Every genre that the Italians turned their multi talented hands to, be they peplums, giallos,westerns, crime movies or horrors, you will find that the great and the good outweigh the bad. Sadly, the Italian war film cycle produced very few films that are of any great worth, there are exceptions to the rule however, the classic Orsini movie CORBARI springs to mind right away, one of the finest films i have ever seen, and this enthralling movie which after a shaky start soon becomes a quite compulsive piece of work. Hilton always gives good value for money, and Robert Hossein is wonderfully unlikeable, but it is the great Frank Wolff that steals the show, surely one of the best actors of his generation. Mino Loy keeps a tight rein on the direction, and the film plays almost like a parable on greed, jealousy and pride, the war simply being a background to a superb play on the human condition.A film to be treasured, you actually feel thirsty and dirty along with the flawed characters. A great viewing experience.