Customer Reviews

Kelly's Heroes / Movie [VHS]

5 star:		(104)
4 star:		(46)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is definitely one of the funniest war movies of all time! Donald Sutherland, who plays a hippie(!) tank commander, seems out of place in a WW2 setting. However, he had me laughing the whole way through! I can't imagine what this film would be like without his hysterical performance. One of my favorite scenes is when Sutherland's three Sherman tanks attack a Nazi railroad station while playing Hank Williams' music on a loud speaker! I realize that this "WW2 movie" has a definite 70's feel to it (especially with one of the hit songs of the decade, Burning Bridges), & some don't like this movie for that reason. I can't help but have fun everytime I see this! The tanks, even the German ones, look much more authentic than those in Patton or The Battle of the Bulge. This is a real treat for WW2 tank buffs like me who appreciate authenticity. I know the plot is hokey, but who cares? If you want to see a war movie that isn't depressing (like most) or boring then this is for you!

This review refers to the Warner Bros(Clint Eastwood Collection) widescreen DVD version of "Kelly's Heroes"....

Well, our guy Clint is at it again...he's after the money and no little event like WWII is gonna stop him. Thirty years before George Clooney led his "Three Kings"(also a fine film), to make a big score in Desert Storm, Lt. Kelly(Eastwood) gathered up his motley crew and stormed Europe for a little heist of their own.

The men are tired. They've been dodging the blasts not only from the German's, but from our side as well. They just want a little R&R...maybe, someplace where there's a little action going on..and not the kind the war has to offer. When Kelly stumbles onto some top secret information, the men get there second wind. Well you would too if there was millions of gold to be had.He puts together an array of colorful characters that includes the likes of guys called, "Oddball","Crapgame","Job", "Cowboy" and Master Sgt. "Big Joe". These guys jump at the chance to take home a token of the war. But wait!...the gold is safely tucked away in a guarded bank!...and what's more..it's deep behind enemy lines!.But you don't those little obstacles will stop these guys, do you?

Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Don Rickles, and the world's first "hippie"..Donald Sutherland will take you on a dangerous but fun and exciting adventure, as they go for the gold. These characters are off the wall and will keep you smiling. The weapons they use are not exactly General Issue either. Tanks that play loud music and shoot paintballs are only part of what the Germans at the other end have in store for them.

Also included are such greats as Carroll O'Connor, the gung-ho General who thinks these guys are out to win the war,Harry Dean Stanton, Gavin MacLeod, and Stuart Margolin. You'll love the music, especially the theme song, and all the action and great cinematography in the wonderful widescreen presentation.

This film from 1970 looks and sounds fabulous on this DVD. A beautiful clear picture and great sound in DD5.1. When those tanks come rumbling in..you will know it!It may also be viewed in French(but not in surround sound), and has subtitles in English and French, which are nicely placed below the film in the black bar area. There is also a theatrical trailer.

This is a great Eastwood film,terrific war story, lots of fun, and has a supporting cast on the brink of greatness!...Check it out and ..enjoy...Laurie

also recommended:

The Gauntlet/True Crime

Paint Your Wagon

Music for the Movies of Clint Eastwood

Exciting, humourous and well paced WWII action film sees Clint Eastwood and Co. looking to liberate $16 million worth of gold bullion from the retreating Nazi forces in Europe !

Director Brian G. Hutton (who directed Clint in the WWII thriller "Where Eagles Dare") is at the helm of this movie and again demonstrates his passion for fiery, loud battle scenes !!

Eastwood plays Kelly...just another war weary soldier slogging through the muddy battlefields of France until he comes across a German colonel and top secret information about a bank full of plundered Nazi bullion...now all he needs is a skilled team to carry out this most audacious of bank heists in the middle of a war ! Kelly enlists the assistance of tank commanding flower child "Oddball", (Donald Sutherland in an unforgettable performance ) fast talking hustler "Crap Game" ( I don't think Don Rickles was acting ! ), battle hardened sergeant "Big Joe" ( Telly Savalas )....along with a motley crew of troops including Harry Dean Stanton as "Willard" and Jeff Morris as "Cowboy".

I know some reviewers tend to be a bit critical of some of the humourous aspects of this movie....but what the heck...it's not trying to be "All Quiet on the Western Front" or "Paths of Glory"...the movie is a fictional tale about an elaborate bank heist thrown in amongst a very noisy war, and peopled with some larger than life colorful characters. "Kelly's Heroes" is an enjoyable little cult film and is a fun way to spend a lazy evening watching a "Boys Own" action adventure.

Great to finally have "Kellys Heroes" out on DVD (although a few extra goodies would have been nice)....picture and sound quality is very good...and I always enjoy "The Mike Curb Congregation" singing "Burning Bridges" (the film's theme track)......

Anyone that has ever seen this movie knows it's a great movie. However, for those that haven't here are the highlights. If you liked "Three Kings" you should LOVE Kelley's Heroes. Three Kings was a reasonably good modern day copy of Kelley's Heroes, but as in most cases, comes up well short of the original. Kelly (Clint Eastwood), a cashiered lieutenant, discovers that the Germans (this is WWII) have hidden about 16 million in gold in a small town in France. With the help of an unlikely cast (Don Rickles, Donald Sutherland, Telley Savalas, and Gavin Macleod), he decides to try to take it away from the Germans. The rest is, by and large, pretty predictable if you haven't seen the movie, but also surprisingly fresh with more laughs then you could reasonably expect of a movie dealing with WWII. In my opinion at least, one of the best casted movies ever made. Carroll O'Connor (aka Archie Buncker) is hilarious. I've probably seen this movie a few dozen times, and was looking forward to the DVD simply to add it to my collection, but found the digital transfer to be exceptional. Everything from the picture to the sound is much enhanced over the old analog version.

This movie is a MUST for any DVD collector, especially if they're a Clint Eastwood fan.

What an early Eastwood gem! Eastwood as Rowdy Yates rode off into sunset of Spaghetti Westerns in the 60's, but came back to start is long career in Hollywood movies with several quirky, oddball movies Two Mules for Sister Sara and Kelly's Heroes. This is a totally funny movie, with strong acting from an all star cast. HOWEVER - I really wish since we have DVD and can add so much, that they would put out the FULL LENGTH version of this movie. I have seen the longer version and it's so good. So many of the funny stuff was whacked out for length! WHY they did not do the longer version is beyond me!

The heroes are not Kelly's, they actually belong to Big Joe (Telly Savalas) - well actually to Maitland, their absentee Capt. - and they are not heroes. You quickly learn from Oddball (Donald Sutherland in his pre-Hawkeye rebel role), that a hero is nothing but a sandwich to most of these guys. Maitland is the general's nephew who is more interested in looting the countryside, so he leaves the weary misfits under Big Joe's capable care. Only, Kelly (Eastwood) discovered there is a bank behind enemy lines with millions of dollars in gold bars. Kelly quickly decides a bank job that isn't a bank job is much better than just getting shot by Germans.

Along for the ride is Sutherland's tank team - with Gavin Macleod as his second in command. Some of Sutherland's and Macleod's "making with them negative waves" banter is just so perfect! Then there is Cowboy (Jeff Morrsi and Willard (Harry Dean Statton, who actually gets to sing!) "Damn right!", Gene Collins' Pvt. Babra "Stop calling me Barbara!" and Don Rickles as Crapgame.

Toss in scenes that are witty, a parody of Eastwood Spaghetti showdown, this is just brilliantly directed, paced, acted and written from beginning to end. Don't miss Sutherland and his dog imitations, the exploding shells of paint or Crapgame's encounter with the outhouse!

It's not for nothing that Kelly's Heroes has enjoyed a growing cult following over the past 30 years--it's that exceptional. The cast is a remarkable gathering of some of the biggest names in entertainment by 1970 and each actor fits perfectly into his role in a way that's practically unheard of these days. I can only imagine the fun the actors had making this film because their enthusiasm is obvious--it rubs off on the viewer. This is a playful historical fiction, delightfully revisionary at times, and as irreverent comedy, the film is classic; it features some well calculated anachronisms, such as Oddball (note to Leonard Maltin: why do you think they really called him Oddball?), played unforgettably by Donald Sutherland, a Vietnam-era soldier/poet/lover/flower child, whose chutzpah acts to counterbalance the uptight Big Joe (Sevalas) and the disaffected, self-motivated Kelly (Eastwood). "Crap Game" (Rickles) is the quintessential New York hustler and the film wouldn't be the same without his performance, the unforgettable lines like, "make a deal, maybe the guy's a Republican." (It helps to see the film in light of its own time).

The strength of the film is in it's characterization (many of the soldier characters coming straight out of a Bill Mauldin cartoon), the performances, and the story (itself a sort of classic, copied by the makers of "Three Kings"). And yet Kelly's Heroe's was probably the most accurate WWII movie up to it's time (and then some) for military equipment and dress. For example, the dark and enigmatic German Mark VI "Tiger" tanks, with their black-suited SS crewmen, are wonderfully reproduced even down to the anti magnetic mine paste.

Kelly's Heroes is cool, confident, unassuming, irreverent, and early anti-war WWII movie (from a time when the war was seen very much as "the good war") and what better way to achieve this than as a comedy, even a black comedy (you probably won't see perhaps a more realistic and jarring depiction of a man stepping on an anti-personel mine than in this film). Kelly's Heroes flies in the face of contemporary political correctness compulsions; today an anti-war film has to be heavy-handed, symbolic, and have some sort of social or political message (as did "Three King's"). When "Saving Private Ryan" first ran, some reviewers compared it to Kelly's Heroes, citing that the latter was "not serious and realistic enough." Kelly's Heroes is growing in popularity as a cult film precisely because it's makers weren't so hung up on verisimilitude and social realism that they couldn't create a fun, interesting story with some good old-fashioned humor. That's fiction, Leonard M., F-I-C-T-I-O-N.

This is a GREAT movie and one of my all time favorite movies! Look at the cast - Telly Savalas, Clint Eastwood, Don Wrickles, Donald Sutherland, Gavin McCleod, Carrol ("get the ionisphere off the air) O'Conner...to name a few. How can you go wrong - See the movie alone just to watch each of these great actors. The movie is hilarious. It is not a silly type of comedy but it mixes WW2 comedy with a serious side to it. That mixture of comedy and seriousness makes the movie that much more enjoyable to watch! It is about the perfect crime - Kelly's men go behind enemy lines during World War 2 to steal gold from a bank. The movie is full of memorable one-liners and names ("Odd-Ball, Crab Game")...that you will find youself quoting over and over and over again. That may not sound interesting to you but once you see the movie (I have seen it many times - and I am still picking up great one-liners) you will understand. The movie has become a cult classic with my friends and family - we are quoting lines from it every time we get together. And of course, the movie has plenty of action with geniune (looking) equipment and tanks from World War 2. A movie that was promoted as a modern day remake, The Three Kings with George Cloney, does not even come close to the comedy and class that Kelly's Heroes has. This is a must-have for your collection if you lake any of these actors, like comedy, and/or like World War 2.

It's World War II, and Kelly (Clint Eastwood) has found out that behind enemy lines there's a bank full of GOLD! Now all he has to do is figure out a way to get it it without getting killed and without having to divide it with too many of his comrades. This movie has action, suspense, comedy, and drama. It is filled to the gills with stars who play unique characters. Among the stars of this film are Telly Savalas, Don Rickles, Carroll O'Connor and Donald Sutherland who by the way, gives an epic performance. This is one movie you can watch again and again and again, and still love it. Oddball, (played by Donald Sutherland) demonstrates the power of positive thinking and has the most unique way of attacking the enemy while riding in a tank. This isn't one of those low budget films that leave you wondering what in the world is going on. It is a masterpiece of writing and directing. Friends of mine who are currently in the military or who are long retired veterans adore this film. Everyone who plays in this movie give stellar performances, plus, it shows just what a little team work and positive thinking can do. This is a review for the vhs version of the movie.

This is one movie that has stuck with me for a number of years and for several reasons.
First is the outstanding cast.Two is the concept.Three is the good script.And four is its' attention to detail in recreating WW2.
First and foremost it is a WW2 movie and is the very foundation upon which it is based and if the production hadn't done such a good job in its' recreation then all the rest would have been for naught.
The casting was quite inspired and each one does an excellent job in making their characters their own,thus giving more credibilty and believability to the movie.
Carrol O'Connor in one of his earlier roles gives a great over the top performance as General Colt.
As with Gavin McLeod who makes "Moriarity" quite the character to behold.
One criticism one may make of the film today is Donald Sutherlands' "Oddball" the tank commander.His portrayal is filled with all the 60s hippie lingo then extant.It was more relevant and understandable for audiences THEN than now but what still makes it able to go over today is that it is,as previously stated,a war movie and when all is said and done he does command a tank and can ably function in combat conditions(albeit not without his "moments"!) and secondly the other characters act in as much disbelief and dismay as the audience at the sight and sound of him.So even though the "edge" may be off it still sells.
Clint Eastwood fresh from his Sergio Leone spahgetti westerns puts in a good turn as Kelly,Telly Savalas is a one hard-ass Sargeant "Big Joe",Don Rickles turns in a credible performance and adds in some "schtick" from his then current comedy routines as "Crapgame" and Telly Savalas' brother George does a short but sweet turn as "Mulligan" in artillery.
The 60s and 70s were especially replete with war themed TV shows(12 O'Clock High,Merrills' Merauders,Combat,etc.) and movies(The Bridge on the River Kwai,Tora,Tora,Tora,A Bridge too Far,etc).
This movie was one of the better ones.Even though it was fully grounded in the war and even showed the bitter "reality" that was that conflict it is remembered by many for its comedic side.
It deftly hit the mark on BOTH counts.
A highly recommended movie.

A silly but sometimes serious caper film set in WWII Europe. It features several major stars: Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland, Carroll O'Connor, Don Rickles and more.

Fanciful, though not completely impossible, tale of a US Army recon unit that stumbles onto the location of a supply of gold during the Allied liberation of Europe. Eastwood is the driving force behind the caper (stealing the gold), Savalas the tough sargent, O'Connor the commanding general, Rickles the deal maker, and Sutherland an outrageous hippie tank commander. The chemistry between the characters is great, and the story is well told.

The movie is well made, the dialog well written and well acted, and the DVD transfer seems quite good. The exteriors were shot in Yugoslavia, and most of the hardware seems accurate. The Sherman tanks, jeeps, and halftracks are real, and while I'm not an expert, the Tiger tanks appear to be the real thing also. While Hollywood can be quite good at illusion (that is their business, after all), the Tigers' drive and bogey wheels match the pix of Tigers I have seen much more closely than that of American APCs. I did find the sound of the machine guns off, however. German machine guns of that era had a higher rate of fire than American guns like the Thompson. If you listen to the firefights, it seems like the sounds are reversed, with the American machine guns firing faster than the German ones. A small nitpick.

All in all, a mostly fun film with some grim battle and death scenes. (It IS a war film) The thing that keeps bringing me back is Sutherland's portrayal of the completely anachronistic "Oddball," which is great for showing his range when compared to his roles in films like The Dirty Dozen, MASH, JFK, Ordinary People, Eye of the Needle, Buffy, Backdraft, Outbreak, etc. (Check out his filmography, it's impressive.)