The Dirty Dozen gets its first 4K release on 17 November, with nothing on it but a reversible slipcover

Time for a blast from the past that actually deserves it. The Dirty Dozen, a proper classic from the 1960s war movie boom, is about to celebrate its 59th birthday by marching out in a new, swanky physical release. Its fingerprints are all over the modern war flick landscape (and yes, Quentin Tarantino fans, that connection's legit). So if you're a collector, an old-school cinephile, or just getting tired of streaming platforms deleting your favourites, best pay attention to this one.

The Dirty Dozen lands its first limited edition 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on 17 November 2026, almost exactly 59 years since its original US premiere.

The film that re-wrote the war playbook

Directed by Robert Aldrich and anchored by Lee Marvin, The Dirty Dozen is about a U.S. Army Major (Marvin, at his gruff best) who takes on the questionable job of whipping twelve murderers and maniacs into shape for a high-risk, borderline suicidal mission against the Nazis. The real twist? These supposed ‘bad apples’ end up bonding just enough to unleash bloody chaos on the enemy, making for a no-nonsense, grimy, but strangely energetic war film. At the time, audiences couldn’t get enough of these antiheroes bucking military convention—none of that stiff-upper-lip hero stuff here, just bloody-minded determination.

When The Dirty Dozen hit cinemas in 1967, it didn’t just do respectably—it punched way above its weight at the box office, pulling in $45 million worldwide off a $5 million budget. That little sum made it one of the year’s top-grossing films, second only to The Graduate in the US. Even now, it holds its place at number 65 on the American Film Institute’s '100 Years...100 Thrills’ list, and managed to bag the Oscar for Best Sound Effects (cheers, John Poyner) along with four other nominations at the 40th Academy Awards.

A new lease of life on disc

As for the coming release: the edition in question is a two-disc set (one disc Blu-ray, the other 4K Ultra HD), with a reversible slipcover for those who get a thrill out of packaging details. There’s no word of meaty new special features, though, so don’t expect a trove of never-before-seen extras. This one’s clearly aimed at collectors and completists who just want the cleanest possible version on their shelf.

Modern imitators and a stalled remake

If you’ve ever watched Inglourious Basterds and thought, “hang about, where have I seen this idea before?”, the answer is right here. Quentin Tarantino himself has spelled it out:

Discussing his inspirations with Rotten Tomatoes back in 2009, Tarantino said the kick-off point for Inglourious Basterds was all down to Aldrich’s film. Here he is, laying it out:

"It was The Dirty Dozen idea that set me down to start writing in the first place. But that’s how it always is with me: the thing that sets me down to start writing is usually not what I end up doing. Because, as much as I love genre, and I try to deliver the goods, I go off from it."

If you’re wondering about a modern reboot: Warner Bros. did actually announce a full Dirty Dozen remake back in 2019, with Suicide Squad director David Ayer attached to helm the operation. Since then, it’s all gone rather quiet, with nothing emerging beyond the fact they want it to stick fairly closely to the original plot.

• The Dirty Dozen: directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Lee Marvin, released 1967
• Box office: over $45 million worldwide, behind only The Graduate in 1967
• Accolades: AFI’s 100 Years...100 Thrills (#65), Oscar winner for Best Sound Effects, 4 other nominations
• New release: 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, two-disc set, out 17 Nov 2026
• Remake: Announced 2019 with David Ayer (Suicide Squad), but little movement since