Kelly's Heroes (1970)

One of my favs!

Received quickly and in very good condition. One of my most fav movies ever! November 19, 2008

Vietnam Redux-But Without Bitterness

In KELLY'S HEROES, director Brian Hutton succeeds in reviving an earlier DIRTY DOZEN, and combines it with a Vietnam War style flair of left-wing anti-militarism that nevertheless carries the audience from start to finish. Clint Eastwood is cast in a role well-suited to his earlier penchant for playing the bounty hunter. Here he has learned of the existence of sixteen million dollars of gold in a German occupied French bank. He allies himself with a motley horde of names well-known to credit readers of the late 1960s: Telly Savalas as the loudmouthed sergeant, Carrol O'Oconnor as the equally loudmouthed cartoonish general, Donald Southerland as the hippiesh bearded tank commander, and Gavin MacLeod as the fumbling mechanic.

Much of the film is an uneasy mixture of a standard shoot-em-up war film of tanks, screaming strafing aircraft, and bloody ambushes with a comedic subtext of mercenary soldiers who view the war as a source of profit. Casualties on both sides are vastly different. Germans get blown away by the hundreds yet only two GIs die. This differential in mortality is needed to keep the film on track as a sometimes funny anti-war film that undoubtedly seemed hilarious in a Vietnam obsessed America of 1970 and only somewhat less humorous in an equally Iraq obsessed America of 2008. One does not question the many logical gaps involved in Eastwood's leadership of his mercenaries without his superiors finding out. Indeed, with the buffoonish Carrol O'Connor as the commanding general, one simply accepts that foolishness rather than professionalism is the only requisite for command. Donald Southerland is truly amusing in the same way that he later showed in MASH, but my thinking is that the real impact of KELLY'S HEROES lies not in amusing an audience with the antics of money grubbing soldiers but rather in convincing an already anti-war America that all wars in all times are no different from the one that Eastwood, Savalas, and their cohorts found so immensely profitable. May 24, 2008

Classic movie

I bought this movie for my dad as a gift. He said he couldn't find it anywhere! So, I knew where to go! Amazon has everything! He was so excited! It is one of his favorite movies. I remember watching it with him before. It is an excellent and very funny movie! (and I'm not big on war movies!) May 5, 2008

Not the great movie everyone here thinks...

Even though I own this DVD, I would never say it's a great movie. Most of the other reviews here must be from people in their 40s and beyond (I'm in my 30s). I say that because they must have seen this movie when they were young and it affected them in a way that has colored their current point of view. IMO, this is one of Clint's most forgettable movies, along with 'Where Eagles Dare', and later, 'Heartbreak Ridge', 'Pink Cadillac', and 'The Rookie'.

The biggest problem with this movie is that Clint isn't a 'group guy'-he's a loner and that's one of the key ingredients that makes so many of his other movies work. Though his character is seen as an 'off by himself kind of guy', he's still part of the unit. For him to be able to drive jeeps around and do his own thing (on apparently his own schedule) doesn't jibe. When you're in the military, your a grunt, stuck with the rest of the grunts. There are no allowances made just because you'd rather be alone. You're thrown in with the rest, and you're your stuck with them. Even though Kelly outranks a lot of the other guys, he is supposed to be part of that unit. For him to have carte blanche to roam around as he does isn't believable. Had the storyline had Kelly as someone (not necessarily a soldier) who was a lone entity, with no ties to any one group or side, it would have played out better imo. With Clint forced to be a part of the group, he looks constipated trying to squeeze his words out.

Another thing that detracts from the film is all the bickering. Some of it is amusing at times (gotta love Sutherland's Oddball), but the majority of it presents the characters as men who only know how to communicate through yelling, complaining, and berating each other. I realize this IS a war movie (as in, none of the characters WANT to be there), but realize it is a MOVIE, and as such, a balance needs to be struck where the men's frustration with being stuck in the military (and overseas at war) should be mixed with other aspects of the human personality. The humor here is all biting sarcasm-not surprising for a war movie, but a one trick pony nonetheless.

'Kelly's Heroes' is one of a long line of movies (and TV shows) that takes place during one war, but are aimed at commenting on another (the Vietnam War). The fact that this is a caper movie inside a war movie is a not so subtle comment that war is for profit-nothing more. I agree with this sentiment. Wars aren't started (and prolonged esp) by men with big hearts out to save lives and extinguish tyrants. They are to protect assets and/or forcibly take them. The Iraq War is a very obvious example. We have a long history of business with Iraq-including when Suddam was in power. They were once an ally. Time has a way of burying the truth (actually, men do...and do).

Anyway, unlike the others here, I don't think this movie has aged that well. The war themes are indeed timeless, and the action scenes are well done, though the shooting of soldiers isn't that realistic imo. But, the often one dimensional characters (particularly any of the non-Americans) make this a (mostly) mindless action movie without any real passion or guts (real emotion). The movie doesn't take any chances, and suffers for it.

I own it because it's a time capsule of Clint in his 30s (I'm still a Clint fan despite my feelings about this movie and I don't mind owning 2 star movies). Clint's acting (finding his on screen power/personality) didn't move to the next level until he did 'Dirty Harry'. He was forever changed after that-and he knew it. He showed more depth in 'The Beguiled', but found his power (non-western) in Harry Callahan.

March 31, 2008

CLASSIC ALL STAR CAST WAR EPIC COMEDY!

If ever there was a "guy" movie....this is it! Eastwood, Rickles, Savalas, O`Connor and especially Sutherland shine in this lighthearted 'Dirty Dozen' clone that will keep you smiling from beginning to end! It does seem slightly dated now, but who cares!....this was Hollywood in the great days when stars sold a picture! This is a must see film and the DVD transfer looks very good. It's a shame there isn't too much in the way of extra material.:-( February 27, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...