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The Big Red One

Play trailer Poster for The Big Red One PG 1980 1h 53m War Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
88% Tomatometer 49 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Having previously fought in World War I, an unnamed sergeant (Lee Marvin) now leads soldiers of the U.S. First Infantry Division through World War II. His men include conflicted marksman Pvt. Griff (Mark Hamill), pulp novel writer Pvt. Zab (Robert Carradine), Sicilian Pvt. Vinci (Bobby Di Cicco) and medic Pvt. Johnson (Kelly Ward). The soldiers adapt to the hardships of war as they see conflict in North Africa and Sicily, take part in the D-Day landings, and liberate a Nazi concentration camp.
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The Big Red One

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Critics Consensus

The reconstruction of Samuel Fuller's epic account of his days in North Africa in World War II elevates the film into the pantheon of great war movies.

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Critics Reviews

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Variety Staff Variety Mar 26, 2009
It's a terrific war yarn, a picture of palpable raw power which manages both Intense intimacy and great scope at the same time. Go to Full Review Time Out Jun 24, 2006
Visually and philosophically, it's Fuller's equivalent of Kurosawa's Kagemusha, although Fuller's film is more complex, more absurd and more haunted. Go to Full Review Angie Errigo Empire Magazine May 11, 2005
5/5
Although these are the stock characters of war drama - the sage, grizzled Sarge, the farm boy, the street kid, the nice guy who doesn't want to kill anyone and the witness - Fuller's are particularly credible ordinary people. Go to Full Review Richard Freedman Newark Star-Ledger Jan 6, 2026
A well-meaning but ineffectual movie by a director in over his depth and way past his prime. Go to Full Review Larry Vitacco Philadelphia Gay News May 27, 2020
3.5/4
It's an adventure film as refreshing in content and style as The Deer Hunter was horrifyingly realistic and Apocalypse Now was terrifyingly philosophical. Go to Full Review Jesús Fernández Santos El Pais (Spain) Aug 15, 2019
But in the end, for a film that pretends to be anti-war, it comes across as ambiguous, which isn't anything new in the work of Samuel Fuller. [Full Review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Robert P @Superbad Sep 7, 2026 The Big Red One = a *4* star movie See more revolver.0 8 @Revolver08 Aug 18, 2026 This one is Top Secret! level of spoof and goof quality See more thiago S @Thiagostone May 27, 2026 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more Horror fan 4 @Horrorfan4life Feb 27, 2026 What a tremendous story about a small group of soldiers who fight in many battles during world war 2. Marvin, Carradine, Hamill,Ward and Diccico are all amazing. The different battle scenes were filmed brilliantly. D-day was my favorite part. I absolutely recommend you watch this movie. Timothy Treakle See more Christopher W @Vonwisdom Jan 18, 2026 Absolutely a classic !!! Watched allot of times. Free on Memovid app,just figure out the commercials and how to exit them See more Stephen C @bob25009 Jul 27, 2025 Success in 1 hour and 53 minutes!!!! Rated PG for War Violence and Some Language!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Read all reviews
The Big Red One

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Cast & Crew

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Samuel Fuller

Director

Lee Marvin

The Sergeant

Mark Hamill

Pvt. Griff

Robert Carradine

Pvt. Zab

Bobby Di Cicco

Pvt. Vinci

Kelly Ward

Pvt. Johnson

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The Big Red One

The Big Red One (1980) The Big Red One (1980) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Having previously fought in World War I, an unnamed sergeant (Lee Marvin) now leads soldiers of the U.S. First Infantry Division through World War II. His men include conflicted marksman Pvt. Griff (Mark Hamill), pulp novel writer Pvt. Zab (Robert Carradine), Sicilian Pvt. Vinci (Bobby Di Cicco) and medic Pvt. Johnson (Kelly Ward). The soldiers adapt to the hardships of war as they see conflict in North Africa and Sicily, take part in the D-Day landings, and liberate a Nazi concentration camp.
Director
Samuel Fuller
Producer
Gene Corman, Douglas Freeman, Richard Schickel
Screenwriter
Samuel Fuller
Production Co
United Artists, Lorimar Productions
Rating
PG (War Violence|Some Language)
Genre
War, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 18, 1980, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 15, 2008
Runtime
1h 53m
Sound Mix
Surround
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