The Devil's Brigade

"What they did to each other was nothing compared to what they did to the enemy!"

1968 2h 10m EN

😐

6.3

MID

🥫

57%

ROTTEN

⭐

6.7

IMDB

★6.3TMDB · 93🥫57%Rotten Tomatoes★6.7IMDB · 6,863

ActionDramaWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

At the onset of World War II, American Lt. Col. Robert Frederick is put in charge of a unit called the 1st Special Service Force, composed of elite Canadian commandos and undisciplined American soldiers. With Maj. Alan Crown leading the Canadians and Maj. Cliff Bricker the acting head of the American contingent, there is initial tension -- but the team comes together when given a daunting mission that few would dare to attempt.

“What they did to each other was nothing compared to what they did to the enemy!”

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Cast

William Holden
Lt. Col. Robert T. Frederick
Cliff Robertson
Major Alan Crown
Vince Edwards
Major Cliff Bricker
Andrew Prine
Pvt. Theodore Ransom
Jeremy Slate
Sgt. Pat O'Neill
Claude Akins
Pvt. Rocky Rockman
Jack Watson
Cpl. Peacock
Richard Jaeckel
Pvt. Omar Greco

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Andrew V. McLaglen
Writers: William Roberts
Languages: English
Countries: 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

58 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen, shot by William H. Clothier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

ERA

Did you know

William Holden and Cliff Robertson and Vince Edwards carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "What they did to each other was nothing compared to what they did to the enemy!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0062886 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 93 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Andrew V. McLaglen directs. William H. Clothier behind the camera. Alex North scores. William T. Cartwright cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

158 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen, shot by William H. Clothier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Alex North. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor William T. Cartwright shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5William Holden and Cliff Robertson and Vince Edwards carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "What they did to each other was nothing compared to what they did to the enemy!".
7IMDB entry: tt0062886 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 93 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: William H. Clothier
Original score: Alex North
Editing: William T. Cartwright
Makeup / hair: Donald W. Roberson
Stunt coordinator: Hal Needham
Runtime: 130 min · 2h 10m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Devil's Brigade (1968)
Rotten Tomatoes: 57% 🥫 Rotten
IMDB rating: 6.7/10 · 6,863 votes
MPAA: Approved
US box office: $8,000,000

Also by

Andrew V. McLaglen

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2013-12-29
★ 8/10
Teufels Brigade. The Devil’s Brigade is directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and adapted to screenplay by William Roberts from the book of the same name written by Robert H. Adleman and George Walton. It stars William Holden, Cliff Robertson, Vince Edwards, Harry Carey, Claude Akins, Andrew Prine, Richard Jaeckel, Jack Watson and Jeremy Slate. A Panavision/De Luxe Color production, music is by Alex North and cinematography by William H. Clothier. Based on real people and incidents, film follows the formation of the 1st Special Service Force (AKA: The Devil’s Brigade), their training and subsequent mission to seize control of Monte la Difensa, a Nazi stronghold during the Italian Campaign in World War II. Somewhere along the path of war movie history there was a wind of change that saw the all heroic soldier of sincerity replaced by the anti-hero thug! Where misfits, criminals and army bums were thrust into missions that gave them the chance of redemption or a semblance of honour via death. This format reached a pinnacle, arguably, with Robert Aldrich’s Magnificent Macho Movie, The Dirty Dozen (1967). A year later came The Devil’s Brigade, a film strikingly similar to The Dirty Dozen, yet unlike Aldrich’s movie is based on facts, it should also be noted that the novel The Devil’s Brigade was written in 1966. McLaglen’s movie follows the tried and tested formula, men from all walks of life thrust together and expected to gel as one fighting force. Cue hostilities and suspicions, here in the guise of a crack Canadian army unit joining forces with a platoon of American wasters. The training is as tough as it gets, the men continuing to try and out macho each other, and then that magical moment occurs when they come together as one and realise they actually can get on after all. This comes about in TDB courtesy of a gloriously over the top part of the film where the Yanks and Canadians brawl with local lumberjacks and the military police. Something which greatly makes their leader, Lt. Col Robert Frederick (Holden), very proud. He of course is straight from the “unconventional” line of military leaders. So it goes, fists fly as much as the jokes, the insults are barbed and the macho posturing never wavers. Frederick butts heads with the suits, his charges forced to prove themselves as an elite fighting force, and then it’s to the big bang mission, where it’s a time for heroes and we know that not everyone will survive the pyrotechnics. Cast performances are just fine, inevitably with such an ensemble piece many of the characters are not fully fleshed, but the main players impact well on the drama. North’s music is delightfully boisterous, the blend of national themes most catchy, Clothier’s photography around the Utah and Lazio locales lurches nicely from the screen, while McLaglen, so often derided for some of his directing assignments, does a bang up good job for the two action sequences that finalise the movie. It doesn’t break new ground, but for this line of formula war movies it comfortably keeps the fires burning. 7.5/10
talisencrw2016-08-08
★ 8/10
Being from Windsor, Ontario, Canada, this film has special significance, as there are still survivors from the actual 'Devil's Brigade'. This film was a hoot to watch and greatly enjoyable. Heartily recommended for those enthusiasts of war movies, and had just enough humour to be endearing rather than off-putting. Would make a fine double bill with the similarly-toned 'Three Kings' or 'Kelly's Heroes'.