The film, despite being conceived as a low-budget B-series production, achieves a more than satisfactory result, especially considering its comedic take on the war genre. It is a film clearly tailored for an Italian audience, as understanding the nuances of the various accents used is essential to appreciating its humor-most of which is lost in translation when dubbed into other languages.
Moreover, Italians, particularly those of the film's generation, can appreciate how it humorously mocks a variety of stereotypes. It takes aim at the Hollywood-style war genre with its mix of patriotism and propaganda, the post-war Italian war films that depict Italians as kind-hearted and "brava gente," and the spaghetti westerns, a genre to which Italians have significantly contributed.
The movie skillfully combines a series of short gags with an exaggerated portrayal of typical war roles, successfully eliciting more than a few laughs from the audience.
Of course, the film is riddled with prop blunders, from tanks that are clearly from a post-World War II era to various uniform details and other mishaps. However, these flaws are beside the point-it's a comedy meant purely for entertainment. That said, it goes a step further by elevating its main roles with a touch of sarcasm and irony, reflecting a superior level of scriptwriting.
All in all, the film comes close to reaching cult status-just shy of it. If more thought had been put into its conceptualization and budget planning, it likely would have achieved that distinction with ease.
