Play Dirty [DVD]

I kind of love Play Dirty.I like how cool Michael Caine is in this movie and how he works with the other actors, even though I’m not sure any of the characters make that much sense. I love how brutal and unforgiving the desert is—how our heroes don’t just get thirsty or stuck in sand—though they sure do get stuck in sand. I like how nasty, brutish and short the combat is.You might not love it; you might find it too cynical (it certainly revels in its cynicism) or think there are stretches where nothing happens or not find the characters particularly sensical. You wouldn’t hurt my feelings if you felt that way, but I really enjoy watching this movie, even though it’s flawed.I keep coming back to the feeling that the movie is just cool; it looks cool, and its attitude is not like other war movies. It’s like Where Eagles Dare for grownups. I need to write a whole essay to explain that idea, but I don’t want to. Where Eagles Dare is a romantic idealization of war and the people involved, with an intricate plot and, eventually, with clear good guys and bad guys. Play Dirty may have no good guys—or the people we think are bad may be good—or good and bad may be inadequate concepts. In both movies you want to be the protagonists anyway because they act and dress cool and have cool guns. Play Dirty somehow meets that childish need I admit I have while not romanticizing war, or at least not over-romanticizing it.If it weren't for Ice Cold in Alex, I would say this is the best World War II desert movie

Twists and turns, ups and downs. Pure adventure. You have to see the ending to believe it and that's all I'll say about it.

I love history and movies that follow detail actions that defined the hardships of WWII veterans. Play Dirty lives up to all that. Michael Caine is the reluctant hero thrust into commanding an odd group of commandos on a mission to destroy a fuel depot deep behind German lines. Nigel Davenport is superb as the criminal anti-hero and the tense relationship between him and Caine keep you interested. This movie describes the hardships of desert warfare in true form. It is vast, dangerous, edge-of-your-seat action that won't leave you disappointed.David Lucero, author of THE SANDMAN

Watched this movie years ago and wanted a copy especially with a commentary. Agree with other reviewers this is a great movie. Like my review of Eagle Has Landed, RaveWave who released the movie fails to mention this is a Region B movie and will not play on U.S. Blu Ray or DVD players. Neither in the product description or details is the Region B mentioned. Only if RaveWave provided a picture of the back of the DVD would you find the Region B logo. I have bought other movies by RaveWave and they also fail to mention the movies were Region B.

A previous reviewer has done an excellent job describing the movie's plot and characters. I would like to emphasize that Play Dirty, in my opinion, is one of the more accurate portrayals of the North African theater of operations in World War 2. I have been hooked on this movie for almost 30 years! I watch it probably 6-8 times a year and never tire of it! Michael Caine is fabulous as Captain Douglas. It is rewarding to watch as Captain Douglas learns the ropes, gains confidence and ultimately, some respect from his group. I like the ironic plot twist that has Captain Douglas group succeed when the High Command suddenly does not want them to! I rank this movie as one of my all time favorites right up there with the Desert Rats (Richard Burton) The Desert Rats  and The Desert Fox (James Mason) The Desert Fox  which I also very highly recommend! There is also a real good Italian film titled El Alamein that you may equally enjoy! El Alamein  Two other titles came to mind after I wrote this review: Humphrey Bogart's classic Sahara  Sahara  and another oldie but goodie Five Graves to Cairo  Five Graves to Cairo .

A very good movie. I won't spoil the end. It's too good. I purchased a PAL version and watched it on my computer with a cheap USB Region-free player. Well worth the price of the disc and the player.

Great war film but a very disapointing copy: very poor quality of both sound and image. This edition (with no name of film editor on the DVD and whose image on the box does not match the one put on the internet site of amazon) is to be avoided absolutlely: it is no more than a sort of "pirat quality" copy. A. De Toth and his great filming deserve much better.

The tension between Caine’s and Davenport’s characters is palpable throughout, and the price on Caine’s head for a safe return offers an interesting perspective compared with what has previously happened when Davenport’s character returns with a corpse!Exceptionally well acted throughout with a surprising appearance as a military nurse by the famous actress Vivian Pickles! Totally enjoyable and yet another feather in Caine’s cap as one of the films of his career where he makes his mark so well. Brilliant twist in this story makes it really special and unforgettable.

Will not play

Dieser Film wurde vor Jahren als "Ein dreckiger Haufen" im Fernsehen gezeigt, ging aber aus mir unbekanntem Grund neben den weitaus häufiger gezeigten Brücke von Arnhein, Brücke von Remagen, gesprengte Ketten, Das dreckige Dutzend, etc. irgendwie unter. Auf deutsch ist er offenbar noch gar nicht erhältlich.Auch wenn es sich hier um einen eher actionlastigen Film mit rudimentärer Anlehnung an die Historie der Long Range Desert Groups (LRDG) und des SAS im Zweiten Weltkrieg handelt, ist er doch gut und insoweit auch historisch passend gemacht. Die Schwierigkeiten der Mission und der Boykott durch die Kommandierenden würden den Film aber eher in die früheren Phasen des Afrikafeldzuges bzw. den Beginn der LRDG 1940 verorten lassen, nicht in die Phase der erfolgreichen britischen Gegenangriffe. Dennoch gefällt der Film und man muss nur wenige der für die Entstehungszeit bekannten "Klischee"-Abstriche machen. Und sowieso: Michael Caine! Noch dazu in der für ihn massgeschneiderten Rolle als britischer Offizier unter einem anarchistischen Haufen von Marodeuren in Uniform.

A 'used' DVD item that performed well. Classic WW2 North African storyline, very underrated.

Keine Helden, Krieg ist dreckige Arbeit, die Wüste ist unwirtlich und dreckig, die Moral der Soldaten ist es auch, fast dokumentarisch genau, großartig für die Leinwand gefilmt, eher Italowestern als klassischer Kriegsfilm, nihilistisch, packend und spannend, ein Genrefilm wie sie nur in der Zeit von '68 - '80, gedreht wurden, meilenweit entfernt von der Haltung und Moral des Films "Das dreckige Dutzend", eine Frau, die einzige "positive" Figur und weiß sich zu wehren, die Männer wortkarg, amoralisch und nur Werkzeuge für Eitelkeiten und Großmannsucht, es gibt keine "Anti"kriegsfilme, nur gute und schlechte, dieser ist ein guter. Blu-Ray Superbild