Movie review – Corman #39 - “The Secret Invasion” (1964) **

Three years before The Dirty Dozen came out there was this Roger Corman war film about a bunch of prisoners who are offered their freedom if they undertake a dangerous mission. It’s a fantastic idea for an action film, why wasn’t this as successful?

Firstly, the budget was lower – there are only five of the gang instead of a dozen, there are lots of shots were the gang are herded in small rooms and stay there for ages (although there a couple of hundred extras for the final battle – it’s like they only had them for the day or something).

Secondly, it’s not as well made – it feels chopped about a bit. It is definitely not as well cast: instead of memorable faces like Marvin, Cassevetes and Bronson (yes, OK, and Trini Lopez), you have an over-age Mickey Rooney (as an Irish terrorist), a far too kindly Raf Vallone (always a pleasing actor but too sympathetic here to be believable as a prisoner), a very 60s Bill Campbell and Edd Byrne (the latter looking with a quizzical eyebrow and his brylcreamed hair all the time just like Vince Fontaine in Grease).

Stewart Granger lends authority as the leader of the mission and Henry Silva does look like a crook (even he’s a bit too modern looking though – look at the skinny tie he’s wearing at the beginning, it’s like he’s come off the set of a Rat Pack film). Mia Massini makes a terrific impression as a partisan.

The third reason this film didn’t do as well as the Dirty Dozen involves the treatment of the story – while this film has the concept of crims on a mission, they don’t really use it, they go straight to the mission and make scant use of the crims (apart from Byrnes trying to make a few getaways and Campbell whingeing); in the Dirty Dozen the first two acts were devoted to forming the bonds of the team, there was real character development and by-play.

After a sluggish beginning, this film does improve: there is a powerful scene where Silva has to silence Massini’s baby and ends up accidentally smothering it; an exciting escape sequence; a cool double twist ending; spectacular deaths for most of the main cast, including Campbell (jumping off a rope to catch a grenade and exploding in mid-air) and Silva (pretending to be a German, killing a traitor then doing a heil Hitler and being shot down by vengeful troops) – actually come to think of it, the last half hour is so good it makes you wish the first hour was better. There’s a moment where we see Massini breast feed her baby – we see her nipple and everything, which seems odd for 1964.