'The Big Red One' - A Big Red Disappointment. - powermatic

Films/DVD Asylum

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'The Big Red One' - A Big Red Disappointment.

After reading for years that this was Sam Fuller's 'masterpiece',I finally watched this last night-or, I'll admit, I watched half of it. I just could not continue with the waste of time. So, perhaps the last half was really, really good. I'm afraid I'll never know.
Within the first few opening minutes I knew suspension of disbelief was going to be a problem. How was Lee Marvin ambushed by a horse that's been a-snortin' and a-whinnyin' and a-runnin' all around the cemetary? Why was Lee happy to kill a German who approached with his hands up in the universal sign of surrender, but then be saddened to learn that he'd killed him after the Armistice had been signed? Shouldn't his CO, when he asked him where his rifle was, only to be told that the cranky-ass horse smashed it, asked him why he didn't just pick one up off one of the dead guys he's walking over? And why does Lee Marvin's character look exactly the same in WW2 as he does in WW1?
This was in the first five minutes. In the next five, we get the cast of stock all-American-cross-section characters, the horrid voiceover, the wooden dialogue without the acting chops to overcome it, the absurd beach landing in N. Africa, the total lack of pacing-qualities that will follow us throughout Africa and Europe as we trudge through the war.
Okay, I've vented enough. Maybe my expectations were too high due to the 'masterpiece', five-star label that this movie constantly receives. Frankly, it seemed like a B-movie with a larger-than-usual budget.
On the positive side, I watched Frankenheimer's 'The Train' on TCM a couple of weeks ago (a film made in the '60's) Now that's a war movie, and film in general, that shows a director who knows what he's doing. I liked it enough that I'll rent the dvd for another look.

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Topic - 'The Big Red One' - A Big Red Disappointment. - powermatic 15:31:23 03/28/07 (9)

Agree. - Prisoners 16:40:37 03/28/07 (0)

Think that's bad? See Malick's "The Thin Red Line." War made boring, though - tinear 15:59:33 03/28/07 (7)

Never been a soldier then, Tinear? - Timbo in Oz 23:55:21 03/29/07 (1)

War may be boring but a film shouldn't be. nt - tinear 05:42:16 03/30/07 (0)

but war is boring... - dave c 14:53:18 03/29/07 (0)

"Thin Red Line" may not be everyone's cup of tea (slow pace, - powermatic 11:22:08 03/29/07 (2)

Perhaps not about 'war' , but uses war in general, - powermatic 17:20:14 03/29/07 (0)

The Thin Red Line isn't about war - dave c 14:55:52 03/29/07 (0)

Re: Think that's bad? See Malick's "The Thin Red Line." War made boring, though - rico 09:33:07 03/29/07 (0)

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