"The Bangalore Torpedo was fifty feet long and packed with eighty-five pounds of TNT and you assembled it along the way. By hand. I'd love to meet the asshole who invented it." OK, this is probably one of my favorite movies of all time, and one of the most realistic war films out there, as it was written and directed by Samuel Fuller, who fought with the 1st Infantry Division during WWII (in fact, many of the bizarre scenes in the film come from Fuller's own wartime experiences). Lee Marvin (who served in the Marines during the war, seeing combat in the Pacific) deserved to win a second Oscar for his portrayal of the nameless Sergeant who leads his men through hell.
The rest of the cast is equally superb. Mark Hamill (you know what he was in; if you don't, you fail life) portrays Griff, a sharpshooter who has issues with "murdering" people. Robert Carradine (yes, he is related to David Carradine) plays Zab (who is essentially a stand-in for Fuller, down to his trademark cigar), and Kelly Ward (Putzie in the film version of Grease) plays Johnson, a hick who has quite an interesting backstory (in Fuller's novelization at least). Bobby DiCicco plays Vinci, an Italian-American serviceman with a quick wit. Together, these four men are known as the "Four Horsemen," and are the only men in the squad (aside from Marvin) to survive the war.
Although not as gory as many modern (or, for that matter, older) war films, BRO gives an honest look at a soldier's life in a combat zone. Filled with dark humor and moving performances, this is a film that definitely deserves to be seen.
My Rating: 100/100
Available in short theatrical or long "Reconstruction" cuts (the latter is much better, and more widely available).
Novelization also available (written by Samuel Fuller)
