The Devil's Brigade Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Devil's Brigade Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 16, 2024

Andrew V. McLaglen's "The Devil's Brigade" (1968) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include archival audio commentary by critics Steve Mitchell and Steven Jay Rubin and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The Devil’s Brigade has always existed in the shadow of The Dirty Dozen, which was released a year before it. Was it conceived to be a copycat? Well, while I would not describe it as a copycat, it is difficult to argue that it was not modeled after its famous predecessor. There are many, many similarities between these films, and yes, The Devil’s Brigade aimed to impress the same audience that fell in love with The Dirty Dozen. However, if you start digging deep, you will inevitably discover enough material to claim that The Dirty Dozen was influenced by The Great Escape, and then you will start realizing that smaller films like The McKenzie Break and Force 10 from Navarone have legitimate relationships with them as well. There are other films, like The Last Escape and The Eagle Has Landed, that also work with the same material. From the early 1960s until the late 1970s, it is how these war films were made, because it is how the audience that went to see them expected them to be made. So, yes, these films shared a lot of material, and in some of them, the similarities were more obvious than in others. What was the original film that created the successful blueprint they all used? I do not think there was one. The war films from the 1950s were evolving, and in the 1960s and 1970s this trend produced all of the films that are mentioned above.

The story that is told in The Devil’s Brigade is interesting, but impossible to take seriously. It is not because the mission it describes could not have been planned and executed. It is because it could not have been planned and executed by the characters that populate The Devil’s Brigade, and they are the main reason to see it, not the mission. A viewer who understands and accepts this will have a good time with The Devil’s Brigade. A viewer who does not will inevitably conclude that The Devil’s Brigade is a deeply flawed and ultimately underwhelming film.

Sometime during WWII, Lt. Col. Robert Frederick (William Holden) is tasked to assemble a large team of American and Canadian soldiers to carry out an operation that would cripple the German forces in Norway. Frederick goes to work determined to exceed expectations, but quickly discovers that creating a team of men who hate each other with a passion would be an enormous challenge. Nevertheless, at a training compound in the mountains, while using unorthodox methods, Frederick gradually builds a team that can get the job done, and when the time comes, while following his orders, the former rivals become brothers and then heroes.

Frederick’s team is supposed to be a replica of a real military unit known as Black Devils, which carried out missions in Northern Europe during the second half of WWII. However, extensive knowledge of WWII history is not required to easily conclude that the creators The Devil’s Brigade were never interested in delivering a historically accurate film about the Black Devils. What they wanted was an adventure film with colorful characters wearing military uniforms in a WWII environment, which is what they financed, shot, and delivered.

Holden shares the spotlight with several big character actors who routinely look and perform better than him. One of them is Claude Akins, who plays a feisty, often hilarious veteran soldier whose passion for fighting is matched only by his passion for drinking. Jack Watson is very good as the undisputed leader of the Canadian crew. Cliff Robertson and Vince Edwards always gravitate around Holden and when the Germans are attacked prove that both are great soldiers.

But despite many memorable moments, especially while the Americans and the Canadians clash and bond, the complete film is decent at best. However, Andrew V. McLaglen’s direction is not to be blamed. It is the screenplay that William Roberts handed to him where all of the big and consequential flaws are, virtually all of which have something to do with the obvious intent to structure the complete film as an entertaining period adventure film, rather than an authentic and historically accurate war film.

The Devil's Brigade Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Devil's Brigade arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

If you are reading this article, it is practically guaranteed that you wish to know whether this release offers a good upgrade in quality over the original release of The Devil's Brigade from 2017. Both releases are sourced from the same old master, which was supplied by MGM. Despite small limitations and a bit of surface wear, I like this master quite a lot because it has strong organic qualities. Unlike the previous release, this release has it presented with properly set gamma levels, and this time more disc space is dedicated to the entire film. So, if you have a large screen, you will see some improvements in the dynamic range of the visuals, enhanced density levels, and in some areas slightly better delineation and depth. Obviously, all grain fluctuations that are inherited or introduced by the original cinematography remain. What does this all mean? Should you upgrade? The difference between the two presentations is not big, but it is big enough to describe as meaningful, so I would recommend an upgrade if The Devil's Brigade is one of your favorite films. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Devil's Brigade Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is very good. In the second half, where virtually all of the action material is, dynamic intensity is often quite impressive. There are no serious age-related anomalies, either. This is not to imply that there is absolutely no room for improvement, but I suspect that a brand new remastering job will only enhance certain areas, not introduce meaningful improvements in terms of clarity, sharpness, dynamic potency, etc.

The Devil's Brigade Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by critics Steve Mitchell and Steven Jay Rubin.

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for The Devil's Brigade. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

The Devil's Brigade Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Because a comparison with The Dirty Dozen was unavoidable, I suspect that The Deivil's Brigade was doomed to be framed an inferior film. However, even without The Dirty Dozen, it is painfully obvious that a lot in The Devil's Brigade could have been handled much, much better. For example, the blending of comedy and drama makes it virtually impossible to deliver an authentic, historically accurate film. Some of the casting choices are quite strange, too, including having William Holden lead the motley crew of American and Canadian characters into battle. Kino Lorber's reissue of The Devil's Brigade is sourced from the same old but solid organic master that was used to produce the original release of the film from 2017. However, this time the technical presentaion is superior. RECOMMENDED only to the fans.