Copyright /FILM
Mark Hamill is synonymous with war movies, albeit the kind with battles that take place beyond the stars. His work as Luke Skywalker in the "Star Wars" movies turned him into a pop culture mainstay, but at the same time, they have overshadowed some of Hamill's other films and TV acting. Take, for instance, Samuel Fuller's "The Big Red," an underrated World War II epic that was released in 1980 — the same year as "Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back." Loosely inspired by Fuller's own war experiences as an infantryman in World War II, "The Big Red One" centers around a military sergeant (Lee Marvin) and his unit as they get into it with the enemy all over the world, traveling everywhere from Africa to Omaha Beach (which hosts the D-Day battle that was also chronicled in Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan"). The film sees Hamill play Private Griff, a young member of the infantry. "The Big Red One" is episodic in nature, making it feel like the cinematic equivalent of a brutal war diary. What's more, the material carries extra weight due to the fact the story is imbued with some of Fuller's real-life experiences, and the film does a great job of emphasizing the brutal nature of war — as both a violent spectacle and psychological nightmare that takes its toll on the soldiers involved. Private Griff deserves to be regarded as one of Hamill's great non-Luke Skywalker roles, yet, at one point, he was hesitant to play the character. Mark Hamill wasn't interested in starring in "The Big Red One" at first. After reading the script and feeling excited by it, he knew that he wanted to see Samuel Fuller's war movie as a film fan, first and foremost. However, after meeting with the director and seeing his passion for the project first-hand, Hamill knew that he had to be part of the movie, so he agreed to play Private Griff. The rest is, as they say, history. Speaking about the movie in 1979's "Sam Fuller and the Big Red One" documentary (via Instagram), Hamill revealed that he wanted to do theater after "Star Wars," mainly because he was keen to show that there was more to him than playing Jedis. "The Big Red One" provided that opportunity, and he jumped at the chance to be part of it: "I thought, 'This is perfect.' Because it's an ensemble film, you know? It's Lee Marvin, it's the four guys. And I think that [...] It takes a lot of weight off my shoulders. And I really trust Sam Fuller, and that's a terrific thing, 'cause there's a lot of directors that come to you and say, 'So, what do you think?' And you think, 'Oh boy.'" "The Big Red One" isn't the most popular movie in Hamill's filmography, but fans of his work should check it out. The "Star Wars" property presents a fantastical take on conflict that's easier to digest, whereas Fuller's war flick highlights the grueling nature of battle through a historical lens. Both are great in their own way, and they each showcase different sides of Hamill's repertoire.
