THE MISFIT BRIGADE (1986)
DIRECTOR: Gordon Hessler
CAST: Bruce Davison, David Patrick Kelly, David Carradine, D.W. Moffet, Jay O. Sanders, Keith Szarabajka and Oliver Reed.
REVIEW: A rather silly and lighthearted knockoff of THE DIRTY DOZEN, produced on a shoestring budget but filled with action and drama.
As the Germans lose the war in Russia, a group of military misfits is offered amnesty if they will trek behind the lines and blow up a Nazi train. Along the way, they encounter a large variety of trials and tribulations.
For a 1980s war movie, I was surprised this one was so lighthearted. It fails to take the war seriously, even at the dramatically important points. You go into the film expecting a completely different result than what you get. The characters are immediately clichéd and lack German accents, but you won't care once the film gets going. It's basically DEADLY MISSION as seen from the other side.
Bruce Davison (Summer of My German Soldier) leads the all-American cast as the war-weary Sergeant Porta, a cocky and happy-go-lucky guy who just wants to go home. David Patrick Kelly is in the unit because he fought with the International Brigade in Spain and is a Muslim, "undesirable" to the Nazi regime. Filling out the group are Keith Szarabajka as the grizzled old vet, and Jay Sanders as the dimwit thug, "Tiny". David Carradine has a few scenes as a brutal, typically evil Nazi Colonel and even top-notch star Oliver Reed (Lion of the Desert) pops up at the end as a plump, familiar-type General.
The story often stretches the limits of reality, that's to be expected with a film like this. Director Gordon Hessler ignores the gaps in logic and fills the movie with some great action scenes, all shot on a low budget but perfectly satisfying. One air raid sequence combines stock footage from Battle of the Eagles with live action and slow-motion photography perfectly. When the movie shies away from excitement, it's utterly hilarious - often pushing the limits of even an R-rated movie. The men use crass humor to escape the horrors of war, and there's even some pretty explicit nudity during a scene in which our heroes run across a mixed group of German and Russian deserters.
The movie was shot in Yugoslavia, a good place to make a low-budget film which de-glorifies the Nazis. Surprisingly the script not only bashes Nazism, but it hurls insults at Communism and every type of political opinion thinkable. The focus is on "men without a country", those who don't care who they fight for and don't owe anyone anything. They kill Russians, run over their dead comrades with a tank and even murder two their own officers if it's convenient. The last few seconds of the movie perfectly illustrate its' theme.
The movie does have a few really, really stupid moments. Some characters are too weak and comical to be taken seriously, but the film is based on actual events. A few scenes also defy tactical logic completely, including a tank battle in which the German commander makes some really dumb decisions; and during the final air raid, instead of seeking cover, the German commander stumbles about wondering why there's no pilot around to fly him out of the mess.
On home video, the film is presented about as well as it could be. The US video is uncut, and includes all of the profanity and "dirty stuff" which was becoming commonplace in theaters by the mid-80s. The video is mastered from good source material. The colors are accurate but not intense. There's hardly a hint of damage anywhere.
For a fun, no-thinking required, anti-war comedy / drama along the lines of DEADLY MISSION and KELLY'S HEROES, I recommend this movie. While being a pretty average piece of work, it's got enough explosive action, funny dialog and good anti-war moments to satisfy any viewer.
SGT. SLAUGHTER'S RATING: 3 Bullets
