I don't usually like war films, but I've really got to hand it to Enzo G. Castellari for this one; what we have is a true balls to the wall, gritty and violent exploitation masterpiece from the time when a bastard was called a bastard (and not a 'basterd'). The film works principally because rather than focusing on the war itself, it focuses on a group of people thrown into the war; and their personal experiences, which principally consist of blowing German heads off German shoulders. The film begins with a convoy taking a group of American soldiers off to prison for their various crimes against the army. En route to the prison, they are attacked by the Germans; and a group of five men manages to escape. They plan to head for Switzerland; the only neutral land around. However, on their way there; they are again attacked by Germans and forced to find their way on foot through the woods. The film then follows the group as they negotiate their way to Switzerland, and end up becoming involved with a plan to steal a valuable weapon from a German train.<br /><br />The main reason this film works so well is simply down to the fact that it's such a blast! The film is entertaining from the first minute to the very end; and this is achieved by a bunch of interesting characters, some well worked humour; and best of all, a plethora of violence. I'd really love to know what the body count for this movie is as it must be astronomical! The film is Italian; but really you'd never guess unless you're familiar with Enzo G. Castellari's work (which includes crime films and Jaws rip-offs) as the main cast are all American and the film was shot in English. The film is often said to be a rip off of The Dirty Dozen (and indeed, the tagline nods to this) although having (unbelievably) not seen The Dirty Dozen myself, I can't really comment on that. The plot flows very well throughout and there's always plenty going on to keep the interest high. It's a surprisingly high quality film too; very well made and the special effects are good. Overall, this is an absolutely great war movie Quentin Tarantino is going to have to work hard if his "reimaging" is going to top it!