Quel maledetto treno blindato (1978)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Enzo G. Castellari

Writers:

Sandro Continenza (writer)
Sergio Grieco (writer)

Release Date:

December 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | War

Tagline:

Whatever the Dirty Dozen did they do it dirtier!

Plot:

Set in Europe during WWII, a group of American soldiers are in the process of being shipped off to military prison for a variety of infractions...

Plot Keywords:

WWII | Prisoner | Murder | Escape | American

Cast

Bo Svenson	...	Lt. Robert Yeager
Peter Hooten	...	Tony
Fred Williamson	...	Pvt. Fred Canfield
Michael Pergolani	...	Nick
Jackie Basehart	...	Berle
Michel Constantin	...	Veronique
Debra Berger	...	Nicole
Raimund Harmstorf	...	Adolf Sachs
Ian Bannen	...	Col. Charles Thomas Buckner
Flavio Andreini
Peter Boom	...	German Officer on Train
Vito Fornari
Manfred Freyberger	...	SS Commander
Joshua Sinclair	...	The Sergeant (as John Loffredo)
Mike Morris	...	Colonel Hauser

Also Known As:

Bastardi senza gloria (Italy) (working title)
Counterfeit Commandos (USA) (reissue title)
Deadly Mission (USA) (video title)
G.I. Bro (USA) (recut version)
Hell's Heroes (USA) (video title)
The Dirty Bastard (Philippines: English title)
The Inglorious Bastards (USA)
Assalto ao Trem Blindado (Brazil) (video title) [pt]
Bohaterowie z piekla (Poland) [pl]
Commando bastards (Norway) (video title) [no]
Ein Haufen verwegener Hunde (West Germany) [de]
Kelvottomat (Finland) (video title) [fi]
Med pansartåg till helvetet (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
O Expresso Blindado da S.S. Nazista (Brazil) [pt]
Panssarijunalla helvettiin (Finland) [fi]
Une poignée de salopards (France) [fr]

Runtime:

99 min | UK:90 min (cut version) | Germany:76 min (cut version)

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian | German | French | English

Color:

Color (Telecolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Sweden:(Banned) | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 (US version) | Sweden:15 (video rating) | Norway:15 (uncut DVD version) (2007) | Singapore:M18 | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (2007) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1978) | USA:R | Norway:16 (video) (1981) (unrated video version) | Norway:(Banned) (1978-2003) (cinema release)

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Films Concorde

Trivia:

Fred Williamson is named as a co-writer on screenplay on deposit at the Library of Congress Copyright Office.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: A wire can be seen pulling a soldier during a grenade explosion in the first battle with the Waffen-SS.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Tony: Nicole! Nicole.
Nicole: Tony! Tony!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Back to the War Zone (2008) (V)

Surprisingly enjoyable war film from pizza man Castellari.

We can't deny the fact that some of our American actors travelled overseas to appear in foreign-produced motion pictures. HELL'S HEROES (the video title) stars Fred Williamson and Bo Svenson, who were notably cast together in DELTA FORCE COMMANDO. Italy is by no means similar to Hollywood, and this won't appeal to war film buffs who watch THE GREEN BERETS on TNT. This one gets a lot of credit for actually willing to deliver a good amount of action right until the explosive finish. The violence is rather graphic, noticing soldiers falling out of trains and hitting landfall, but that heightens the reality of the war experience. It isn't rare to find Italian movies sleazy no matter how serious a situation is, and it's best kept that way. Fred Williamson, known for BLACK CAESAR and other "blaction" films, isn't at all a complete waste here, as long as naked broads in the water gain some vengeance in return for him stepping into the party. Well done for an actor known to possess the "mean" image, but he's fair enough as a guy smoking a cigar out to do battle. Enzo Castellari's direction comes to as a surprise for a few "trash" fanatics, just when realizing how he would soon manage to go full force on 1990: THE BRONX WARRIORS and GREAT WHITE. A pretty good war flick from Pizzaland. Remember to take it with caution if you've seen Oscar-winning war battles.