The Big Red One Movie (1980): Where to watch and stream online

The Big Red One

1980, Movie, 1h 53min

In one of the most powerful films ever made about World War II, director Samuel Fuller tells the semi-autobiographical story of a squad of sharpshooters trying not to die in The Big Red One. World War I veteran Sergeant Possum (Academy Award winner Lee Marvin) wants to get the job done and to get himself and his squad of green recruits out alive. It's just a job: Kill the enemy before they kill you. And through the seemingly endless bloodshed from North Africa, to Sicily, the Normandy Invasion and the push into Germany, his now-veteran squad—Gruff (Mark Hamill), Zab (Robert Carradine), Vinci (Bobby CiCicco) and Johnson (Kelly Ward)—learns both the brutal horror of war and to never become emotionally close with a new recruit.

Country: United States,Ireland

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Reviews

Critic Angie Errigo

rated

You can smell the smoke of battle and the sweat of men trapped and outnumbered, feel the stomach-knotting fear awaiting an enemy's move, the gag-making horror of liberating a concentration camp and coming eye to eye with real evil.

Read full review at Empire

Critic Roger Ebert

rated

The restored Big Red One is able to suggest the scope and duration of the war, the way it's one damned thing after another...

Read full review at Roger Ebert

Frequently asked questions

What is The Big Red One about? Toggle content

The Big Red One is a war drama film that follows a squad of American infantrymen during World War II, led by a veteran sergeant who has also fought in World War I. The film depicts the squad's battles in North Africa, Sicily, Normandy, and Germany, as they face the horrors of war and struggle to survive. Along the way, they encounter a German Army counterpart, Schroeder, who shares the sergeant's sentiment that soldiers are not murderers, but killers. The film explores themes of camaraderie, sacrifice, and the psychological effects of war on soldiers.

Where can I stream The Big Red One? Toggle content

You can stream The Big Red One on: Apple TV

What movies are similar to The Big Red One? Toggle content

Some movies that have similar genres and were produced around the same time as The Big Red One include Apocalypse Now, Come and See, The Deer Hunter, The Duellists, Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, Revolution.