Kelly's Heroes
Clint Eastwood's misfit squad is in the Army -- and in the money!
They were goldbricks until they found out about the gold bricks -- a fortune in Nazi-confiscated bullion! Clint Eastwood reups with the director of his Where Eagles Dare for this alternately action-filled and tongue-in-cheek tale of GIs who decide to get something extra out of the war. Eastwood, North America's #2 box-office star at the time, plays Lt. Kelly, mastermind of a scheme to slip behind enemy lines and steal the loot. Co-stars include a trio on the verge of big-time TV success: Carroll O'Connor, Telly Savalas and Gavin MacLeod. Plus, Don Rickles plays the expectedly outspoken Crapgame. And in the same year as his starmaking M*A*S*H, Donald Sutherland is Oddball, World War II's only hippie. Dig it!
Member Reviews
Almost demands repeated viewings to appreciate its parts. - Superdave
At a time when movie audiences found themselves confused and bored by youth culture movies that seemed to have no plot and no point, and studio executives had clearly lost sight of how to make a successful picture, along came this movie with just about the perfect blend of the avant garde with the tried and true. It successfully mixed easily recognizable, Old Hollywood forms (ie. a WWII action picture with Telly Savalas as a tough sergeant whose only thought was for his men, plus a military comedy with Don Rickles as the hustling Sgt. Bilko-style supply sergeant) with the latest cinematic trends (heist movies and other crime thrillers with the slightly amoral viewpoint of focusing on the perpetrators, Clint Eastwood as a laconic Sergio Leone anti-hero looking out for himself, Donald Sutherland as a Bohemian proto-hippie). The result was a deft exercise in product updating and a huge hit. Any longtime fan of WWII actioners had a lot to enjoy, while the disaffected protester next to him ate up the idea of infantry grunts defying their superiors to pull off a robbery!
The reason behind the success of this movie was simply high quality at every level. Action sequences were beautifully staged and shot and were highly exciting, comedic elements (satire, sight gags, throw away jokes) were integrated smoothly into the action without ever seeming forced or out of place, and the ensemble work amongst the mismatched crew worked brilliantly as contrasting types played off one another to generate both comedy and occasional tension. The dialogue crackled with clever exchanges, along with tons of sad sack humor and character business, all played against the epic background of a big budget war picture.
Satiric touches find their way into the mix as well. I love the early scene in which an officer reminds a subordinate that the penalty for looting is death, all the while securing a commandeered sailboat for shipment to his uncle, the general!
Enjoy.Like, Woah, Dude: One Great War Film, Man! - MovieProf
I have seen plenty of Hollywood war films, and "Kelly's Heroes" has to rank in the top ten. This is a non-stop adventure ride from start to finish, and a substantial infusion of humour adds to its winning result.
The plot is highly creative: just after D-Day, several American soldiers decide to embark on a bank heist in still-occupied France to steal 14 000 gold bars the Germans are protecting. Along the way, their numbers increase, as does the action and comedy.
The film features an all-star cast that includes Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Carroll O'Connor, and Don Rickles. However, the best of the lot is the oddly anachronistic character Oddball, played by Donald Sutherland, who steals every scene he's in as a hippy twenty-some years before the world ever knew any.
A highly entertaining war film to be sure.Not all comedy but quite funny - Coconut_Willy
Very much in the same vein as MASH (even including Donald Sutherland), this is a great movie from the early '70s. The storyline is good enough and is rather well developed but this film works mainly because of the great cast and the great characters that they play. You get the disillusioned soldier (Eastwood), the efficient sergeant (Savalas), the hippie (Sutherland), the dealer (Rickles), the megalomaniac general (O'Connor) and a bunch of excellent supporting actors. They all decide to make their own move in order to find some purpose in a senseless war. The sets and locations are great, the soundtrack is OK and the camera work is very surprising; I don't know that I ever saw so many explosions in a single movie. The production team just decided to blow up everything they saw. A great way to spend a couple of hours.
Member Reviews
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Almost demands repeated viewings to appreciate its parts. - Superdave
At a time when movie audiences found themselves confused and bored by youth culture movies that seemed to have no plot and no point, and studio executives had clearly lost sight of how to make a successful picture, along came this movie with just about the ...Like, Woah, Dude: One Great War Film, Man! - MovieProf
I have seen plenty of Hollywood war films, and "Kelly's Heroes" has to rank in the top ten. This is a non-stop adventure ride from start to finish, and a substantial infusion of humour adds to its winning result.
The plot is highly creative: just after ...Not all comedy but quite funny - Coconut_Willy
Very much in the same vein as MASH (even including Donald Sutherland), this is a great movie from the early '70s. The storyline is good enough and is rather well developed but this film works mainly because of the great cast and the great characters that they ...