Based on the book by Robert H. Adleman and Col. George Walton, 1968’s The Devil’s Brigade stars William Holden as a tough U.S. Army officer assigned to form a crack commando outfit out of a bunch of American military convicts and a well-trained Canadian unit. Despite their different backgrounds, the mismatched soldiers prove to be formidable fighting force, which earns them a dangerous mission as they’re ordered to capture a nearly inaccessible Nazi stronghold. Based on fact (book co-author Walton was himself a member of the Brigade), this action-packed WWII epic co-stars Cliff Robertson, Vince Edwards, and Carroll O’Connor.
A clear attempt to recapture some of the motion magic of the previous year’s similarly themed The Dirty Dozen, The Devil’s Brigade took some liberties with its source material to create a film that is as wildly entertaining as it is historically inaccurate. A new Blu-ray of the picture from KL Studio Classics has just been released, ensuring that this Brigade’s march to glory amidst the background of World War II will continue to live on for moviegoers everywhere.