YMMV / The Dirty Dozen

• Adaptation Displacement: Did you know this was originally a novel by E.M. Nathanson?
• Award Snub: Robert Aldrich was told that he could be in line for an Academy Award as Best Director for the film if he cut out the scene of Jefferson dropping hand grenades into the bomb shelter. The scene was considered controversial because the Germans (including women) were locked inside the bunker and had no chance to survive. Aldrich considered it, but elected to leave the scene in to show that "War Is Hell".
• Complete Monster: SS Colonel Krieger, from Deadly Mission, is a ruthless Nazi in late World War II who kidnaps several scientists and their families, forcing them to develop a lethal nerve gas he has horribly tested on innocents. Intending to use the virus against Nazi Germany's enemies with the potential to cause millions of deaths to assure the victory of the Nazi regime, Krieger viciously cracks down on any threats to his objective, callously having the French resistance leader and his aide gunned down the moment they step into his territory, having a half-dozen hostages hanged to dissuade further threats, and furiously trying to murder the new dozen led by Major Wright alongside every single hostage when they escape.
• Do Not Do This Cool Thing: Casual viewers treat it as a straightforward tough guy action flick with rowdy but lovable prisoners killing loads of Nazis. Never mind that the criminals are mostly violent offenders (including murderers and rapists), or that they're mass murdering vacationing German generals, along with women, which point up a much more subversive intent.
• Ensemble Dark Horse:
  • Franko. Actor John Cassavetes received an Oscar nomination for the role.
  • Donald Sutherland as Pinkley. His character was originally supposed to have only one line, but when Clint Walker (Posey) didn't want to do the scene where one of the dozen imitates a general, the director had Sutherland do it instead. This led to him being cast in M*A*S*H when that film's producers saw him in this.
• First Installment Wins: The three made for television sequels and the short lived series didn't amount to much.
• Genius Bonus: The team is arranged like Da Vinci's The Last Supper before going on the mission, with Maggot, who'll betray them, in the Judas position.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: One of the German guards killed at the checkpoint ended up with a promotion. Richard Marner was the guard saying he has leave. He played Colonel Kurt von Strohm on 'Allo 'Allo!.
• Moral Event Horizon: Maggot murdering the mistress of a German soldier, For the Evulz. Also, the the team pouring grenades and diesel fuel in the bomb shelter, knowing that the German officers had civilian women in there as well.
• Retroactive Recognition:
  • A German sentry is played by Richard Marner, who would later be best known for playing Colonel von Strohm in 'Allo 'Allo!.
  • The TV Series featured a young John Slattery in its cast.

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