User reviews

This watchable melodrama, having a full share of fairly savage moments, avoids being one of Philippine schlockmeister Ciro Santiago's most flagrantly weak efforts, although it is recognized as a bald remake of the Robert Aldrich directed 1967 thick ear, THE DIRTY DOZEN. As with all of Santiago's films, this unexpectedly effective affair is shot in the Philippines, being the third of his efforts having a Vietnam setting, and not intended as a crude shocker, as are the prior pair, while nonetheless offering a great deal of screen time for stuntmen and demolition specialists. The film opens with United States Army Captain Rosello (Anthony Finetti) leading a platoon into an enemy village to destroy a munitions depot. This is explosively accomplished, although many U. S. casualties are a result. Since few return from this adventure, other troops refuse any association with Rosello, who is then reassigned to lead a squad made up of generally felonious scapegraces. Beneath his guidance, the men gradually begin to work as a team, in spite of the cinematically guaranteed mishmash that they are (Hispanic, negroid, bigot, doper, religious fanatic), the lattermost performed by Loren Haynes, who writes and sings the film's closing song. For the miscreant squad's initial mission, they are tasked with capturing a Viet Cong colonel, along with the destruction of a strategically significant bridge. Success with this assignment will sanction Rosello's aspirations to proficiency in leadership. However, it soon becomes clear that the squad is not yet functional as a closely-knit unit, and Rosello decides to take his charges into a local brothel in hopes of improving their general attitude. Unfortunately, while there, they become engaged in a drunken brawl with some Marines, resulting in their winding up in jail, from where they are released specifically in order to tackle their most dangerous duty assignment, involving recapture of the since-freed Viet Cong colonel, while at the same time rescuing several Army nurse hostages captured by the V.C. during as assault upon a U.S. military hospital. Naturally, none of this has any apparent basis in fact. A good deal of battle action is found here, characteristic of any Santiago film, and many players of his stock company are at hand, as virtually all of the cast have appeared in other Santiago movies. Additionally, stereotypes prevail among the characters. Perhaps Santiago's greatest strength as a director, well-constructed build-up sequences, merely lead here to his primary weakness, a failure to develop impact from these episodes. This film is, in sum, unpersuasive hokum from the bottom barrel of imagination. If a viewer will not be interested in seeing a superfluity of gunfights replete with many bullet squibs, and explosions, it would be better to spend one's time elsewhere. However, it should be noted that Santiago has refined his endeavours to the point that this work will garner one's attention throughout its 90 minute length. It can still be found upon a Media Home Entertainment VHS tape having good audio and visual quality, but is not available as a DVD and it is unlikely that it will be released in that format.

Another entertaining war flick from our great friend Cirio. Anthony Finetti plays the part of Lee Marvin in the Dirty Dozen and is fantastic as the hard ass (Capt. Rosello) which is especially amazing when you consider that it's Anthony's first leading man role, or any role for that matter. Vic Diaz as the Commie leader ( Tranh Um Phu) is fine, but has few scenes where he speaks English and the rest of the time we are forced to look at his prodigious bare belly. The rest of the gang are good with William Steis, four years away from his highly acclaimed and brilliant portrayal of Col Clay in Raiders of the Sun, playing Col Ridamann in this one. William does a reliable job of setting out the plot and getting on Capt Rosello's nerves. Speaking of the plot, it's about what you would imagine in a Dirty Dozen inspired low budget film with a little substandard, sorry ladies, T&A thrown in too keep our attention.

There are a couple of rough death scenes that bordered on misogynistic towards the end that I was a little uncomfortable watching, and there is certainly no Donald Sutherland or John Cassavetes level of talent here, however, it is still worth a watch for sure.

My review was written in January 1989 after watching the movie on Media Home Entertainment video cassette.

Filipino action specialist Cirio H. Santiago comes up with a well-made but ho-hum Vietnam War saga in "The Expendables", which played off theatrically last year.

His excellent handling of English dialog makes this indistinguishable from all-American films, as gung-ho Capt. Rosello (Anthony Finetti) leads his band of misfits on various missions, notably to capture a Vietnamese colonel (the ubiquitous Vic Diaz) for interrogation.

With its usual quota of explosions and battles, film is enjoyable on a mindless action level, but bogs down in some rather pretentious verbal exchanges as Philip Alderton's script tries lamely for significance.

Cast is adequate in executing stereotypes (the religious fanatic nicknamed Lord, a bitter black soldier, a racist in the platoon, etc.). Glum ending is overly downbeat.

Don't think you can knock this movie !I love it !..People just don't like it becuse it was made in the Philippines..I'm sure they're all Sly Stallone fans and they like the BS remakes ..Originality is what makes a film !