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Play Dirty

Play trailer Poster for Play Dirty R,  1969,  1h 57m,  War/ Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 100% 5 Reviews Tomatometer 62% 500+ Ratings Popcornmeter
100% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 62% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
An out-of-his-depth oil executive, Capt. Douglas (Michael Caine), is ordered to guide a tough band of convicts, including the cynical and possibly treacherous Capt. Leech (Nigel Davenport), to destroy a Nazi fuel depot in North Africa during World War II. Though it's probably a suicide mission, it has to be completed. But the mission, the enemy and the brutal desert aren't the only things Douglas has to worry about, as it becomes clear that Leech is undermining his authority at every turn.

Critics Reviews

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Fred Camper Chicago Reader Jun 15, 2022
Arguably de Toth’s greatest American film... Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Sep 19, 2021
3/4
Often unfairly dismissed as a British rip-off of 1967's The Dirty Dozen, Play Dirty is instead its own nasty little beast. Go to Full Review
Nathanael Hood The Retro Set Dec 29, 2018
7/10
Positively giddy in its nihilistic misanthropy... Go to Full Review
Christopher Lloyd Sarasota Herald-Tribune Jul 25, 2011
4/5
A fine, memorable performance by Nigel Davenport, as a man who's as calculating as he is black-hearted. He works for the Brits, but one senses that if the Germans offered him more money, switching sides would pose no dilemma. Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Apr 26, 2011
B+
The pic more than holds its own with The Dirty Dozen , in fact I enjoyed it more and found it more subversive. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Hagrid R Oct 25, 2018 During the North African Campaign in World War II, Captain Douglas (Michael Caine) is a British Petroleum employee seconded to the Royal Engineers to oversee incoming fuel supplies for the British 8th Army. Colonel Masters (Nigel Green) commands a special raiding unit composed of convicted criminals, and after a string of failures he is told by his commander, Brigadier Blore (Harry Andrews), that he must have a regular officer to lead a dangerous last chance mission to destroy an Afrika Korps fuel depot, lest his unit be disbanded. Despite Douglas' objections, he is chosen for his knowledge of oil pipelines and infrastructure. Douglas is then introduced to Cyril Leech (Nigel Davenport), a convicted criminal rescued from prison to lead Masters' operations in the field... "Play Dirty" is a different war movie with touch points of "The Dirty Dozen", however, "Play Dirty" has its own story to tell. The film is set in North Africa during World War II which I haven´t seen many war movies use as a backdrop. That´s a plus for me at least as this setting during World War II has always intrigued me. The film is anarchic, unheroic, ugly, selfish, brutal and not many characters you encounter in the film are very likeable. The film also shows the lack of rules and honour in war, and how war effect it´s participants. Michael Caine as Captain Douglas is not as powerful he usually is if you ask me, but still adds good weight to the film with his aura and presence. I would say that "Play Dirty" feels like a forgotten gem within the genre. See more
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Play Dirty

My Rating

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Movie Info

Synopsis An out-of-his-depth oil executive, Capt. Douglas (Michael Caine), is ordered to guide a tough band of convicts, including the cynical and possibly treacherous Capt. Leech (Nigel Davenport), to destroy a Nazi fuel depot in North Africa during World War II. Though it's probably a suicide mission, it has to be completed. But the mission, the enemy and the brutal desert aren't the only things Douglas has to worry about, as it becomes clear that Leech is undermining his authority at every turn.
Director
Andre de Toth
Producer
Harry Saltzman
Screenwriter
Melvyn Bragg, Lotte Colin, Andre de Toth
Distributor
United Artists
Production Co
United Artists
Rating
R (A Sexual Assault|Violence)
Genre
War, Adventure
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 15, 1969, Limited
Release Date (DVD)
Apr 24, 2007
Runtime
1h 57m
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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