author: bensonmum2 from Tennessee
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
For my 1,000th user-comment on IMDb, I wanted to write about something that I not only enjoyed, but something that summed up or represented my feelings about and tastes in movies. You know, something that has my name written all over it. I considered a number of films – some bad – some good - but in the end, I decided to go with The Inglorious Bastards. Not only is it a great example of the kind of movie I go for, but I've been wanting to write something about it for a while now. And with Tarantino's re-imaging set to open this year, I definitely wanted to get my user comment written beforehand. So here it is, #1,000.As the film opens, a group of WWII era soldiers are being transferred to a military prison to await decision on the many crimes they've committed. Murder, theft, robbery – these aren't your typical, clean-cut, all-American GIs. On the way, the MP convoy is attacked by a German plane and a band of five prisoners escapes. They immediately decide to head to neutral Switzerland and the freedom it offers. On the way, they have plenty of opportunities to kill and maim Nazis. But when they accidentally shoot a group of American paratroopers disguised as German soldiers, the Bastards decide to stand in and complete their compatriots' mission. And what a mission it is – steal a train carrying a V2 rocket.If director Enzo G. Castellari is known for anything, it's action. And in The Inglorious Bastards, he outdoes himself. It's a testosterone injected ride from start to finish! Gun battles, explosions, vehicle wrecks, fights, falls off castle walls, motorcycle stunts – if it involves action, you'll find it here. Castellari somehow manages to keep the film well paced throughout. While the action does admittedly slow a tad in the second act, the film never bogs down and is always enjoyable. The Inglorious Bastards also features some really nice miniature work. The film's finale is especially memorable on that front. The cast is first rate. Fred "the Hammer" Williamson may be third billed, but he's the real star. Williamson's character is appropriately named Fred. Appropriate because he's pretty much playing himself – a cigar-chomping, one-line spewing, gun-toting badass. Surprising to me is that Bo Svenson is able to match Williamson scene for scene. I've never thought much of his other work that I've seen, but here, Svenson is very believable as the in control leader of the Bastards. The rest of the cast provide equally enjoyable performances. It's an excellent job by all involved.While I can see why The Inglorious Bastards might not appeal to everyone, for me, it's a near perfect movie. I've seen some reviews nit-pick the lack of realism. Relax, this was never intended to be a documentary. It's about having a good time and enjoying yourself. Just go with it and quit being so uptight. As for those who complain about the dialogue or the editing, you're obviously not familiar with Euro movie making from the 60s and 70s. Again, just go with it. Like I said, it's almost perfect to me. In fact, I've got no problem at all rating The Inglorious Bastards a 9/10, verging on a 10/10.So here's to 1,000 user comments. For those of you who have read and maybe even enjoyed some of what I've written, I say thanks. And look forward to more to come. On to 1,001!
13 out of 21 people found the following review useful: One of those great "Action-war" movies, 10 November 1999 Author: gaus from Trøndelag, Norway
An entertaining action-war movie. I remember i bought this movie the in a video-store back in 1986-87. It was an old English video-version from the early 80's (from that time when video-stores in my country imported video-movies direct from England without giving them subtitles)The movie have some similarity's with "The Dirty Dozen" and it's obvious that the film-makers got much inspiration from this great hit from the 60's. Acting and plot is not the greatest in history, but it's still a very exiting film. Not so much indifferent action-scenes here, like there are in many other movies of this type.8 out of 10
6 out of 9 people found the following review useful: Extremely enjoyable and entertaining war "guys on a mission" flick, 19 August 2007 Author: Danny-Rodriguez from Norway
To be honest, after hearing a few things about this film and that it's being compared to The Dirty Dozen, I was not surprised at how funny, light and enjoyable this film was. It starts off on a very light and 70's style mood type opening credit sequence with Sergio Leone western-style graphics and a theme song worthy of A Bridge Too Far. And it continues throughout to be a fun filled movie with likable characters and those good old war film shootouts with a guy shooting at a German and the German grabbing his gut and falling to the ground. Let's face it, we love that stuff.It also has a few twists to the plot and a few memorable scenes and lines, you seriously need to watch this if you're any kind of a movie buff.
3 out of 4 people found the following review useful: The train runs on lasagna, 28 October 2008 Author: paul_johnr from New York
DVD technology has helped to bring retrospectives of 1970s Italian cinema and saved many films that looked doomed to oblivion. Action director Enzo Castellari is one name who has benefited from this trend, seeing projects like 'Heroin Busters' and 'Street Law' drawing new audiences. Castellari's second war film, 'The Inglorious Bastards,' is also enjoying a revival and has spurred an upcoming project by Quentin Tarantino.'Bastards' can be viewed as a summing-up of the Italian war genre, bringing together elements of plot, character, and general nuttiness seen over two previous decades. Renamed by its distributors as 'Quel maledetto treno blindato' ('That Damn Train'), 'Bastards' hooks onto several well-known premises. The idea of U.S. Army convicts on a tactical mission was originally used in 'The Dirty Dozen' and the progress of a German locomotive was seen in John Frankenheimer's 'The Train.' These elements were later fused into 'Battle of the Commandos' (directed by Umberto Lenzi) and seen in Italy many times afterward. Everything from twenty years of Italian war film-making surfaces in 'The Inglorious Bastards:' a wildly uneven plot, a myriad of characters, plenty of gunfire and explosions, and an over-the-top finale.The major European cast is led by Bo Svenson, who plays U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Yeager. Yeager is forced to take charge of army prisoners who escape when their ground transport is attacked by a German fighter plane. The 'bastards' plan to reach exile in Switzerland but accidentally kill off a group of American soldiers (disguised as Nazis) whose mission is to stop a train carrying the prototype of Germany's new V2 missile. 'The Inglorious Bastards' devotes an hour to their escape and forty minutes to their carrying out of the operation.Despite third billing, former NFL defensive back Fred Williamson stays visible as Private Fred Canfield. Canfield is the most developed character in this film, having to deal with ongoing racism from both 'friend' and enemy. Peter Hooten creates much of the racial strife as Tony, a blue-eyed American who is unafraid to drop slurs. Michael Pergolani gives a spirited effort as Nick, the long-haired, mustache-wearing playboy who excels at forging documents. Jackie Basehart nicely fills Berle, a cowardly farmer who delivers at pivotal moments. Academy Award nominee Ian Bannen maximizes his role as Colonel Buckner, the mission's guide; Bannen is particularly effective with Svenson as Nazi impostors.Enzo Castellari's main talent is action and the action scenes in 'Bastards' are well-made. After seeing their guns confiscated by the Italian police during a Red Brigade scare, the film's crew pressed onward with homemade arms (including from wood) that fired electrical sparks in one burst. Castellari pulled off later scenes by using rapid crosscutting to disguise the 'fake' weaponry. These scenes are superbly paced (with editing by Gianfranco Amicucci) and use Castellari's favorite technique of slow motion to heighten the drama. Matte layouts by Emilio Ruiz del Río and explosives work by Gino De Rossi place 'Bastards' on a much larger scale than its budget allotted for. Composer Francesco De Masi ('Eagles Over London,' 'The New York Ripper') presents an orchestral soundtrack, arguably the best written for a spaghetti war flick.While highly watchable, 'Bastards' is hurt a great deal by sloppy writing and mediocre venues. The script was written by no less than five people, with Franco Marotta and Laura Toscano making last-minute changes to enlarge its action. Main characters (except for Canfield) are little more than bodies, which is usual for this genre, and the intended humor doesn't always work to its potential. Much of the humor is slapstick and has a built-in risk of annoying viewers; this occurs at several points in the film. The writing often lacks focus and has unneeded subplot; actress Debra Berger is highly welcome as a French nurse, but her romantic interest with Tony has no definite place in the storyline.'Bastards' was also not filmed in Spain as other Italian war movies of the period. Instead, it was shot in locations around Rome, which clearly didn't offer the wide-open feeling that a movie of this type requires. While the foliage and climate of Italy appear to match those of France, several of the action scenes are happening on cramped backlots; the areas are confined and seem to be hiding elements that would give away its place in a modern-day Italian suburb. del Río's matte work helps to bring an epic feel to the movie, but it often looks as if Castellari was hindered by the tight workspaces. Although not greatly successful as a war film, lovers of action should be happy with 'The Inglorious Bastards.' The film is a must-see for Italian war fans and deserves at least one sit-down from those interested in Second World War epics. Tarantino's new version of 'Bastards' helped with an impressive DVD release from Severin Films, which is available in a three-disc set. The film is solidly presented in widescreen (1.85:1) with Dolby enhancement of the original mono track. Subtitles are given for all non-English dialogue.Disc 1 offers a commentary track with Castellari and writer David Gregory, an excerpt from the theatrical trailer, and a 38-minute conversation between Castellari and Tarantino. On disc 2 are 'Train Kept A-Rollin',' a 75-minute documentary on the making of 'Bastards,' and 'Back To The War Zone,' a 13-minute featurette with Castellari revisiting locations. The third disc is a CD with 18 minutes of the film's original soundtrack, including its main titles. Several minutes were erased by De Masi when he needed a tape to record his son's school play (how about a featurette called 'The Inglorious Brats?'). Another spaghetti war tale for the ages.** out of 4Roving Reviewer - www.geocities.com/paul_johnr
4 out of 6 people found the following review useful: The "Dirty Dozen" of Italian Exploitation cinema, 9 June 2008 Author: Benjamin Gauss from Salzburg, Austria
"Quel Maledetto Treno Blindato" aka. "Inglorious Bastards" of 1978 is a highly entertaining little piece of War/action exploitation cinema brought to you by no one else than cult-director Enzo G. Castellari. This has many similarities to Robert Aldtrich's classic "The Dirty Dozen" (1967), only that this one is pure, awesome late 70s Italian exploitation. The prolific Hollywood stars of "The Dirty Dozen" are replaced with exploitation regulars like Bo Svenson and, most memorably, the great Fred Williamson. In France of 1944, a bunch of WW2 US-Army soldiers are about to be brought to a POW prison for different offenses, when the Military Police truck they are being transported in is suddenly attacked by Germans. Five of them take the opportunity to escape, among them an officer (Bo Svenson) and the super-tough black Pvt. Fred Canfield (Fred Williamson). They decide to flee to Switzerland, which is not easy, since they have both the Military Police and the Germans against them... Basically, the five unite all the characteristics that the twelve members of the "Dirty Dozen" had. Bo Svenson and Fred Williamson basically are the heroes of the pack, Williamson being the tough and super-cool black dude and Svenson the clever Strategist. The rest of the bunch include a trickster with an affinity to jokes and theft, basically the guy responsible for the fun-part, a young wuss who almost wets his pants throughout the film, and a sinister and racist jerk. The supporting cast includes a bunch of familiar faces for exploitation fans, I was especially delighted to see the great Donal O'Brien in a small role. Still, the main reason to watch this is Fred Williamson, who is, once again, coolness personified. The film does not have the great storyline or character-drawing of "The Dirty Dozen", but it makes up for this with lots of action, explosions, bloody battle and occasional female nudity. Even so, the film is not nearly as outrageously violent as I had expected it to be (and neither is it very sleazy). Yet, this is a highly entertaining and great fun to watch War/Action flick that I highly recommend to all my fellow exploitation-buffs!
5 out of 8 people found the following review useful: Gloriously unhinged Exploitation from Castellari., 10 May 2009 Author: Coventry from the Draconian Swamp of Unholy Souls
I wonder if a movie can possibly offer more adrenalin-rushing entertainment and genuine thrills than "The Inglorious Bastards" does. It's very, very doubtful. This movie – basically a blunt imitation of "The Dirty Dozen" but who really cares – is an unceasingly exciting and outrageously badass gem of an exploitation flick, with a tremendous ensemble cast and explosive testosterone-laden action. My mate and I watched this movie in a series of War movies but deliberately saved it for last because we presumed it would turn out the most fun one to behold. And we were right, too! "The Inglorious Bastards" centers on a handful of American misfit soldiers who are gathered together to get shipped off and face court martial for a variety of crimes and desertion. During a German Luftwaffe attack, however, the quintet escapes and together they decide to flee to neutral Switzerland on foot. They encounter a series of obstacles along the way, but then they accidentally kill a squadron of American soldiers dressed in Nazi uniforms for a specific mission. Tired of running away, the crazed band of bastard brothers decide to take over the mission that exists of preventing a train, with destructive of missile and a whole bunch of Nazis on board, from reaching its destination. The action in "The Inglorious Bastards" is plentiful and far out! Straight from the beginning, with the fabulously energetic music playing throughout the opening credits, you just know this will become a non-stop smörgåsbord of violence, excitation and sheer kicks! This is Z-Grade/exploitation heaven, with specialist director Castellari shamelessly borrowing elements from the greatest war movies ever made (the motorcycle stunt near the end seem to come straight out of "The Great Escape") but also adding a lot of his very own and creative ideas and humorist elements. The main characters are stupendous and impossible not to cheer for. Bo Svenson as the ultra-cool leader, Fred Williamson as the cigar-chewing killing machine and Michael Pergolani as the kleptomaniac hippie … You hate to love them all, and vice versa! The film is fast-paced from start to finish and actually an unbreakable chain of extravagant and impressively staged action stunts. Particularly the entire climax in and near the train station and the escape from the Nazi occupied château are brilliant; period! In spite of the reasonably low budget, the film contains some very adequate special effects and detailed miniature sets that explode into little pieces quite wondrously! And just when you think the movie you are watching have practically everything except gratuitous female nudity, the characters stumble upon an assemblage of skinny-dipping German chicks with machine guns! Is this movie the total definition of perfection, or what? No wonder Quinten Tarantino is an avid fan and even working on some sort of remake/tribute.
6 out of 10 people found the following review useful: Italian WWII action with a Dirty Dozen topping and insane body count, 30 July 2008 Author: chaos-rampant from Greece
The Italian industry from the 50's to the late 70's thrived by imitating big Hollywood box office hits and even though The Inglorious Bastards came a good 10 years after the WWII action cycle of the 60's, it's still a welcome addition to the genre. Two years after his spaghetti western masterpiece Keoma, director Enzo G. Castellari gathers a cast of b-movie stalwarts spearheaded by Bo Svenson and Fred Williamson, a couple hundred disposable extras in Nazi uniforms and unleashes hell.There's no sophistication or Spielberg-ian schmaltz here. It's an action-er through and through with a comedic touch and lots of gunplay. Castellari is no hack though and you can see flashes of his directorial brilliance in the slow-motion intercutting shots in the train, which rival anything Sam Peckinpah has done with the same technique. He knows he's not doing Citizen Kane though so he doesn't let his "artistry" get in the way of making an entertaining picture. Not a masterpiece by any means and it will probably seem outdated to anyone used to modern CGI work and Matrix stunts. This is old school action.Tarantino is preparing a remake of sorts for 2009 but The Inglorious Bastards has enough going for it to warrant a watch not just so you can brag to your friends on opening day that you've seen the original. Action fans will get a kick out of it.
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: Bargain Bin "Dirty Dozen" with Style to Spare, 22 September 2009 Author: brocksilvey from United States
A group of American convicts in WWII Europe escapes in transport and makes their way for the Swiss border. Along the way they encounter German platoons -- lots of shoot outs ensue. Eventually, they come across another American contingent and are mistaken for a special ops team whose plan is to bomb a Nazi train carrying some sort of big fancy weapon. More shoot outs ensue.Leave your hat and your desire for plot logic at the door if you want to enjoy this bargain-bin version of "The Dirty Dozen." Much of this film doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but you won't realize it doesn't make sense until after the movie's over, because while you're watching it it's easy to be distracted by the energy of the storytelling and film-making. One thing this movie has is style.Bo Svenson heads the cast of mostly unknowns, though Ian Bannen (who has an Academy Award nomination to his credit, though not for this) brings some actorly street cred to the film as a general. The movie makes no effort whatsoever to capture the period feel of 1944 Europe. The various pornstaches on display are pure 1978.Grade: A-
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