I diavoli della guerra

Guy Madison and Venantino Venantini both give it the old college try for a war tale told in two distinct episodes; one in the Sahara and a second one in France. In the Sahara, both officers are thrown together in a sheltered cave; in the latter tale, one is guarding a prisoner and one is sent to free him. There is also a totally unnecessary insertion of a female character in the second tale; in order to create a pathetic appearance of a wartime romance.

The settings are interesting, although the first one mirrors The Guns of Navarone a bit too much, while the second one has been done dozens of times in other fims. In one sequence a granade slips away from an American soldier climbing the hill and slides down to another soldier. We are led to believe this is dangerous, as the second soldier throws it away to explode. As any veteran who has been in the army for more than a few months knows, a grenade will not be dangerous until you pull its pin, but I guess a lot of young viewers will not know that.

Not the worst war film every made, but certainly not in the top tier.