You Can't Win 'Em All

"Two soldiers of fortune matching wits and guns against the armies of two nations!"

1970 1h 37m EN

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 44

WarAdventureComedyAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

During the 1922 Turkish Civil War, two Americans and a group of foreign mercenaries offer their services to a local Turkish governor who hires them as guards for a secret transport.

“Two soldiers of fortune matching wits and guns against the armies of two nations!”

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Cast

Tony Curtis
Adam Dyer
Charles Bronson
Josh Corey
Michèle Mercier
Aila
Patrick Magee
The General - Ataturk
Fikret Hakan
Colonel Elci
Grégoire Aslan
Osman Bey
Leo Gordon
Bolek
John Alderson
U.S. Army Major

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Peter Collinson
Writers: Leo Gordon
Languages: English
Countries: Turkey, United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

56 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Turkey, United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Peter Collinson, shot by Kenneth Higgins. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Bert Kaempfert. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Raymond Poulton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tony Curtis and Charles Bronson and Michèle Mercier carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Two soldiers of fortune matching wits and guns against the armies of two nations!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0066593 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Peter Collinson directs. Kenneth Higgins behind the camera. Bert Kaempfert scores. Raymond Poulton cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Turkey, United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

156 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2International production across 3 countries: Turkey, United Kingdom, United States of America.
3Directed by Peter Collinson, shot by Kenneth Higgins. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Bert Kaempfert. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Raymond Poulton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Tony Curtis and Charles Bronson and Michèle Mercier carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Two soldiers of fortune matching wits and guns against the armies of two nations!".
8IMDB entry: tt0066593 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 44 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Kenneth Higgins
Original score: Bert Kaempfert
Editing: Raymond Poulton
Makeup / hair: Freddie Williamson
Runtime: 97 min · 1h 37m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: You Can't Win 'Em All (1970)

Also by

Peter Collinson

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2014-04-18
★ 6.5/10
Well. You know what they say? It’s a short life at best. You Can’t Win ‘Em All (AKA: Soldiers of Fortune/The Dubious Patriots) is directed by Peter Collinson and written by Leo Gordon. It stars Tony Curtis, Charles Bronson, Michele Mercier, Fikret Hakan, Leo Gordon and Salih Guney. Music is by Bert Kaempfert and cinematography by Kenneth Higgins. 1922 and the Greco-Turkish War is coming to a close, and two soldiers of fortune meet and find themselves on a deadly mission that will either make them rich, get them killed or something else entirely… Marauding machismo under the burning Turkey sun, You Can’t Win ‘Em All is good on intentions and two fisted action quotas. That the script is poor is a shame, because although it’s hardly grade “A” as an actioner, it is a whole bunch of fun and Curtis and Bronson are great company to be in. Collinson constructs the action in a competent manner as he fills out the plot with gunfire, explosions, barroom brawls, biplane attacks, speeding train, foxy women and a picturesque location. Bronson gets to flex his muscles while Curtis deals out the quips, and the narrative has the two men spun into a world of double crosses, bluffs and dubious motives. Their chemistry is solid, they make for a good buddy-buddy pairing. Weak on the page for sure, but enough guts, gusto and grins to ensure it’s worth spending the time with. 6.5/10

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