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Weekend Movie Club

Play Dirty(1968)

Directed by
André De Toth

Cast
Michael Caine .... Capt. Douglas
Nigel Davenport .... Capt. Cyril Leech
Nigel Green .... Col. Masters
Harry Andrews .... Brig. Blore
Patrick Jordan .... Maj. Alan Watkins

“War is a criminal enterprise, I fight it with criminals”.
Nigel Green as Col. Masters

Every move made by the characters in this movie and every line of dialog uttered by the actors is in support of an act of betrayal. At every turn, characters in this movie shoot each other in the back and betray each other with such rapidity that you quickly can lose your way in this plot. It’s set in a war, but its not about war. This is not a history lesson, it’s a visit to the therapist.

Set in the World War II North African campaign, Nigel Green and his band of irregulars, who are made up almost exclusively of prisoners seconded from a backwater hell hole prison behind the British lines. They are made up from stone cold killers, Mutinous ship captains, homosexual Arabs they are men so bad the men of the “dirty dozen” would have sat at another table in the cafeteria. Following the pattern of the British Long Range Desert Group, this team wears enemy uniforms and equipment to sow chaos behind the lines of the enemy. At least that’s the idea.

But who is the enemy? In this movie, it’s hard to tell. The opening scene sets the tone as Nigel Davenport is driving along the desert with a small armored Jeep with a mix of weapons both allied and axis, with his radio tuned to a German Army radio station belting out “Lili Marlene” as they did often in those days. At his side sits another soldier, though clearly he is dead. You wonder what are you watching, a German about to be bumped off in an ambush? As he approaches a desert road checkpoint, He switches his service cap to that of a British officer, and switches the radio station, to a more appropriate English tune and the transformation is complete. Now he’s on our side.

Or is he?

Is he a German pretending to be English or is he an English who was pretending to be German? At each step in the movie, it becomes clear that the only side anyone is on is the side of their own survival.

Michael Caine, plays his comfortable role as a young British officer, who is seconded to the British Army from his civilian role as a petroleum engineer for British Petroleum in pre-war Libya. He is seconded to this team as a way for the British Army to try to take control of this band of miscreants and bandits. He and his team are betrayed and sacrificed by the British as a decoy for another more officially sanctioned British team. They are all in pursuit of a German fuel depot. Watch and listen closely, there is a surprise behind every line and every twist is twisted back on itself. Is it murder or is it killing? What is betrayal or loyalty? What is Humanity or Inhumanity, it’s all investigated in this tight little “B” movie from 1968.

I liked this movie a lot, its rarely seen on Cable Channels and I don’t think there is a DVD, but it is in rotation this week on Showtime. Catch it if you can, you won’t be disappointed.

Ice Cold at Alex(1958)

Directed by
J. Lee Thompson

John Mills .... Capt. Anson
Sylvia Syms .... Sister Diana Murdoch
Anthony Quayle .... Capt. van der Poel/Hauptman Otto Lutz
Harry Andrews .... MSM Tom Pugh

Following a theme for this weekend, this film is also set in World War II North Africa. In this film, a doctor and two nurses are separated from the allies and find themselves far behind German lines. Much like Lawrence of Arabia, a main character in this film is the desert itself, however this film is in black and white it does not have the impact it would in full Cinerama color.

This is a quiet film, with barely any musical background soundtrack, something I found added greatly to the film itself. They don’t do that very much anymore, you are always given music to help you along in the story. The result is the stories offered are often weak, and the soundtrack is used as a way to cover that up.

What makes this film fun to watch is how the characters survive two of the very worst situations, War and deprivation. While they can cope with the hazards of war, it’s the desert that gives the more menacing challenge. John Mills plays the captain of this medical team, but he is a flawed man on the way down. It falls to him to keep this group together but he is doing everything to keep himself together. Mills portrays an alcoholic at a time when alcoholism is rarely discussed. More importantly, He uses the promise of a beer in Alexandria as a way to keep his fading team motivated to do what they need to do to survive. This is the basis of the title, and when the beer is revealed, you will be amazed at your reaction, and it is at point that you realize how deep into the story you have gone. Filmed In Black and white, with hardly any soundtrack it’s simply character study that is done with great expertise.

One scene that sticks in my mind even today is when at one point they are required to haul their ambulance up the side of a wall of sand. It’s handled quietly, and with great care by the director and it is a tribute to what a great director can do without special effects to add to the emotional basis of the story.

This movie is a classic. I absolutely loved this movie when I first saw it in the 1970's, I went through a great deal of trouble to get it on DVD, but it is out there and if you can get a copy, I highly recommend this film.

Posted @ February 04, 2005 03:29 PM | Movie Reviews