Big Red One: Revisited

JOKippe

Also known as The Rat
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I haven't seen the film in about 20 years. When it first came out, I was badly disappointed. Finally, I got around to getting a copy of the "reconstructed" version. Surely, it must be better, hmmm?
Since my early years of the cinema, I've watched a few of Sam Fuller's mostly overlooked films...Steel Helmet, Fixed Bayonets!...films that weren't great, but fell in the category of interesting "B" films.
But Big Red One was Fuller's last, great statement as a filmmaker. He was there, he had to know what it was like then, right? I knew that the studio (United Artists) had trimmed it down severely, and I thought perhaps it was wrong for me to judge it by its original release. With an open mind, I viewed the "reconstructed" version.

It's absolutely terrible. Disjointed script, incredibly bad production values. Troops wading ashore during amphibious invasions, with no assault craft, no other boats or supporting units. C'mon, even the cheapest TV show could afford to do a matte painting here and there. It looked like a high school stage production. There's no way this could ever be considered epic. And a woman having a baby scene...Hay-Sus, it was a better scene in Rat Patrol many years before.

I want to like Sam Fuller and his films...he was like the Ed Wood of war films...but, man-o-man, the more footage they stuck back in Big Red One, the worse it got.

91% approval on Rotten Tomatoes?!? Holy %^^$#$#$#%!!!!
 
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bendizoid

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I saw a interview with Lee Marvin he was wounded in a similar way in real life fighting the Japanese. He said Bob Keeshan ( Captain Kangaroo ) was the bravest man he ever saw. Marvin got shot in the butt running away while Keeshan stood up to cover the US force. I guess it's BS though they never served together.

Bob
 
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