Kelly’s Heroes (1970) MGM/Action-Comedy RT: 143 minutes Rated PG (language, violence) Director: Brian G. Hutton Screenplay: Troy Kennedy Martin Music: Lalo Schifrin Cinematography: Gabriel Figueroa Release date: June 23, 1970 (US) Cast: Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Don Rickles, Carroll O’Connor, Donald Sutherland, Gavin MacLeod, Shepherd Sanders, Stuart Margolin, Jeff Morris, Hal Buckley, Richard Davalos, Perry Lopez, Tom Troupe, Harry Dean Stanton (as Dean Stanton), Len Lesser, David Hurst, George Savalas, Karl-Otto Alberty, Ross Elliott. Box Office: $5.2M (US)
Rating: ***
Anybody expecting a bad ass WWII action movie from Kelly’s Heroes will be disappointed. Despite an impressive cast led by Clint Eastwood (the Man with No Name trilogy), it’s no Dirty Dozen. Directed by Brian G. Hutton (Where Eagles Dare), it’s more of a comedic heist film about a group of American soldiers who sneak behind enemy lines to steal $16 million worth of gold the Nazis have stashed in a bank. That’s what Kelly’s Heroes is on the surface.
The Vietnam War was in full swing in 1970. The prevailing anti-war sentiment was a far cry from the patriotic fervor of WWII. Movies like Castle Keep, Catch-22 and M.A.S.H took a definite anti-war stance. So does Kelly’s Heroes. It’s clearly a metaphor for the insanity that was taking place in Vietnam at the time. It perfectly reflects the tone of the nation circa 1970 in the context of a mostly enjoyable comedic caper.
Private Kelly (Eastwood), recently demoted from lieutenant after a botched infantry assault, learns about the gold from a captured German officer. It’s stored in a bank vault in the town of Clermont, 30 miles behind enemy lines. While the rest of his unit retreats in the face of a German attack, he decides to go for the gold. He goes to opportunistic supply sergeant Crapgame (comedian Rickles) for supplies and guns. Of course, he wants in on the illegal operation as does spaced-out tank commander Oddball (Sutherland, The Dirty Dozen) who offers up his three Sherman tanks to aid in their mission. The men in Kelly’s platoon, including Master Sgt. “Big Joe” (Savalas, The Dirty Dozen), also decide to join up for an equal share of the gold.
The journey isn’t an easy one as I’m sure you can imagine. Between the mine fields, destroyed vehicles and blown-up bridges, it’ll be a damn miracle if they manage to reach the rendezvous point. But they press on, eventually reaching the Nazi-occupied French town where they engage in battle with the enemy. Following them is gung-ho Major General Colt (O’Connor, All in the Family) who misinterprets their actions as the heroic efforts of a group of maverick heroes acting on their own initiative.
I like Kelly’s Heroes; it’s a pretty good movie. It has a few flaws though. The pacing is off. Certain scenes (like the opening skirmish) run longer than they need to. The mix of action and comedy is uneven at times. The storyline- well, aspects of it- is somewhat muddled. Kelly’s backstory isn’t explained very well. But when Kelly’s Heroes works, as it often does, it’s quite good. The action scenes are well-mounted. The climactic scene in Clermont is particularly well done. The movie has a playful spirit. At times, it’s legitimately funny. Kelly really does have a motley crew of misfits.
The cast looks like they’re having a good time. They obviously know Kelly’s Heroes is supposed to be a goof. How else do you explain the presence of Sutherland’s hippy-dippy character, an obvious anachronism? He’s my favorite character in Kelly’s Heroes. Rickles’ greedy character also provides great comic relief. Eastwood is not in full bad ass mode here, but he’s still good. It’s strange seeing O’Connor in a role other than Archie Bunker, but he does a bang-up job with his part. It’s cool seeing Gavin MacLeod (The Love Boat), Harry Dean Stanton (Escape from New York), Perry Lopez (Death Wish 4) and Stuart Margolin (The Stone Killer) in early roles.
I wouldn’t call Kelly’s Heroes one of Eastwood’s finest nor would I say it’s a great war-action movie. It’s a good movie. It’s well made from a technical standpoint. Its left-wing political stance sets it apart from other war movies. When you think about it, Kelly’s Heroes is bold with its implicit criticism of the Vietnam War, a very divisive subject in the counterculture era. I guess when such a thing is served up as an entertaining heist comedy, it goes down easier with the public. It’s a fun movie, ideal guy-time viewing on a Saturday night.
