- Publisher: Kensington Books
- Publication Date: April 25, 2023
- Author: Dwayne Epstein
- Genre: Arts & Photography | Entertainment | Non Fiction (Adult)
- Page Count: 272

Review
I’ve probably watched The Dirty Dozen at least several times and I never realized the time and effort it took to create and produce such a classic.
The novel is slow in at least the first 21% of the book. It’s basically a rehashing of the movie, but it is an integral part of the narrative. I thought that I would have appreciated the novel a lot more if I re-watched the move first. However, now that I’ve read the book, I’m looking forward to watching the movie with an enlightened perspective.
Once I got past the 21% point, the novel just took off. It got so much more interesting. Especially the selection process, the history, and status of the actors featured in the movie. I didn’t realize that there was so much drama behind the scenes and that the movie was over budget, and past it’s timeline to production. Little did I know that Lee Marvin was awarded the purple heart and that as a result of PTSD (a term unknown at that time,) Lee suffered from chronic alcoholism. And who would have thought that Charles Bronson, Telly Savalas, and Donald Sutherland got their iconic careers by way of The Dirty Dozen movie?
Watch the movie, read the book, and I’m sure you’ll be just as impressed as I was. Five amazing stars.
I received a digital ARC from Kensington Books through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.