It's sad that it's so rarely seen as I actually found this to be a decent war movie. First we get a great cast lead by Italian cinema greats George Hilton and Klaus Kinski. Kinski, though German in real life, plays against type here and actually plays an American soldier. The film opens with a couple of soldiers that let the stress of war get to them and one ends up attacking his commanders and the other ends up stealing. Both are sentenced to death but while on their way to gallows, their execution squad is attacked by Germans and our two death row prison inmates and commander of the squad escape. To survive behind enemy lines they must trust one another despite they're contempt for each other. The trio end up in a French village that will be soon invaded by Nazis. The trio decide to stand ground, put their selfishness aside and help the village fight he Nazis.
Again I actually liked this film. It's goes against its budget constraints and gives a convincing story with characters that are actually interesting. The one thing that hurts the performances in the film though is the bad dubbing, especially for the Kinski character. There is a sequence where he is having a heart-to-heart conversation with a women he has recently fell in love with and the dubbing completely destroys any emotion the audience would feel.
Overall this film is worth seeking out for Italian film fans, like myself. It's not the best war film ever made nor should one think it to be. It's still a solid, serious macaroni combat film and I thank Wild East for making it available to the public with a solid transfer.
Written By Eric Reifschneider
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