Sgt. Sullivan puts together a group of Italian-Americans into disguise as Italian soldiers in order to infiltrate a North African camp held by the Italians. After the soldiers have knifed the Italians in their beds, they find a hooker living at the camp. Sullivan's commandos are to hold this camp and its weaponry until an American battalion arrives, all the while these Italian-Americans pretend to be Italian soldiers, often hosting the enemy. Lt. Valli is a young, "green," by-the-book officer who constantly argues with Sgt. Sullivan, who tells his superior that he has no idea what he is doing. One man on the base, probably a touch from Argento, is an entomologist who is needlessly killed. Things go terribly wrong after that.
Acting
Lee Van Cleef's squint could win its own war.
Direction
Crispino's Argento-adjacent touches in a war film.
Production
Gloriously unconvincing North African desert sets.
Director
Armando Crispino
Lee Van Cleef
MSgt. Sullivan
Jack Kelly
Captain Valli
Giampiero Albertini
Aldo
Marino Masé
Tomassini
Götz George
Rudi
Pier Paolo Capponi
Corbi
Ivano Staccioli
Rodolfo
Marilù Tolo
Adriana
Joachim Fuchsberger
Oberleutnant Heitzel Agen (Professor) (als Akim Berg)
Heinz Reincke
Offizier Hans
Helmut Schmid
Miller
Otto Stern
Braumann
Duilio Del Prete
Bruno
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Director Armando Crispino later made 'Autopsy' (1975), and that random entomologist murder here screams of his future giallo instincts bleeding through.
This was one of several 'Macaroni Combat' films trying to replicate the success of 'The Dirty Dozen' with Italian resources and American stars on loan.
IT
