10 Massively Underrated War Movie Performances
4. Lee Marvin As The Sergeant - The Big Red One
It should come as little surprise that Lee Marvin turns in one of the most authentic war movie performances of all time in Samuel Fuller's The Big Red One.
The American served as a Marine scout sniper in the Pacific Theatre during WWII, earning numerous medals for gallantry. He was discharged after being wounded in action during the Battle of Saipan, an engagement that wiped out most of his company.
Long story short, in terms of gritty authenticity and unwavering authority, Fuller - himself having served in the First Infantry Division in World War II - couldn't have hoped for a better actor to play the unnamed Sergeant in his 1980 epic. Marvin is magnificent in his role, somehow providing a restrained take on a character who has literally been sending young men to their deaths since WWI.
The Sergeant is the glue that holds the film's central squad together from the beaches of North Africa to the Falkenau concentration camp. Marvin's charge highlights the fact that true military camaraderie comes around as a result of competence, restraint and a weary resignation to the horrors that soldiers find themselves faced with, as opposed to lengthy speeches about heroism and duty.