Also known as Quel maledetto treno blindato, Bastardi senza gloria, Counterfeit Commandos, Deadly Mission, G.I. Bro, Hell’s Heroes, The Dirty Bastard and a lot more localized versions.

Anyways, I decided to watch this movie since it shares (almost) the same name as Quentin Tarantino’s recent blockbuster kickass übergreat movie Inglorious Basterds. The two movies does share some common elements (like renegade soldiers during the second world war), but not much else. The characters aren’t the same, the plot isn’t the same, nothing is really the same. What more, where Tarantino’s movie is really really great beyond all your possible expectations, this 1978 movie is not.

A group of American soldiers are in the process of being shipped off to military prison for a variety of infractions, ranging from desertion to murder. While they’re being transported, a German artillery attack hits the convoy, killing the MPs and enabling four of the prisoners to escape. The group decides their best bet is to head to neutral Switzerland where they can avoid the fighting and prison. As they make their way to what they think will be freedom, they end up volunteering for a commando mission to steal a V2 warhead for the French Underground. Somehow, the team must sneak into the most heavily guarded base in German territory, steal the Nazi’s most precious military hardware, and bring it back to the allies without getting arrested again by their own side.

If you consider that Inglorious Bastards was made over 30 years ago, you may suggest it actually is good. But I don’t take these factors into account. Watching this old movie so many years later, one can clearly see it hasn’t aged with dignity. Sound effects, acting performances (like the one from the Swedish main actor Bo Svenson), level of gore and character development are not satisfactory. I’m sorry but it isn’t. I wanted to like this movie, but I couldn’t.

There are actually just two good things I noted: 1) Naked ladies. There are some of that in some scenes. 2) All various nationalities speak their respective language. Germans speak german, americans speak english, french speak french and so on.

Not really recommended.