The Inglorious Bastards (1978) User Reviews

Better than Most

[wackyblend · 7/10 · 1 January 2010]

I viewed this movie because the QT movie of the same title came out in 2009. I enjoyed the drama of this movie, the plot twists, and action. I was raised in the era of Clint Eastwood's Italian westerns and while this was a low budget Italian made film, it contains some of the elements that makes those movies so great.

Slightly like the Dirty Dozen this movie remains true to history and looks deep into human nature. There is a lot of good action scenes and the acting is great for the style. There are better action war films to watch but few that will remain a classic like this one.

While I did not enjoy the 2009 movie by QT, I must thank him for directing my attention to this title. Enzo Girolami Castellari is by far a much better director from viewing both movies of the same title. My advice is to rent both and come to your own conclusions.

Action , suspense and entertainment with a band of escaped WWII POW fighting nasty Nazis

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 28 March 2007]

It is well set in 1944 France . Five convict soldiers (Peter Hooten, Fred Williamson , Basehart , Pergolani) in WWII French territory led to martial court escape from lock-up and head to Switzerland . They are commanded by a con-lieutenant (Bo Svenson) . They , then , mistakenly attack an allied command suited as Nazis . Shortly after , the motley gang assigned by an Allied colonel (Ian Bannen) pull off a daring assault on a Nazi-held stronghold , the most heavily guarded base . To add intrigue , a female (Debra Berger) and French resistance (Michel Constantine) have joined the ranks of the rag-tag , tough outfit ; besides , a rebel Nazi (Raimund Harmstorf) has also infiltrated the band . After that , they participate on a suicidal task to thwart the Nazi schemes by blowing up a train containing V2 head-rockets in a decisive battle for winning the war .

The movie packs noisy action , slow motion explosion , shootouts , bombing and results to be quite amusing . It's well-made war-action/thriller/adventure/ Eurotrash film , it is a standout in its genre : ¨The Spaghetti-Italian warlike¨ . Relentless plot twists , in spite of some flaws , the warlike action keeps you breathless ; dealing with a peculiar band to steal the Nazi's most precious military hardware , and bring it back to the allies without getting arrested again by their own side . Rough , elegant Bo Svenson is fine as the group leader of the motley pack , he leads the misfit band of crooks from behind enemy lines . Remainder cast formed by Fred Williamson , Michel Constantine , Debra Berger (William Berger's daughter) , Enzo G. Castell himself in a brief cameo and Peter Hooten as an assassin convict are nice . The film takes part from American classic movies , just like :¨Dirty dozen¨ , ¨Kelly's heroes¨ and ¨ Where the eagles dare¨ but is actually its origin an Italian movie in similar plot , titled ¨ Hell commandos¨ (1969) .

Inglorious bastards¨ had a special remake directed by Quentin Tarantino , in fact several scenes had to be re-scripted and/or shot differently as during filming the Italian Government, in response to increasing activity by the terrorist Red Brigade, drafted a law prohibiting the holding of weapons in case they fell into Red Brigade hands . The castle rescue scenes originally featured a massive shoot out, but were rewritten into the covert attack and escape featured, using knives, catapults and crossbows instead of firearms . The picture was professionally directed by Enzo Girolami Castellari who previously had made another good war film : ¨Eagles over London¨ . Besides , Enzo usually worked with Bo Svenson and Fred Williamson (who is even named as a co-writer on screenplay on deposit at the Copyright Office) in Italian ¨B¨ films such as : ¨Delta Force commando¨ ,¨Deadly impact¨, ¨ Tides of war¨ ,¨Bronx warriors¨, and ¨Warriors of the wasteland¨ .

Bargain Bin "Dirty Dozen" with Style to Spare

[evanston_dad · 7/10 · 22 September 2009]

A group of American convicts in WWII Europe escapes in transport and makes their way for the Swiss border. Along the way they encounter German platoons -- lots of shoot outs ensue. Eventually, they come across another American contingent and are mistaken for a special ops team whose plan is to bomb a Nazi train carrying some sort of big fancy weapon. More shoot outs ensue.

Leave your hat and your desire for plot logic at the door if you want to enjoy this bargain-bin version of "The Dirty Dozen." Much of this film doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but you won't realize it doesn't make sense until after the movie's over, because while you're watching it it's easy to be distracted by the energy of the storytelling and film-making. One thing this movie has is style.

Bo Svenson heads the cast of mostly unknowns, though Ian Bannen (who has an Academy Award nomination to his credit, though not for this) brings some actorly street cred to the film as a general. The movie makes no effort whatsoever to capture the period feel of 1944 Europe. The various pornstaches on display are pure 1978.

Grade: A-

Italian WWII action with a Dirty Dozen topping and insane body count

[chaos-rampant · 30 July 2008]

The Italian industry from the 50's to the late 70's thrived by imitating big Hollywood box office hits and even though The Inglorious Bastards came a good 10 years after the WWII action cycle of the 60's, it's still a welcome addition to the genre. Two years after his spaghetti western masterpiece Keoma, director Enzo G. Castellari gathers a cast of b-movie stalwarts spearheaded by Bo Svenson and Fred Williamson, a couple hundred disposable extras in Nazi uniforms and unleashes hell.

There's no sophistication or Spielberg-ian schmaltz here. It's an action-er through and through with a comedic touch and lots of gunplay. Castellari is no hack though and you can see flashes of his directorial brilliance in the slow-motion intercutting shots in the train, which rival anything Sam Peckinpah has done with the same technique. He knows he's not doing Citizen Kane though so he doesn't let his "artistry" get in the way of making an entertaining picture. Not a masterpiece by any means and it will probably seem outdated to anyone used to modern CGI work and Matrix stunts. This is old school action.

Tarantino is preparing a remake of sorts for 2009 but The Inglorious Bastards has enough going for it to warrant a watch not just so you can brag to your friends on opening day that you've seen the original. Action fans will get a kick out of it.

The Original "The Inglorious Bastards"

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 11 June 2011]

In 1944, in France, the rogue American soldiers Lieutenant Robert Yeager (Bo Svenson), Private Fred Canfield (Fred Williamson), the murderer Tony (Peter Hooten), the thief Nick (Michael Pergolani) and the coward Berle (Jackie Basehart) are transported to a military prison. However, the convoy is attacked by the Germans and they survive and flee with the intention of cross the border of Switzerland.

Along their journey, they fight against a German platoon and capture the German prisoner Adolf Sachs (Raimund Harmstorf) that offers to guide them to the Swiss border. When they meet a German troop, they kill them but sooner they discover that they actually were and American commando in a mission headed by Colonel Buckner (Ian Bannen) to steal a German V2 warhead. Lt. Yeager, Fred, Tony and Nick offer to risk their lives to accomplish the mission.

"Quel Maledetto Treno Blindato" is the original "The Inglorious Bastards" that Quentin Tarantino repeated the title in his film. The story is a sort of rip-off of "The Dirty Dozen", with delightful characters and non-stop action and hilarious sequences. This B-movie is entertaining parody of movies of war. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Expresso Blindado S.S." ("The Armored S.S. Express")

Surprisingly enjoyable war film from pizza man Castellari.

[emm · 6/10 · 20 February 1999]

We can't deny the fact that some of our American actors travelled overseas to appear in foreign-produced motion pictures. HELL'S HEROES (the video title) stars Fred Williamson and Bo Svenson, who were notably cast together in DELTA FORCE COMMANDO. Italy is by no means similar to Hollywood, and this won't appeal to war film buffs who watch THE GREEN BERETS on TNT. This one gets a lot of credit for actually willing to deliver a good amount of action right until the explosive finish. The violence is rather graphic, noticing soldiers falling out of trains and hitting landfall, but that heightens the reality of the war experience. It isn't rare to find Italian movies sleazy no matter how serious a situation is, and it's best kept that way. Fred Williamson, known for BLACK CAESAR and other "blaction" films, isn't at all a complete waste here, as long as naked broads in the water gain some vengeance in return for him stepping into the party. Well done for an actor known to possess the "mean" image, but he's fair enough as a guy smoking a cigar out to do battle. Enzo Castellari's direction comes to as a surprise for a few "trash" fanatics, just when realizing how he would soon manage to go full force on 1990: THE BRONX WARRIORS and GREAT WHITE. A pretty good war flick from Pizzaland. Remember to take it with caution if you've seen Oscar-winning war battles.

Beautifully shot but...

[edwardrevans · 6/10 · 21 May 2010]

I viewed this film as i'm a great fan of the 2009 Quinten T version so I thought i would check of this as a reference. The two films are two different pieces of work except for one thing which is they are beautifully shot. This version really can't make up its mind what it wants to be as the plot somewhat changes as it goes along and is quiet boring in parts as there are sub plots and an abrupt clumsy ending however as a B movie its one of the better ones you could see. The acting is fine its just the script that lets it down. The Dirty Dozen has a start middle and end so does Inglourious 2009, still worth watching once.

Great and plentiful action in this Italian B-movie

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 5 August 2016]

When Enzo G. Castellari – acclaimed Italian director of polizia flicks – took the helm of this DIRTY DOZEN rip-off Italian war movie, you could be forgiven for expecting clichéd slow-motion shoot-outs and machine guns aplenty. You'd be right, because that's exactly what the film delivers – and great stuff it is too! The thin plot sees a bunch of disparate soldiers deep behind enemy lines, fighting both the Allies and the Germans as they wreak havoc across a lush green landscape. Essentially, this is a string of spectacular set-pieces, from bombing raids to ambushes, vehicle chases, and more besides.

The film has a great B-movie cast with many stalwart veterans popping up. Whether it's Dr Butcher himself, Donald O'Brien, as a nasty Nazi officer or Ian Bannen as a stiff-upper-lip British officer, this is a film of familiar faces. The leading roles are taken by Bo Svenson and Fred Williamson, both playing exceptionally cool hero types who it's fun to root for.

But Castellari is the real star here. The director has a knack of injecting his action sequences with a kind of limitless energy that others – even Tarantino – just can't reach. There's not a great deal of slow motion here, but lots of cheesy machine gun battles of the kind that became popular when Stallone and Schwarzenegger did it in the 1980s. The low budget is evident in the use of repeated locations and lack of squib hits, but even so the greenery provides an attractive backdrop for the war-time hijinks. The best bit is at the end, in which our heroes attack a train, but a sequence in which they storm a Nazi-occupied castle is also a highlight. Generally this is a fun-filled and entertaining movie that aims and hits the B-movie mark.

Fun Italian War Adventure

[SgtSlaughter · 8/10 · 4 December 2002]

Here's one the lightest, most fun Italian war movies I've come across. It features a top notch cast and some great action scenes.

Bo Svenson stars as an American officer who's thrown into a prison convoy with a murderer, Tony (Peter Hooten), Fred (Fred Williamson), a thief, Nick (Michael Pergolani), and a coward, Berle (Jackie Basehart). The convoy comes under attack by the Germans and the men escape across the French countryside. They enventually become wrapped up in an important Allied mission headed by Colonel Buckner (Ian Bannen).

The movie features a top notch cast. Peter Hooten is especially memorable as the bigot, Tony and Fred Williamson turns in a great performance. Bo Svenson, himself a renegade, still tries to do the decent job as an officer and keep these boys in line. Michael Pergolani has little to do in his role as the hippie/thief; he does have one great motorcycle stunt scene, though, a la Steve McQueen in THE GREAT ESCAPE. Watch for Michel Constantin (THE DIRTY HEROES) as a partisan leader; Donald O'Brien as a German officer and Enzo Castellari himself as a German officer.

The movie has some stunning action scenes; there are plenty of shootouts and explosions. The big gun battle amidst ruined German and American trucks and halftracks is especially impressive. The Partisan raid on the train near the end is well filmed, but features many repeated shots of the same action happening over and over again. The miniature work is not the greatest, but is much better than the later BATTLE OF THE EAGLES.

The plot is basically a combination of THE DIRTY DOZEN and BATTLE OF THE COMMANDOS, but it's so fast-paced that you won't really care. Castellari lets only a few minutes go by before something important happens. He really develops his lead characters, which is another important feature we don't get to see much of in typical Italian war films.

Despite all of the good stuff, this movie has a few rough spots. For one thing, it's got a very needless love story sub-plot that never goes anywhere and has nothing to do with the rest of the movie. Another complaint: there are some lengthy conversations between the German characters that weren't dubbed. It's impossible to understand what they're saying.

The movie is not for young kids. It features graphic violence, plenty of profanity and even *full* female nudity in one scene.

The version I saw was from Lightning Video, entitled DEADLY MISSION. The source print was of top quality, with fresh picture and good sound. The opening and closing titles, however, were apparently new material and feature some music that isn't heard anywhere else in the feature.

Overall, this is a fun-to-watch Italian adventure piece. For the great cast, production values and action scenes, I'll give a 6/10.

Straight-up. The way I like 'em.

[lost-in-limbo · 7/10 · 15 April 2020]

I was craving for an action-kick and something that would give me a lot of bang for my buck. Enzo G. Castellari's late 70s rough 'n' tumble, yet carefree Spaghetti war adventure "INGLORIOUS BASTARDS" delivered in spades. I must admit with that title, I was expecting something fairly cutthroat, but the tongue-in-cheek style was enjoyable nonetheless. Led by ultra-smooth Bo Svenson, ice-cold Ian Bannen and badass Fred "The Hammer" Williamson, a group of American soldiers in war-torn Europe are in the process of being escorted to military prison, when they're attacked by German artillery enabling five of the prisoners to escape. Their only hope of freedom is to get to neutral Switzerland; but their plans hit a snag when they find themselves mistaken for an American force made up for a deadly commando mission by the French underground.

Castellari's sturdy, up-tempo handling makes sure the screen is lit up with frequent explosions, hardy stunts and ferocious firefights amongst a country side of carnage and destruction; bodies, vehicles and infrastructure. Such a beautiful sight when glorious slow mo, and Francesco De Masi dynamic score gratuitously finds its way into back-to-back assault sequences and characters going out in a blaze of shot-up glory. Things don't always go to plan, just means there's more chaos ensured. Surprisingly though, it's compelling and well-written too. There's a little more meat to the wily plot, snappy humor done with a smile, strong characters with more than just black and white shades, believable camaraderie where dialogues are chewed up and spat out with conviction. In a way it gives you a bit of everything in this milked out men on mission formula, yet the spin on it is that it doesn't start out like that and that's where it's at its most effective.

The train runs on lasagna

[paul_johnr · 5/10 · 28 October 2008]

DVD technology has helped to bring retrospectives of 1970s Italian cinema and saved many films that looked doomed to oblivion. Action director Enzo Castellari is one name who has benefited from this trend, seeing projects like 'Heroin Busters' and 'Street Law' drawing new audiences. Castellari's second war film, 'The Inglorious Bastards,' is also enjoying a revival and has spurred an upcoming project by Quentin Tarantino.

'Bastards' can be viewed as a summing-up of the Italian war genre, bringing together elements of plot, character, and general nuttiness seen over two previous decades. Renamed by its distributors as 'Quel maledetto treno blindato' ('That Damn Train'), 'Bastards' hooks onto several well-known premises. The idea of U.S. Army convicts on a tactical mission was originally used in 'The Dirty Dozen' and the progress of a German locomotive was seen in John Frankenheimer's 'The Train.' These elements were later fused into 'Battle of the Commandos' (directed by Umberto Lenzi) and seen in Italy many times afterward. Everything from twenty years of Italian war film-making surfaces in 'The Inglorious Bastards:' a wildly uneven plot, a myriad of characters, plenty of gunfire and explosions, and an over-the-top finale.

The major European cast is led by Bo Svenson, who plays U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Yeager. Yeager is forced to take charge of army prisoners who escape when their ground transport is attacked by a German fighter plane. The 'bastards' plan to reach exile in Switzerland but accidentally kill off a group of American soldiers (disguised as Nazis) whose mission is to stop a train carrying the prototype of Germany's new V2 missile. 'The Inglorious Bastards' devotes an hour to their escape and forty minutes to their carrying out of the operation.

Despite third billing, former NFL defensive back Fred Williamson stays visible as Private Fred Canfield. Canfield is the most developed character in this film, having to deal with ongoing racism from both 'friend' and enemy. Peter Hooten creates much of the racial strife as Tony, a blue-eyed American who is unafraid to drop slurs. Michael Pergolani gives a spirited effort as Nick, the long-haired, mustache-wearing playboy who excels at forging documents. Jackie Basehart nicely fills Berle, a cowardly farmer who delivers at pivotal moments. Academy Award nominee Ian Bannen maximizes his role as Colonel Buckner, the mission's guide; Bannen is particularly effective with Svenson as Nazi impostors.

Enzo Castellari's main talent is action and the action scenes in 'Bastards' are well-made. After seeing their guns confiscated by the Italian police during a Red Brigade scare, the film's crew pressed onward with homemade arms (including from wood) that fired electrical sparks in one burst. Castellari pulled off later scenes by using rapid crosscutting to disguise the 'fake' weaponry. These scenes are superbly paced (with editing by Gianfranco Amicucci) and use Castellari's favorite technique of slow motion to heighten the drama. Matte layouts by Emilio Ruiz del Río and explosives work by Gino De Rossi place 'Bastards' on a much larger scale than its budget allotted for. Composer Francesco De Masi ('Eagles Over London,' 'The New York Ripper') presents an orchestral soundtrack, arguably the best written for a spaghetti war flick.

While highly watchable, 'Bastards' is hurt a great deal by sloppy writing and mediocre venues. The script was written by no less than five people, with Franco Marotta and Laura Toscano making last-minute changes to enlarge its action. Main characters (except for Canfield) are little more than bodies, which is usual for this genre, and the intended humor doesn't always work to its potential. Much of the humor is slapstick and has a built-in risk of annoying viewers; this occurs at several points in the film. The writing often lacks focus and has unneeded subplot; actress Debra Berger is highly welcome as a French nurse, but her romantic interest with Tony has no definite place in the storyline.

'Bastards' was also not filmed in Spain as other Italian war movies of the period. Instead, it was shot in locations around Rome, which clearly didn't offer the wide-open feeling that a movie of this type requires. While the foliage and climate of Italy appear to match those of France, several of the action scenes are happening on cramped backlots; the areas are confined and seem to be hiding elements that would give away its place in a modern-day Italian suburb. del Río's matte work helps to bring an epic feel to the movie, but it often looks as if Castellari was hindered by the tight workspaces.

Although not greatly successful as a war film, lovers of action should be happy with 'The Inglorious Bastards.' The film is a must-see for Italian war fans and deserves at least one sit-down from those interested in Second World War epics. Tarantino's new version of 'Bastards' helped with an impressive DVD release from Severin Films, which is available in a three-disc set. The film is solidly presented in widescreen (1.85:1) with Dolby enhancement of the original mono track. Subtitles are given for all non-English dialogue.

Disc 1 offers a commentary track with Castellari and writer David Gregory, an excerpt from the theatrical trailer, and a 38-minute conversation between Castellari and Tarantino. On disc 2 are 'Train Kept A-Rollin',' a 75-minute documentary on the making of 'Bastards,' and 'Back To The War Zone,' a 13-minute featurette with Castellari revisiting locations. The third disc is a CD with 18 minutes of the film's original soundtrack, including its main titles. Several minutes were erased by De Masi when he needed a tape to record his son's school play (how about a featurette called 'The Inglorious Brats?'). Another spaghetti war tale for the ages.

** out of 4

Roving Reviewer - www.geocities.com/paul_johnr

Fun, dynamite stuff, straddling 'exploitation' and high-caliber film-making

[Quinoa1984 · 9/10 · 7 June 2009]

I wasn't sure at first what to expect from director Enzo G. Castellari. I saw his film 1990: Bronx Warriors and it was a lot of fun, but in that way that comes with knowing a man made a no-holds-barred exploitation rip-off on the Warriors that, truth be told, was barely even shot in the Bronx. But, of course, movie-PHD Quentin Tarantino held up this man's work, particularly this film, to such high esteem he took the title (if not the skeleton of the subject matter) for his latest opus. Why not give a late 70s war movie a shot featuring Fred "The Hammer" Williamson, one of those unsung bad-asses, and Bo Svenson, an underrated actor-cum-star, a shot? Turns out, the shot was a big surprise. In the best possible way.

Inglorious Bastards is made by a real professional, not by some slacker just looking to slap together some used sets and flunky character folk for roles. This is the real deal; if it's not one of the very best war films, it's certainly one that is one of the best you haven't heard of (least until recently thanks to the aforementioned PHD-in-film-incarnate). It's one of those "guys-on-a-mission" movies where it features a tag-line "Whatever the Dirty Dozen did – they do DIRTIER!" and with, from the looks of the trailer, either very good or very shoddy fx and a lot of ammo. Basically, a bunch of US soldiers, on their way for court-martial/execution, somehow, escape after an incident, and go on the run... only to find themselves getting embroiled in a mission involving a train, a whole s***load of Nazi's, and perhaps a few casualties here and there – few dozen to few hundred give or take.

There's barely a line wasted in this flick, barely a scene that doesn't actually try and provide its actors like Svenson and Williamson – also other very good players like Peter Hooten and Jackie Basehart and Ian Bannen as the tricky Colonel Buckner – some good meaty dialog to chew on when they're not blowing stuff up to bits (written, and I was even more surprised by this than you, by five writers). Oh, sure, you could argue that it's violent, maybe needlessly so. But that is part of the point. It actually doesn't go *too* over-the-top, not as far as I expected given its Italian-cult credibility and that of Castellari's speckled career.

The action is shot and edited with the great ferocity possible when a crew gets enough money and enough verve to push buttons. It does get bloody, and there's a pile of bodies that reaches up to a small skyscraper. But it's also a lot of fun to watch it, and it even goes beyond being a guilty pleasure into being just plain awesome. You lose yourself with these guys on their mission, with Williamson gritting and showing off why he is "The Hammer", or how Svenson could be such a persuadable star in good hands. And, yes, it probably does crib from the likes of the Great Escape (motorcycle jumps, anyone) and Bridge on the River Kwai (bridge blow-up, anyone), and at the same time it holds its own as a legitimate effort.

I imagine that's what Tarantino saw in it, its own sense of paying tribute to so many other war pictures while holding its own for a bunch of dudes watching a bunch of dudes go to extreme in Nazi-occupied France. It's surprisingly tense, terrific genre film-making that doesn't force the Platoon treatment – it just asks you go just a little "Dirtier" with the flow of the average war flick, like Sam Fuller with a face full of pasta yelling out orders.

Almost glorioius, in a low-budget Nam kind of way

[secondtake · 6/10 · 14 May 2010]

The Inglorious Bastards (1978)

Well, first I watched the Tarantino Inglourious Basterds (2009) and just saw Wellman's Battleground (1949) which is another kind of rag-tag predecessor. This 1978 one fits between somehow, a rollicking, no holds barred Italian-made, low budget, WWII rebel movie. That says it all, in a way.

Or not. First, it's not a "good" movie in the usual sense. Even if you hated Tarantino's, you have to admit it had high production standards. This however does not, and that's part of what makes it interesting. The soldiers are bad the way we imagine rebels from Vietnam were "bad," and of course this is a post-Vietnam movie in many ways, with lack of real accountability and lots of senseless bloodshed. I guess the title makes this clear, but if not, be warned.

So why watch it? For it's irreverence (always healthy) and its odd mixture of period attitudes (none of that too-holy WWII cant here, even when a little might be in order, and there are some rock and rolling haircuts). You have to admit at some point this gang of males are little too male for a lot of tastes (like mine), but they hang together like miscreant frat boys on and off, and help each other survive, and so that's appealing even when it's absurd. It never gets sluggish, and you know what? They're Americans fighting Nazis. You know who to root for.

You also need to get half way to see a major (and somewhat humorous) twist that gives the whole thing life. And then it accelerates and takes on a lot of flavor, as well as genuine heroism.

Not bad at all. Give it a go, with all this in mind!

Quentin Tarantino is what you get when a genius grows up watching this kind of garbage

[MBunge · 3/10 · 23 September 2010]

This cheap and shoddily made rip off of The Dirty Dozen has only one thing in common with Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. Both films are set in Nazi-occupied France. Beyond that, they have as much in common as a chicken does with an antelope.

The story concerns a group of military criminals on their way to be court martialed who manage to escape after a single German fighter strafes their convoy and then magically disappears like many other things do in this movie. The Bastards consist of a cowardly kid who of course proves himself in the end, a twitchy bon vivant who starts out the film as a racist and borderline psychotic but (in what is either satire, parody or the result of some profound emotional problems among the writing crew) ends the movie as the dashing young hero who gets the girl, a kooky counter culture type that really wouldn't have existed for another couple a decades, a black guy who doesn't take any crap and a leader who's so traditionally heroic he fits in with the other misfits as well as Hannibal Lecter would in a boy scout troop.

The Bastards decide to try and sneak through France and into Switzerland but get caught up in a plan to attack a train and steal the experimental gyroscope out of V2 rocket. Along the way they manage to kill more German soldiers than Patton, frolic with some naked German ladies, keep trying the same dumb plan that never works and prove they can run faster than a locomotive, even when they're fatally injured.

This film is crap. It's certainly energetically vulgar and enthusiastically violent crap, which probably explains why socially underdeveloped young men like Quentin Tarantino fell in love with this type of movie, but it's crap all the same. The plot is like someone telling a bad joke and forgetting how it goes halfway through. The dialog is about half step above monosyllabic grunting. The cast performs like they were picked up along the side of the road holding cardboard signs that all read "Will Overact For Food". Even the plentiful action scene are laughable, resembling nothing so much as a bunch of kids going "Bang! Bang!" with their fingers and then falling down when somebody says "I got you!"

The only reason this dreck made it onto DVD is because Tarantino decided to appropriate and misspell the title for his latest work. If you liked Inglourious Basterds, you won't like this movie. If you hated Inglourious Basterds…you still won't like this movie. It's only possible value could be in helping folks understand that Tarantino makes the kids of films he makes because he grew up idolizing cinematic trash like this.

The best World War II action adventure

[obatuyio · 22 July 2000]

This movie was really excellent I couldn't stop watching it, the action was great and all the shooting was terrific. Bo Svenson and Fred Williamson were two of my favorite action heroes of the 70s. My favorite part in the movie was when Svenson was in the train and he set the bomb to blow up the train station where the Germans were waiting for him. If you are a 70s action fan then watch this movie.

A censored gem!

[soulassassinx · 7/10 · 27 November 2007]

Inglorious bastards, released in 1977/78, became one of those films banned in Sweden. Had I grown up watching it as a kid, this would be the war movie to remember, instead the Swedish audience had to stick with rather cheap takes on world war II.

A rag tag bunch of (U.S. soldiers) misfits escapes the death penalty by firing squad and journeys into German occupied France in an attempt to find refuge in Switzerland. In doing so they accidentally kill a German squad who turns out to be Yankee special forces and now they're forced to undertake a "mission impossible", by blowing up a mobile research faculty, a train lab if you will and demolish a mobile V2 rocket system.

The story is original although in features all the commando raid ingredients, like sneaking into a SS-Castle, blowing up a bridge and stab German sentries from behind. It might sound like a cliché filled, typical classic, and in someways it is, but here is where the similarities stops in comparison with all other vintage war flicks.

Some examples: The movie is European so you don't get to see Hollywood-ish standard crap, with Stars and stripes in slow motion, dying soldiers telling how much they love their wives and so on and so forth. Even, though many scenes are shot against animated backgrounds, it contains one of the best of it's kind, take notice of the huge field of scrap metal after the Americans have dropped a plethora of nasty bombs.

To be this a old, it's a movie that sometimes is breathtaking and I got flabbergasted by the fact how detailed and accurate the German army is portrayed; they wear Zeltbahn camouflage tunics, all German dialog is in German and it surpasses the standard phrases like: "Achtung!" and "Granate!".

Some scenes are in the same league as Cross of Iron and Sergio Leones spaghetti westerns. The french resistance are though and they all speak french and are not clowns.

You don't get to see Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers style violence, instead the action sequences are very stylized and rather gritty.

You don't get to know the main characters and the dialog seems deliberately directed in the course of being over the top unsentimental and cold.

It's very noir-ish in the way the dialog is spoken and those who long for a really crappy, laughable B-movie will be disappointed. It's 30 years old and contains many scenes seen in many movies made after Inglorious Bastards; the air of the movie is filled with scenes, seen in other movies such as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Enemy at the Gates, Stalingrad, Das Boot.

Furthermore: Take notice of the color of blood. Back then you could only watch bloodbaths in orange, here the blood is really realistic. The scenery reminds me of scale model dioramas and train sets in combination with European country side.

1977 the Vietnam war marched into to the history books as a sadistic conflict and social democratic Sweden were a nation banning all sorts of military conflicts worlds wide. I suppose this was the reason why the Swedish public never got to see this. A true classic gone missing.

The not so cool parts are few but stands out. The scene (although Wehrmacht did "loan" enemy vehicles) where a huge convoy passes through is a bit over the top containing just a tad much American half tracks although most other vehicles are accurate and the T & A scene with naked Valkyries firing MP-40's are a bit to sleazy for my taste.

Summary: The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Where Eagles Dare, Guns of Navarone are pretty bad in comparison and I almost hold a tearful respect towards this movie in the course of being so obscured. Quentin Tarantino is the last person to re-write and direct a movie like this if he don't get a grip after his total fiasco Grindhouse: Deathproof.

Had this movie been made before Ryan and Brothers this would be the movie to set the standard with todays technique.

I enjoyed this movie very much, it's good to be positively surprised! This is a boy adventure well made and with the heart in the right place.

Good craftsmanship.

What happened? I stuck a pencil in there.

[lastliberal · 7/10 · 4 April 2010]

In a nutshell, Enzo G. Castellari's legendary 1978 Eurocult classic "The Inglorious Bastards," which brought together "Walking Tall" star Bo Svenson, blaxploitation legend Fred "The Hammer" Williamson, and a whole lot of dead Italians is a naked chick war film that was an inspiration for Quentin Tarantino.

In fact, there is supposedly footage in Quentin's film borrowed from this one (I haven't seen the new version yet), and Director Castellari (Keoma, Cold Eyes of Fear) is an actor in the new film.

To say that the body count in this film is high is a misnomer; almost as many people died in this film as in the whole war.

Like The Dirty Dozen, it is about a misfit group of deserters that is charged with an extremely dangerous mission to capture a German rocket.

One heck of a bang up ending.

THE INGLORIOUS BASTARDS (Enzo G. Castellari, 1978) **1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 6/10 · 3 September 2008]

Quentin Tarantino was already interested in re-making this when it was shown (as part of the Italian B-movie retrospective presided over by the geeky QT himself) during the 2004 Venice Film Festival; what I vividly recall, however, is that I wasn't all that impressed by the film…though I guess this had more to do with its being a midnight screening (having already spent most of the day watching movies) and in Summer to boot! Still, with all the hullabaloo the remake news is causing, when I happened upon the 2-Disc German edition at my local DVD rental outlet, I opted to give the film another look sooner rather than later (and I must say that our own Michael Elliott's recent viewing of it also had a hand in this!).

Anyway, the second-time around, the film proved more rewarding: my opinion of director Castellari's work runs hot and cold (for what it's worth, he personally asked me to photograph him with a gushing fan as soon as that Venice screening was over – but, being the seasoned tough-guy, he was displeased with how the digital photo came out and promptly ordered another 'take'!) but this can now be seen as one of his more satisfying efforts, if still far from a classic (of either the war genre or the "Euro-Cult" style). While it was clearly modeled on THE DIRTY DOZEN (1967), the film's plot is quite original as a quintet of soldiers being transported throughout France to be tried for various crimes find themselves at large (after the convoy suffers an aerial attack by the enemy); they try to make it to the neutral Swiss border but, along the way, encounter first a sympathetic German and then an American commando unit dressed up as Germans – unaware of the ruse, they simply fight for their lives and this would-be professional outfit is effortlessly slaughtered by our desperate heroes!

Eventually, they meet a band of French partisans (led by Michel Constantin) who take them for the undercover Americans – when the leader of the operation (Ian Bannen) turns up, he's furious but the officer among the group (Bo Svenson) offers to do the job themselves, assuring Bannen that his team has proved to be equally resilient! Apart from providing the necessary exposition for all five characters – also including an imposing black man (Fred Williamson), a handsome but pushy type (Peter Hooten, from John Derek's horrid FANTASIES [1981]!), a shell-shocked mechanical expert, and an Italian 'hippie' (inspired, no doubt, by Donald Sutherland from KELLY'S HEROES [1970]) acting as comedy relief – the first half of the film sees the protagonists getting into various scrapes with their superiors, themselves, various German soldiers (naturally) but also a group of nurses skinny-dipping and who promptly turn their guns on the sex-starved men when they realize (upon catching a glimpse of Williamson) that they're the enemy!

The last act, then, involves the deadly mission (one of the film's myriad alternate titles, by the way) itself – Svenson and Bannen are to board a train disguised as German scientists (the former happens to be fluent in the language) in order to steal a prototype of the V2 bomb, while the young soldier is to replace the machinist; Hooten is in charge of blowing up a bridge, so that the train will be derailed where it will then be ambushed by the partisans (Williamson among them); the hippie is to give the go-ahead for the demolition (if anything goes wrong, the train will be allowed to step on the bridge so that it will go down with it). The first 70 minutes of the film or so are generally easy-going, sparked by the hippie's irreverent humor (often breaking into heavily-accented English – for the record, I watched the film in Italian); this, however, leads somewhat jarringly into the tragic denouement as most of the gang lay down their life for a just cause (presumably, the rather unsympathetic Hooten is allowed to survive merely because he has been redeemed after falling for a French nurse serving with the partisans!).

As expected, the film is packed to the gills with exciting action – even if Castellari seems overly fond of the obviously choreographed stunt-work (parading it right from the animated opening credits sequence); still, one other definite asset here is a rousing (if repetitive) score courtesy of the ubiquitous Francesco De Masi. Finally, one anticipates Tarantino's remake will be much different (full of the director's individualistic touches to begin with) and far more graphic (as news of script leakages have already intimated); having said that, the names currently being banded about as potential cast members – Brad Pitt(!), Eli Roth(!!), Mike Myers(!!!) – are a far cry from the "Planet Hollywood" trio which were first rumored as being a cinch (I bet the prospect of having Myers as a villainous Jew-hunting Nazi seems so cool to Tarantino that he gets frostbite just thinking about it)! If anything, the interest engendered by the 'remake-in-nothing-but-name' has served to give an otherwise little-regarded item such as the enjoyably unpretentious Castellari effort a new (and not undeserved) lease on life

An Italian variation on THE DIRTY DOZEN

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 30 October 2009]

Note: This movie has nothing to do with the similarly titled Tarantino film that was released this year other than the fact that they both were set during WWII and were both very fictional accounts of American soldiers on a mission.

In many ways, this film is like an impromptu Italian-produced version of THE DIRTY DOZEN. A group of American soldiers during WWII are being taken back to headquarters to face court martials for a variety of crimes. However, on the way, the caravan carrying them is attacked by the Germans and the prisoners are able to escape. Since they all are wanted for a variety of crimes (some of which might even get shot), the men make for the Swiss border. On the way, however, they become involved in a variety of fire fights and adventures--including fighting with naked Nazi babes (this sounds like a dream I had when I was 14, but this is neither the time nor place to talk about this further).

Eventually, the men manage to get mistaken for a group of commandos sent by the US to help the French resistance. Unable to escape, the men decide to pretend that they are indeed the men and decide to go with it. When the Colonel arrives, the prisoners tell him who they are and he doesn't have much choice but to accept their offer to fulfill the mission.

Overall, it's like a poor man's DIRTY DOZEN, with the action and acting a bit over the top, some very clichéd characters (such as the coward who suddenly becomes a super soldier) and not nearly as convincing as the original. Still, for a cheap knockoff, it is a good one--exciting to watch brain candy and not a film for people who think too much! So, just turn off your brains and enjoy.

Not that it really mattered, but a few mistakes made it into the film. First, there is one scene where Fred Williamson throws a grenade at a group of soldiers. If you look carefully, you can see the wire on one of the Germans as he's being pulled up--simulating being catapulted by the explosion. It's a sloppy stunt, but you have to look carefully--it's at about the 32 minute mark. The second is less a mistake and more just sloppy writing. In a castle, Fred Williamson takes an officer by surprise and holds a sword on him. The officer then orders his men to drop their weapons. It's doubtful if the soldiers would have done this but what bothered me is that none of them yelled or sounded any sort of alarm to let the other soldiers know what was happening. Duh!! A third problem was the hhttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076584/usercomments-enterippie member of the group. He was an even bigger anachronism than the beatnik-like guy in KELLY'S HEROES. No one had long flowing hair back in WWII except women. This pony-tailed soldier who was fond of "flipping the bird" just doesn't fit into the film and is pure 1960s-70s. Heck, for that matter, Bo Svenson's hair was also too long, but at least it was kind of close. But again,...this film wasn't intended to be exactly a realistic view of the Second World War.

By the way, I think the man who came off best in the film was the Swedish-born Svenson. He was a pretty hardcore guy and I am surprised his career seemed to fade by the 1980s. Read his IMDb biography--he is a very, very impressive guy in real life.

Badass form start to finish

[bensonmum2 · 9/10 · 9 May 2009]

For my 1,000th user-comment on IMDb, I wanted to write about something that I not only enjoyed, but something that summed up or represented my feelings about and tastes in movies. You know, something that has my name written all over it. I considered a number of films - some bad - some good - but in the end, I decided to go with The Inglorious Bastards. Not only is it a great example of the kind of movie I go for, but I've been wanting to write something about it for a while now. And with Tarantino's re-imaging set to open this year, I definitely wanted to get my user comment written beforehand. So here it is, #1,000.

As the film opens, a group of WWII era soldiers are being transferred to a military prison to await decision on the many crimes they've committed. Murder, theft, robbery - these aren't your typical, clean-cut, all-American GIs. On the way, the MP convoy is attacked by a German plane and a band of five prisoners escapes. They immediately decide to head to neutral Switzerland and the freedom it offers. On the way, they have plenty of opportunities to kill and maim Nazis. But when they accidentally shoot a group of American paratroopers disguised as German soldiers, the Bastards decide to stand in and complete their compatriots' mission. And what a mission it is - steal a train carrying a V2 rocket.

If director Enzo G. Castellari is known for anything, it's action. And in The Inglorious Bastards, he outdoes himself. It's a testosterone injected ride from start to finish! Gun battles, explosions, vehicle wrecks, fights, falls off castle walls, motorcycle stunts - if it involves action, you'll find it here. Castellari somehow manages to keep the film well paced throughout. While the action does admittedly slow a tad in the second act, the film never bogs down and is always enjoyable. The Inglorious Bastards also features some really nice miniature work. The film's finale is especially memorable on that front. The cast is first rate. Fred "the Hammer" Williamson may be third billed, but he's the real star. Williamson's character is appropriately named Fred. Appropriate because he's pretty much playing himself - a cigar-chomping, one-line spewing, gun-toting badass. Surprising to me is that Bo Svenson is able to match Williamson scene for scene. I've never thought much of his other work that I've seen, but here, Svenson is very believable as the in control leader of the Bastards. The rest of the cast provide equally enjoyable performances. It's an excellent job by all involved.

While I can see why The Inglorious Bastards might not appeal to everyone, for me, it's a near perfect movie. I've seen some reviews nit-pick the lack of realism. Relax, this was never intended to be a documentary. It's about having a good time and enjoying yourself. Just go with it and quit being so uptight. As for those who complain about the dialogue or the editing, you're obviously not familiar with Euro movie making from the 60s and 70s. Again, just go with it. Like I said, it's almost perfect to me. In fact, I've got no problem at all rating The Inglorious Bastards a 9/10, verging on a 10/10.

So here's to 1,000 user comments. For those of you who have read and maybe even enjoyed some of what I've written, I say thanks. And look forward to more to come. On to 1,001!

A pure action / comedy that almost stands the test of time

[ohhwell0525 · 7/10 · 24 March 2013]

The Inglorious Bastards is an action / comedy directed by Enzo G. Castellari in 1978 and is set in France during World War II. Bo Svenson plays Lt. Robert Yaeger, a combat pilot who is in trouble for using his airplane to take vacations. He is grouped together with fellow derelict soldiers Pvt. Fred Canfield (Fred Williamson), Nick (Michael Pergolani), Tony (Peter Hooten), and Berle (Jackie Basehart) for transport to a military prison. As the main characters are brought to the truck and during the ride, we are introduced to their personalities. Pvt. Canfield is a tough guy who looks out for the weak, Bearle is a coward who deserted, Nick is a thief and Tony is a loudmouth troublemaker. Lt Yeager is a no-nonsense even-keeled leader who stands up for what's right.

On the ride to prison, their truck is attacked by Germans and they overcome their guards in the confusion. Still wanted, they hatch a plan to flee for the nearby Swiss border. Instantly, Lt. Yeager becomes their leader and they manage to capture a German soldier named Adolph Sachs (Raimund Harmstorf) who is also an escaped prisoner. After surviving several hostile encounters, the group kills a small German detachment who turns out to actually be an American Special Operations unit in disguise. When they are mistaken for the Special Ops unit, they decide to go along with the ruse and take on the mission the Americans were there for. They meet with Col. Buckner (Ian Bannen), confess and offer to complete the mission for him in return for their freedom. He agrees and in taking on the mission whole heartedly, they rise above their sordid past and perform heroically. The theme of this film is then that people can overcome their bad reputations and habits to become admirable.

The large gorilla in the corner of the room is obviously that the plot and theme bear striking similarity to the earlier film Dirty Dozen. The Inglorious Bastards not only recognizes that but the tagline on the DVD release even says "Whatever the Dirty Dozen did, THEY DO IT DIRTIER!" This is not a complex film, it is an Action / Comedy with an emphasis on the action. Interspersed with tons of action, there is some character development that supports the theme. Shortly after the group wins its freedom, they come across a battle field and hide as a German unit sets up a hasty ambush for an American unit. Lt. Yeager immediately suggests that they help the Americans and although Pvt. Canfield initially refuses, it takes very little besides Lt Yeager's example to set him in action. Berle crumbles into a shivering cowards and Tony would rather harass the German prisoner while Nick just observes. In contrast, by the end of the film, everyone plays their part, even Berle who manages to take over a train engine killing German soldiers rather than shake in fear in the corner.

The Cinematics in this film are not complex or deep. There is no deep symbolic imagery. The editing is traditional and to the point. The camera work is very well done but also very practical. The acting is passable but not award winning. The film does not try to be something larger than what it is and that is a fun action film about a group of misfit soldiers who overcome their own obstacles to achieve greatness.

Mildly entertaining

[grantss · 5/10 · 8 January 2022]

France, 1944. A group of American military prisoners escape from the military police and head for the Swiss border. Along the way they meet up with a group of French Resistance fighters who mistake them for a US Special Forces team. Now they have a vital mission to complete.

The film from which Quentin Tarantino got the title of his 2009 movie. Beyond that and the fact that they involve a group of American soldiers operating behind German lines there is no similarity between the two films, plot- or quality-wise.

While Tarantino's film is brilliant, this is mediocre at best. This is essentially a Spaghetti WW2 Drama, a Spaghetti Western set in WW2. All the hallmarks of a Spaghetti Western are there: the random, implausible plot, the gung ho action sequences, the very hammy performances and the laughably poor production values.

In addition, not only do we have badly-dubbed English dialogue over Italian / non-English-speaking actors we have the same for American actors! It's as if the Americans were dubbed into Italian and then redubbed into English. Badly.

However, like many Spaghetti Westerns it is reasonably entertaining, in a mindless sort of way. It's okay, as long as you don't think too much (at all, in fact).

One of those great "Action-war" movies

[gaus · 8/10 · 10 November 1999]

An entertaining action-war movie. I remember i bought this movie the in a video-store back in 1986-87. It was an old English video-version from the early 80's (from that time when video-stores in my country imported video-movies direct from England without giving them subtitles)

The movie have some similarity's with "The Dirty Dozen" and it's obvious that the film-makers got much inspiration from this great hit from the 60's. Acting and plot is not the greatest in history, but it's still a very exiting film. Not so much indifferent action-scenes here, like there are in many other movies of this type.

8 out of 10

Es ist gut!

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 21 May 2014]

Quel Maledetto Treno Blindato is the film that so impressed a young Quentin Tarantino that he would eventually pilfer the English title (albeit minus the word 'The' and a with a minor spelling alteration) for his own 2009 men-on-a-mission movie, Inglourious Basterds. This was apparently done with the blessing of Quel Madetto's director Enzo G. Castellari, which only seems fair—after all, Enzo wasn't above a little appropriation of his own...

Borrowing heavily from several war classics, most notably The Dirty Dozen, Castellari's movie sees a group of American prisoners—thieves, murderers, deserters etc.—make a bid for the freedom of Switzerland after the convoy transporting them is attacked by Nazis. Their escape plan is interrupted when they mistakenly kill a team of US commandos on a top secret mission to intercept a German train and decide to take their place, hoping that, by doing so, they will be exonerated of their crimes.

This being an Italian exploitation flick, the emphasis is on action, bloodshed and dumb heroics, and Castellari more than delivers, with plenty of firefights, explosions, crazy stunts, and bloody bullet hits. Rather amazingly, his actors seem to perform many of their own stunts, making the film all the more impressive: I can't imagine the cast of Tarantino's film being so enthusiastic about risking their lives by leaping onto and off moving trains, scaling castle walls, or speeding down a perilous death slide. Also adding to the exploitative vibe is a completely gratuitous scene featuring ten naked German women bathing in a river—achtung!

While Quel Maledetto Treno Blindato is far from what many people would consider a classic of the war genre, I found it a very enjoyable way to spend my time.

'Inglorious' it is...

[Billyjhobbs-1 · 3/10 · 17 July 2010]

Oh my. "A cult classic," I'm told. Oh my. Where does one begin? The acting? The directing? The screenplay? The cinematography? Basically, this looks like a film out of Film 101. Unconvincing, not funny (when it's supposed to be), unrealistic (when it's supposed to be), melodramatic (who WROTE these scenes?). It is easy to see Brad Pitt and gang (and Pitt probably belonged in this version anyway--sigh. What's with the bogus Hollywood accents of Southern folks!) But in this version, verisimilitude is out the window (does ANYBODY believe this is "France, about 50 miles from Switzerland? Pul-eeze. It's a Sergio Leone setting for a World War II "scene"! One could go on and on. Back to the "cult classic" label--always identified by the "literary" and "intellectual" crowd--like they do with the book "Finnegans Wake"! ONe can see where Bo Svenson's career didn't leap forward after this film and can anyone identify anyone else, save Ian Bannon, with another dreadful British "version" of American lingo. But I won't keep beating a dead horse. My time would have been better spent trying to read "Finnegan's Wake"!