And we can't forget 1970's Patton.
Even if I really like the D Brigade, don't think anyone will compare it to Patton.

The Big Red One was mentioned by Lee Marvin as a film he liked better than The Dirty Dozen. It was made in 1980. And we can't forget 1970's Patton.
KS

Better than The Dirty Dozen? No way. Too bad we can't ask Richard Jaeckel what he thought

This is almost over on THIS TV. Three hours with all the damn ads. Not as entertaining as DD, but still pretty good. The storytelling was just not as good and the characters not as compelling. Holden is one of my favorites, but he's made better films, like Stalag 17 and the Wild Bunch.
If you put me on ignore, then how can I notify you when I win the lottery?

And it should not be written off as inferior. Where I think it suffered is that it was a movie that should have been made 15 years before. It was a great rendition of a vanishing gendre.

I am a William Holden fan, so I am predisposed to like this movie as much, if not more, than "The Dirty Dozen". I do not have the info in front of me, so I wonder as I am writing this which movie came out first: "Devil's Brigade" or "Dirty Dozen". Unfortunately, whichever came first, "Devil's Brigade" suffers in comparison to "The Dirty Dozen" in many people's minds. Nowadays it is written off as inferior.

I don't agree that it is a movie anywhere near as good as The Dirty Dozen. It lacked some bit hitting acting power.
You make good points, including on the acting. I'm not to biased on this cause I liked each enough to buy it, but Devil's Brigade was more a rah rah good guys film. Dirty Dozen seemed more steeped in the less clear and conflicted attitude of the time. Guess I like things simple.

I don't agree that it is a movie anywhere near as good as The Dirty Dozen. It lacked some bit hitting acting power.
Also the agegroup of most of them was too old, with everyone seemingly in their forties. Hardly young men. Whilst the storyline of two sets of different people being forced to get along was well done, there were few moments of genuine tension.
We all will accept how a small group of lightly amoured troups can breakthough a German stonghold that the Allies couldn't break in weeks, but Holden's reaction to this feat of losing some of his men - well, the writers could have given him a bit more to chew on.
The accents from most of the Canadian troup weren't exactly authentic IMO.
A bit of yarn, done quite lightly, it was a fun piece.

it really is an important part of the classic ww2 genre though
I think one could argue that it is the last (or at least the last well-done) of the classic hit'em in the teeth for God & Country of the WWII film class. Can anyone think of another that came after?

Well, one thing that the movie has over the Dirty Dozen is it's based on real events and people (though in truth, the characters I know that have the same names as real counterparts are colonel frederick and pat o'neil). it really is an important part of the classic ww2 genre though