Play Dirty (1969)

Play Dirty

Directed by: Andre De Toth

Starring: Michael Cane, Nigel Davenport, Nigel Green, & Harry Andrews

Released: 1969

Country of Origin: UK

Runtime: 118 min.

It's always struck me as slightly odd when very pro-military/pro-war people are into films with very strong anti-war sentiments. I'm not sure if they just like watching things blow up, if they can ignore the clashing ideals, or they're just too dim-witted to understand the underlying message the film carries. When my sister joined the Marines, right before she shipped off to boot camp, they all got together to watch Full Metal Jacket. I view that movie as a pinnacle in anti-war filmmaking, one that is near impossible to watch and not understand it's message. Yes, that film is about a completely different war than the supposed one we are currently involved with, but it still strikes me as kinda of ironic. I asked her why in the world they would choose to watch Full Metal Jacket, when it's clearly against the things she may have to do? I didn't really get a clear answer, but at least she understood that it was indeed anti-war. The 1969 film, Play Dirty is definitely an anti-war picture. It's sarcastic, cynical, and far more nihilistic than what most war film fans are used to. It's also pretty darn good.

The film stars the always awesome, Michael Cane as Capt. Douglas, a British solider in North Africa, who is put in charge of a misfit band of psychopaths on a mission to blow up German fuel supplies 400 miles behind enemy lines. He may be technically in charge, but it's clear this unit only takes its orders from a very disagreeable captain, Cyril Leech. Leech is brash, insubordinate, and nihilistic to the core. He doesn't care who he kills, by his own hands or by his inaction, as long as he survives and gets paid. The rest of the group is made up of ex-convicts including a narcotics smuggler, a terrorist, a rapist, and two homosexual Senussi guides. Unknown to the soldiers, the military has no intentions of them actually succeeding in their mission. They're being used as decoys, with a second, better equipped group heading for the same target. Eventually, the deception is found out when they witness the second unit's destruction at the hands of the Germans, but Capt. Douglas is hell-bent on succeeding and finishing their mission.

Does this all sound a little familiar? The plot bears striking similarities to the well known film The Dirty Dozen, which was released only a year before this one. I haven't had the chance to see The Dirty Dozen, so I'll be pretty useless in terms of comparison. I'm actually glad I saw this film first. The Dirty Dozen is such a highly revered film, and I'm sure I would have been quick to point out the copy-cat nature of this plot. I'd be placing too much emphasis on why one was better than the other, as opposed to judging Play Dirty by its own merits. Instead, I'm getting a clear view of this surprising little gem. This is far from a perfect film, but it's a unique and interesting take on the typical war film. At times it drags a little and would have benefited from a bit more conservative editing. Those looking for war action are not going to find much here, instead the focus is on the group and how morally ambiguous it's member have become. Countless times Capt. Douglas is shocked by how disrespectful the unit is to him, the dead, and just about everything. These are people who rape, steal from corpses, and are only loyal to each other and Capt. Leech. The greatest moments in the film use little or no dialogue, often in moments of extreme tension, which make these events exponentially more captivating and exciting. The best example is a scene in which the unit is trying to hoist their vehicles up an impossibly steep cliff. The lack of speech and sound adds tremendous amount of tension and keeps your eyes completely glued to the action. The tone of Play Dirty is bleak and extremely cynical, which for some will be an extreme turn-off. Much of the payoff in the film is in it's explosive ending, the details of which you will have see for yourself. But I will say this: The last seconds of the film pounds the last sarcastic nail in the movie's coffin and is pretty much a giant middle finger to the audience, the nature of war, and maybe even war films in general.

FINAL VERDICT: I enjoyed this movie for it's oddities more than it's cinematic merits. Michael Cane and Nigel Davenport are great, but it's slow pace and lack of action will prove to be a tough sell for many people. I have a tendency to forgive a flawed film for an exceptional ending. If the ending leaves me either saying WTF, or reeling in it's brilliance, it makes the moments that came before that maybe didn't thrill me as much, far less important. The ending for this isn't necessarily a new concept, but at the time it was far less common and accepted. I appreciate that. It's not a film I'm going to rush out and watch again, but I can definitely see myself returning to it again someday.