Kelly's Heroes (1970)

Director: Brian G Hutton
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Don Rickles

Synopsis:
When a former lieutenant learns about a stash of Nazi gold, he leads a rogue unit behind enemy lines to get it.

Impressions:
This movie owes a lot to the groundwork laid by The Dirty Dozen and indeed there are a couple members of the former's cast returning here. The themes are very much in keeping with time the film was made, which may or may not jibe with you. Regardless, it's a good story with a strong ensemble cast. Clint Eastwood is the cornerstone as Kelly, but standouts for me include Telly Savalas as Big Joe, Caroll O'Connor as the over-the-top parody of Patton, and Donald Sutherland as the somewhat anachronistic proto-hippie Oddball. (You may find Oddball to be the best thing about the film.) There's good comedy here, but it can also get pretty serious at time. Even if you're not on board for the message, it's a film worth seeing.

Rating:
Watch It