Quel maledetto treno blindato (1978)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Enzo G. Castellari

Writers:

Sandro Continenza (writer)
Sergio Grieco (writer)

Release Date:

December 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Action | War | Comedy

Tagline:

Whatever the Dirty Dozen did they do it dirtier!

Plot:

Set in Europe during WWII, a group of American soldiers are in the process of being shipped off to military prison for a variety of infractions...

Plot Keywords:

German Army | American Army | Air Attack | Commando Raid | French Resistance

Cast

Bo Svenson	...	Lt. Robert Yeager
Peter Hooten	...	Tony
Fred Williamson	...	Pvt. Fred Canfield
Michael Pergolani	...	Nick
Jackie Basehart	...	Berle
Michel Constantin	...	Veronique
Debra Berger	...	Nicole
Raimund Harmstorf	...	Adolf Sachs
Ian Bannen	...	Col. Charles Thomas Buckner
Flavio Andreini
Peter Boom	...	German Officer
Vito Fornari
Manfred Freyberger	...	German Officer on Train
Joshua Sinclair	...	Marshall (as John Loffredo)
Mike Morris	...	Colonel Hauser

Also Known As:

Bastardi senza gloria (Italy) (working title)
Counterfeit Commandos (USA) (reissue title)
Deadly Mission (USA) (video title)
G.I. Bro (USA) (recut version)
Hell's Heroes (USA) (video title)
Inglorious Bastards (USA)
The Dirty Bastard (Philippines: English title)

Runtime:

99 min | Germany:76 min (cut version) | UK:90 min (cut version)

Country:

Italy

Language:

English | Italian | German | French

Color:

Color (Telecolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Sweden:(Banned) | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 (US version) | Sweden:15 (video rating) | Norway:15 (uncut DVD version) (2007) | Finland:K-16 | USA:R | Norway:16 (video) (1981) (unrated video version) | Norway:(Banned) (1978-2003) (cinema release)

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Films Concorde

Trivia:

Fred Williamson is named as a co-writer on screenplay on deposit at the Library of Congress Copyright Office.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During several of the battles, the same actors can be seen dying multiple times, only from different camera angles.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Quelli del Maledetto Treno Blindato - Making of 'Inglorious Bastards' (2007) (V)

Italian WWII action with a Dirty Dozen topping and insane body count

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.