Verdict
Summary
From co-writer Dario Argento and director Umberto Lenzi, the Italian-made Battle of the Commandos is very much in the vein of misfit commando movies such as The Dirty Dozen, The Expendables, and the recent The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. In that regard, it’s a win.
Plot:
A Scottish commando is assigned an impossible mission in World War II.
Review:
Scottish Colonel Charley MacPherson (Jack Palance, gleefully miscast) is the last man standing after his commando unit is obliterated on a suicide mission during World War II. He makes it back to base, where he’s given the worst pep talk in the history of war movies, and then told to quickly assemble another team to undertake another suicide mission because this is what is required of him. Instead of going to the cream of the crop of what the British army has to offer (because there’s just no other options at this point), he handpicks convicts with nothing to lose. The mission is to go into German territory and sabotage a train transporting a huge artillery cannon. Is it possible? Probably, but Charley knows that there’s likely no coming home from this one. With his ragtag team (one of whom is an Eastern Indian, a misfit just like all the rest), they plow straight ahead into a no-win scenario, but as long as the mission is a success, Charley will have done the Army proud.
From co-writer Dario Argento and director Umberto Lenzi, the Italian-made Battle of the Commandos is very much in the vein of misfit commando movies such as The Dirty Dozen, The Expendables, and the recent The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. In that regard, it’s a win. On the other hand, it’s never as winning or distinct as some of its better-known peers. Palance is totally miscast as a Scottish commando, but at least he tries, and there’s plenty of action and explosions throughout its 94-minute run time. Watch for Curd Jurgens from The Spy Who Loved Me as a Nazi general. Also starring Thomas Hunter.
Kino Lorber’s new Blu-ray edition of Battle of the Commandos comes in a new HD master from 2023 from a 4K scan, and there’s an audio commentary by three film historians as well. This edition also comes with a slipcover.
