Mark Hamill's 'The Big Red One': A Forgotten Masterpiece War Movie

Steven Spielberg's Oscar-winning Saving Private Ryan is often called the definitive World War II epic, but Samuel Fuller's oft-overlooked The Big Red One offers a more personal and realistic account. A passion project in the works for three decades, the film overcomes its low-budget and B-movie stylings to paint a vividly unforgettable portrait of infantrymen in the deadliest war of all time.

Starring Lee Marvin in a commanding performance as Sgt. Possum, The Big Red One follows five dogged American soldiers who begin their mission in North Africa and advance deep into enemy territory in Eastern Europe, ending with the liberation of a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia.

The unit includes Private Zab (Robert Carradine), Pvt. Griff (Mark Hamill), Pvt. Vinci (Bobby Di Cicco), and Pvt. Johnson (Kelly Ward). Fuller's semi-autobiographical film draws directly from his service in the 1st Infantry Division and the 16th Regiment, for which he received the Bronze Star, Silver Star, and Purple Heart.

Czechoslovakia

samuel fuller, mark hamill, lee marvin, robert carradine, wwii, 1st infantry, 16th regiment, czechoslovakia, concentration camp, sgt possum