I thought I had seen all the WW2 movies out there but I guess this one was off the radar. There are for sure now better movies to be seen but this is worth the watch.

It is basically a movie that follows one platoon as they go through the war, and how each individual soldier wrestles with various demons so to speak. There is enough action to keep things moving.

Would recommend to anyone who likes, war movies, actions movies or seeing Luke Skywalker as a young soldier.

The Big Red One isn't so much a war movie as it is a message, sometimes obscure, of what war is really like. There is much symbolism in this movie, for example the human arm, with a wristwatch on it, washing in the bloody surf of Omaha Beach. If you want realistic detail of combat, watch Saving Private Ryan. If you want to the voice of experience, blurry from the passage of time, The Big Red One is a movie to see.

Keep in mind that this movie reflects the life experiences of some survivors of WWII. That Lee Marvin was cast as the grizzled sergeant is part of the symbolism: Marvin was a combat Marine who participated in the invasion of Saipan; he is cast as a survivor of WWI who is retracing part of the path he took during that conflict. I found some of the scenes from the movie barely believable, for example, the French insane asylum, but you must keep in mind that there is a message from the survivors of that war in each and every scene. How you take the message, apparently, is up to you.

1942. The green troops of a US infantry squad are about to get their first taste of war, hitting the shores of Vichy French-held Morocco as part of Operation Torch. The squad is lead by a tough, no-nonsense sergeant, a veteran of WW1. The squad ultimately is involved in several of the key battles of the European / North African theatre: Operation Torch, Kasserine Pass, Sicily, Omaha Beach and the Allies' invasion of Germany itself. The squad is a part of one of the most famous US combat units: the 1st Infantry Division - The Big Red One.

Mediocre war drama. Plot involves moving from one engagement to the next with very little character engagement, linking of scenes, introspection or profundity. It's really just a montage of the 1st Infantry Division's battles, told through the eyes of a particular squad.

Engagement with the squad's members is limited. You never get to know them, so never get too invested in their characters. Any character development is largely token.

Not very accurate militarily, the war scenes being more of the made-for-teenage boys, gung ho Hollywood variety. Then there is the usual problem for war movies of the era: not enough surviving German tanks so we have US Shermans masquerading as Tigers, limiting the realism of the film.

It's not all bad though. There are some poignant scenes - the flowers-on-helmet scene, the concentration camp - and some interesting observations on war.

Overall: so-so.