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Rating:  -
Five stars for the memories: just the way I remember it. Loaded with action and generally fun to watch.
Don't buy it for wartime accuracy or attention to detail. In every episode, members of the Rat Patrol survive a barrage of bullets that would take out most of Germany. Yet, their grenades and 50's can destroy German armored columns with ease. It's just plain fun.
For the "From a female point of view" reviewer: If you want 12 O'Clock High, try ilovethatdvd.com. They are not studio produced, but until those become available, these copies may do.
Rating: -
FINALLY this has been released on DVD!! I simply can't wait for season 2!
I discovered this on tv in the 70's when it was shown as reruns. It ran at 4:30 am and as a kid I would get up early specifically to watch this show. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it as much in adulthood as I did when I was a kid, but definitely yes! It is great entertainment!
While it does have some flaws and isn't the best with historical accuracy, there are still great reasons to watch it. It is just cool! There's nothing more exciting than watching the jeeps speed over the sand at extremely high rates of speed and jumping over the dunes. It's a great morale booster for other "flag wavers" such as myself that definitely believe in the superiority of the United States and love happy endings for our soldiers. I love watching how the guys always stick together, put the country first and foremost and their willingness to die for the cause if necessary even if they don't agree with certain policies handed down by the government. There is an episode where the propoganda ministry is broadcasting on the radio and Hitchcock just shakes his head at the ridiculous accusations made. He definitely believes in the cause. (I think that quality seems to be lacking in today's society)
I also love the fact that they don't seem to "hate" the enemy, Troy helps Dietrich out of bad situations from time to time instead of just point blank killing him. There is a level of respect there.
Obviously it has less graphic "action" than today's tv shows, in one episode Sam Troy is being beaten by the German guards who captured him and he had only a small spot of blood on his face. And two episodes have exactly the same battle scenes, the first being when Moffit is getting ready to be taken to Gestapo headquarters and is rescued by the others, the second when Moffit impersonated a badly injured German in a hospital and is discovered. Both exits from town are the exact same scene. There are other various "flaws" in the show, not the least being that Dietrich was never "sent to the Russian front" or "executed" for incompetency by consistantly not disposing of the troublemaking Rat Patrol despite various opportunities to do so.
When watching this it definitely stirs an interest to reread the history of WWII and find out how it really happened!
My all time favorite character in these episodes is Tully Pettigrew who portrays a simple country boy sent off to war who is fulfill his duty to his country. He isn't an ivy leaguer like Moffit and Hitchcock. He represents the typical soldier that fought in WWII. Justin Tarr is simply a great actor!!
Rating: -
"The Rat Patrol," Season I DVDs offers old fashioned, escapist fun. Firstly, the show does not pretend to be an accurate portrayal of World War II in North Africa (I'm sure the British would be the first to take the creators to task in accuracy). The characters are really "live action" GI Joe figures, running off on their unconventional war in their motley uniforms, never personally carrying extra ammo or water; with vehicles hopelessly shorn of the burdensome supplies (extra water, ammo, special vehicle modifications, etc.) needed for sustained desert warfare. Yet "The Rat Patrol" is so much fun.
While, I haven't seen "The Rat Patrol" in nearly thirty years (in AFKN reruns while I was a military brat with my father in Korea), I purchased the Season I DVD set and have had a grand ride into amusement and nostalgia. The show is definitely a product of its time, with the clich?d and well-worn 60's TV plot devices and little characterization; but does succeed as ENTERTAINMENT. If you have a hankering to go back to a simpler time and enjoy some pretty good production values (the show must have been enormously expensive to produce with the sets, vehicles, costumes and Spanish location shooting), get "The Rat Patrol" and remember what it was like to be a young kid with an imagination.
Rating:  -
This set is a no frills collection of season one of the Rat Patrol.
This was one of my favorite TV shows of my youth, it still holds up well with one exception.
The use of narriation was frankly annoying. I don't recall this in other 60's series and didn't remember it when the series was first on, but then again I was a kid then.
If you are looking for special features etc forget it, there is very little apart from the shows.
If you are looking to see an old favorite (that could be very easily revived these days with Iraq as the setting hello ABC?) then this DVD set if for you.
Rating: -
Awesome find for us older war movie junkies. Rat Patrol still rules, now as I am older it's fun to joke at the effects music and drama cut scenes. Can't wait for Season 2
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