A “masterpiece” war film praised by critics for being an “overlooked classic” has an impressive 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The Big Red One, written and directed by Samuel Fuller, came out in 1980 and featured a star-studded cast including Lee Marvin, Mark Hamill and Robert Carradine. Also in the film are Bobby Di Cocco, Kelly Ward, Siegfried Rauch and Stéphane Audran.
The Big Red One is semi-autobiographical and is based on the writer’s own experiences serving in the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division of the US Army during World War 2. The movie’s title refers to the red number “1” on the division’s shoulder patch.
Over the course of the movie, the audience watches four GIs as they serve under Marvin’s character through North Africa, Italy, France, Belgium, Germany, and Czechoslovakia. In real life, Fuller was involved in landings in Africa, Sicily and Normandy, and was also present at the liberation of a concentration camp in Falkenau. He was awarded several honours for his service, including the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Combat Infantryman Badge.
Although the film premiered at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival to a brilliant critical response and was nominated for the Palme d’Or, it was not without its controversy. During the post-production stage, the distributor, United Artists, recut the movie without Fuller’s say, which shortened its runtime. However, in 2004, a restored version called The Big Red One: The Reconstruction premiered at Cannes.
The film has an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score of 90%, with one critic writing: “It’s an adventure film as refreshing in content and style as The Deer Hunter was horrifyingly realistic and Apocalypse Now was terrifyingly philosophical.”
Another called the movie an “American masterpiece by one of the last great American directors”.
The Big Red One also has a 78% Popcornmetre score, with one audience member writing: “An overlooked classic from the war genre. Before Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan came this epic which is actually as good as any in its scope and unsentimental plot. Deserves more recognition.”
Someone else called it a “must-see war film”, adding: “Filled with fine performances and enriched with a fantastic script and screenplay, The Big Red One is a beloved war film with good messages, good characters, and great war action. It’s not cliched, and it’s definitely worth seeing.” A third posted: “I’ve only seen the reconstruction, but it was really quite good. It seems to truly reflect the “real” war experience, without any Hollywood dramatizations. Hard nosed, straightforward, and in your face.”
The Big Red One can be bought or rented on Apple TV, Amazon Video, or the Sky Store.