YMMV / The Big Red One

• Do Not Do This Cool Thing: Samuel Fuller claimed the film was an aversion. He boasted that during an army screening, generals complained that the movie had "no recruiting potential". A real-life war veteran, he was quite skeptical of people joining the army thinking it looks cool in the movies.
• Ensemble Dark Horse:
  • Kaiser and Switolski are the longest-lasting and best developed of the replacements and have some fans for it.
  • The underground woman who helps them infiltrate the insane asylum makes a decent impression.
  • Mateo, the Sicilian Boy who helps the group in exchange for them burying his mother is a memorable figure.
• Funny Moments:
  • Several, especially with the Hitler Youth sniper's fate.
  • Zeb comments on a piece of battlefield engineering equipment as part of his narration of the Normandy landing:
    The Bangalore Torpedo was 50' long and packed with 85 pounds of TNT and you assembled it along the way. By hand. I'd love to meet the asshole who invented it.
• He Really Can Act: Mark Hamill gives a really good performance as Griff, proving his acting chops as the emotional center among the main squad of veterans.
• Heartwarming Moments: Sarge and the boy from the concentration camp (becomes a Tear Jerker moment when the boy dies in Sarge's arms). And the little girl who decorates his helmet with flowers earlier.
• Ho Yay:
  • The Sarge gets snogged by a German doctor while held prisoner in Tunis. Sarge chokes him until he desists.
    "I can understand you being horny Fritz; hell, I'm flattered, even. But you've got bad breath."
  • Also when two soldiers are sleeping next to each other.
    "Zeff, quit pockin' me with your rifle."
    "That's not my rifle, Johnson."
• Tear Jerker: The concentration camp. The fact that the entire scene is almost completely wordless just makes it worse.
• Vindicated by History: Not a smashing success when released, time and a later director's cut led to this movie being considered on par with Saving Private Ryan and Patton as a great war movie.

---