Editor Reviews:

Product Description:
The Dirty Dozen meet the Stiff Upper Lip. A British Petroleum executive (Michael Caine) is assigned to work with the British Army in North Africa handling port duties for incoming fuels. This gives him the official rank of Captain in the British Army. The Colonel (Nigel Green) in charge of the Dirty Dozen is told he must have a British officer accompany his men on a dangerous mission 400 miles behind the German lines and is saddled with the Petroleum executive who tries to argue his way out by saying that his contract states he is to only work port duties. That argument is lost on the Brigade Commander (Harry Andrews) who simply points out that the executive is wearing a British uniform. The real leader of the Dirty Dozen (Nigel Davenport) a released prisoner himself doesn't need or want the British officer who's supposed to be in charge but he's promised an extra 2000 British Pounds if he gets him back alive. Disguised as Italians their trek across Rommel's Africa includes meeting and battling many kinds of enemies and the plot twists at the end will keep your interest.System Requirements:Run Time: 117 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: PG UPC: 027616073914 Manufacturer No: M107391

Amazon.com:
There's no mistaking the 1968 mood of Play Dirty: this cynical war movie could only have been made during the disillusioned Vietnam era, despite its WWII subject. Michael Caine plays a British captain in North Africa, tapped to lead a suicidal mission across the desert to destroy a German fuel depot. He's got a scurvy band of mercenaries to help him (this was a year after The Dirty Dozen, so keep that in mind), although most of the time they seem indifferent to both the job and Caine's survival. Nigel Davenport plays Caine's black-hearted yet lethally competent assistant, possibly the most nihilistic character on the side of the good guys in any war movie. Large patches of the film play without dialogue, including a grueling sequence in which vehicles are winched up the side of a hill, but somehow this adds to the grim, fatalistic atmosphere. The hard edge suits the style of director Andre De Toth, veteran maker of many a B-picture (this was his next-to-last effort). Caine plays it repressed and close to the vest, the better to contrast with Davenport's Mephistophelian soldier of fortune. Oh, and the ending--well, you'll want to stick around for the ending. It was 1968, after all. --Robert Horton

Rating : - Never heard of it before? Well there is a reason
Quite in the same line as the Dirty Dozen and Kelly's Heroes I was surprised never to have heard about this film and seeing that it had great reviews I bought a copy.

The movie is entertaining but no masterpiece. The plot is very 1968'ish, with total disregard of actual facts, well except for the Germans vs. Britain bit. In many ways it is a remake of Sea of Sand (which remains the superior movie). We have a long range desert group sent to blow up Rommel's fuel dump. Michael Caine and Nigel Davenport more or less dominate the film and both are good in their roles although you sometimes get the feel of a Spagetti Western in the set up, the dialoge and how everyone is trying to screw everyone else up (hench the title). All in all it is entertaining and gritty at times but I don't find myself compelled to watch it again.

As to history the LRDG (Long Range Desert Group) was composed of very spirited volunteers, the original being mostly New Zealanders and certainly not convicts or disposables. In this field the movie shows total disregard and takes an open and wide artistic license. The Dirty Dozen (made in 1967) was closer to its mark but both movies were made when War movies were mostly fictional stories set in World War 2 and not as today when real life stories are prefered and in my opinion real life beats fiction hands down in every way.

So in the end I am not surprised that I only first heard of this movie a few months ago, while being a decent movie and entertaining to watch it fades in comparison with many of its counterparts and for a good reason.