An “underrated” war film featuring a major star from the original Star Wars trilogy is among the most “underrated” in the genre, but boasts a sky-high 90% rating. The Big Red One hit British screens in 1980 and is a gritty portrayal of a US infantry unit in World War 2, led by legendary Hollywood tough guy Lee Marvin as the Sergeant.
Marvin’s character is haunted by a devastating mistake he made as a private during World War 1, and leads a core group as they take part in campaigns across the world, including North Africa, France, and Sicily. The squad later liberate the Falkenau concentration camp in Czechoslovakia, and the Sergeant has a climactic face-off with his German counterpart, Feldwebel Schroeder.
Among the unit’s band of brothers is Private Griff, played by Mark Hamill, who starred as Luke Skywalker in the first Star Wars film only three years before.
Written and directed by war correspondent Samuel Fuller, the film is thought to be a semi-autobiographical account of his war experience, and was made with a limited budget with much of it shot in Israel to save money.
The film was considered a commercial disappointment, reportedly grossing $7,206,220 wordwide with a $4.5million budget. But critics were more positive, and it remains something of a cult classic.
Ranker, a website with polls where users can rank films, sports, and more, included the film in a selection of underrated war films and asked fans to vote for which great battlefield epic deserves more attention.
The Big Red One currently sits at the top of the list with more than 5,000 votes. The outlet notes that the film found itself competing with Airplane!, Blue Lagoon, and the popular Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie, which was released the same day, may have dampened its impact at the box office.
However, it’s still highly rated, and “certified fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes where it has a 90% score on the site’s Tomatometer (which reflects the percentage of Approved Tomatometer Critics who have given the film a positive review).
One audience reviewer hailed it as a “must-watch war film magnificently directed by World War II veteran Samuel Fuller, with a great performance by Lee Marvin”.
Another described it as an “overlooked classic from the war genre”, adding: “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.”
A third wrote: “Powerful scenes marvelously acted by top notch casting. While I might defer to Saving Private Ryan now, this is an absolute masterpiece that should not be forgotten or ignored.”
The Big Red One is available to stream on various plaforms including Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.