Regarding D-Day and the invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord), The Big Red One have been on many lists of films to watch regarding those events of WW2. Samuel Fuller directed and wrote the film which was for the best, its his story he's telling. Fuller was a World War II veteran and served with the 1st Infantry Division, which is nicknamed "The Big Red One" for the red numeral "1" on the division's shoulder patch. He received the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart during his service. So does the film hold up to the epic war film it appears to be? Indeed it does, Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader wrote, "A grand-style, idiosyncratic war epic, with wonderful poetic ideas, intense emotions, and haunting images rich in metaphysical portent." This film has what it takes to be a great war film, not really an epic one though.
A hardened sergeant and the four core members of his infantry unit try to survive World War II as they move from battle to battle throughout Europe.
The film opens up with a sequence showing the first war which the 1st Infantry Division fought, then it flashes forward to the second world war and we get introduced to our characters, an ensemble consisting of Lee Marvin alongside Mark Hamill, Robert Carradine, Siegfried Rauch, Bobby Di Cicco, and Kelly Ward. I think most of the actors did a fine job, but it's Lee Marvin, Mark Hamill and Robert Carradine who stand out the most, with the latter of them serving as the narrator. Is Carradine's character the one based upon the director? Perhaps, but it feels more like the director wrote the characters of Private Zab and Private Griff in mind, which is Carradine and Hamill's characters. Seeing a young Mark Hamill, in between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, giving a great performance was amazing to see. Lee Marvin is an incredible actor and you won't be disappointed here, he's leading the film nicely.
The Big Red One has a low budget and was independently made, you notice it immediately and it can break the immersion but don't let it. Fuller's vision is strong and as a director, he crafted a brilliant film with the budget he was given. It's easy to compare it to films of the decade like Gallipoli, Full Metal Jacket, Platoon or Glory. But you could compare it to another independent produced war film 'Hamburger Hill' and both these films are excellent, using every dollar to make sure the vision is there and to make the best film possible. The sound design is a clear example of the budget restraint, the gunfire is lackluster but the tanks and explosions sound real which was done practically. Same with the muzzle flashes. The film focuses instead not on big set pieces and action sequences, but on character driven drama and on the smaller scenes which shows the horrors of war. One thing which I absolutely loved is the accuracy of the military and the realism, something which was easy for Samuel Fuller to perfect.
The action sequences is mostly great, except for the first one against the Vichy French general and his battalion, it just came off as lackluster and very b-movie. But the rest are better. There's one sequence I want to dig deeper and analyze, the monastery one at the end of the film, without going into spoilers. The themes is portrayed perfectly here whilst giving the audience something very different and kind of something Quentin Tarantino could write, I've no idea how much is true of the monastery sequence but my feeling is some is real. The four soldiers in the ensemble cast, they argue with what should be done, bombing the place because there's "insane" people in there but the Sergeant tells them how it will look bad if they kill insane people, when it seems to be fine to kill "sane" people. That whole thing is quite interesting as the film's recurring theme is if what the soldiers are doing is either murder or killing, something I think most soldiers think about. It's brilliantly executed. The liberation of the Falkenau concentration camp is another great sequence which reminds me of the episode in Band of Brothers when they find a concentration camp. I would want to revisit this film sometime and experience the restored version which has 40 minutes of extra material edited together. I think some of the theatres of war were over too quickly. Overall score, I thought this film was pretty great. Recommend.
A hardened sergeant and the four core members of his infantry unit try to survive World War II as they move from battle to battle throughout Europe.
The film opens up with a sequence showing the first war which the 1st Infantry Division fought, then it flashes forward to the second world war and we get introduced to our characters, an ensemble consisting of Lee Marvin alongside Mark Hamill, Robert Carradine, Siegfried Rauch, Bobby Di Cicco, and Kelly Ward. I think most of the actors did a fine job, but it's Lee Marvin, Mark Hamill and Robert Carradine who stand out the most, with the latter of them serving as the narrator. Is Carradine's character the one based upon the director? Perhaps, but it feels more like the director wrote the characters of Private Zab and Private Griff in mind, which is Carradine and Hamill's characters. Seeing a young Mark Hamill, in between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, giving a great performance was amazing to see. Lee Marvin is an incredible actor and you won't be disappointed here, he's leading the film nicely.
The Big Red One has a low budget and was independently made, you notice it immediately and it can break the immersion but don't let it. Fuller's vision is strong and as a director, he crafted a brilliant film with the budget he was given. It's easy to compare it to films of the decade like Gallipoli, Full Metal Jacket, Platoon or Glory. But you could compare it to another independent produced war film 'Hamburger Hill' and both these films are excellent, using every dollar to make sure the vision is there and to make the best film possible. The sound design is a clear example of the budget restraint, the gunfire is lackluster but the tanks and explosions sound real which was done practically. Same with the muzzle flashes. The film focuses instead not on big set pieces and action sequences, but on character driven drama and on the smaller scenes which shows the horrors of war. One thing which I absolutely loved is the accuracy of the military and the realism, something which was easy for Samuel Fuller to perfect.
The action sequences is mostly great, except for the first one against the Vichy French general and his battalion, it just came off as lackluster and very b-movie. But the rest are better. There's one sequence I want to dig deeper and analyze, the monastery one at the end of the film, without going into spoilers. The themes is portrayed perfectly here whilst giving the audience something very different and kind of something Quentin Tarantino could write, I've no idea how much is true of the monastery sequence but my feeling is some is real. The four soldiers in the ensemble cast, they argue with what should be done, bombing the place because there's "insane" people in there but the Sergeant tells them how it will look bad if they kill insane people, when it seems to be fine to kill "sane" people. That whole thing is quite interesting as the film's recurring theme is if what the soldiers are doing is either murder or killing, something I think most soldiers think about. It's brilliantly executed. The liberation of the Falkenau concentration camp is another great sequence which reminds me of the episode in Band of Brothers when they find a concentration camp. I would want to revisit this film sometime and experience the restored version which has 40 minutes of extra material edited together. I think some of the theatres of war were over too quickly. Overall score, I thought this film was pretty great. Recommend.
