First time I've contributed to the IMDb reviews. Guess I'll start by weighing in on some films that I consider to be vastly overrated. This is one of them. I've decidedly got to go with the lowballers on KH-a movie that has 1970 written all over it. Indeed, how could a "war" film made in that year have been anything else? Along with M*A*S*H and The Dirty Dozen (and to a lesser extent Patton), all of which stem from the period c. 1968-70, KH suffers from the 25-year lag syndrome, meaning that the producers, director, and actors aren't very connected to the time period anymore (cf. Hogan's Heroes). Also like DD and MASH, especially, it's an insult to the spirit of the time portrayed. This is basically Ocean's 11 warped back to WWII itself and seen through a haze of pot smoke. Come to think of it, ultra-cool Donald Sutherland is in ALL THREE films. Tells you something right there....

I haven't read the other reviews, so I don't know if anybody else has touched on this point, BUT...have you ever seen a movie where it seemed that the parts were written specifically for the actors that played them? This movie seems that way to me. I get the idea, right or wrong, that the screenwriter had Telly Savalas in mind, for instance, for the role of 'Big Joe' before he inserted the first sheet of paper into his typewriter. Ditto for Don Rickles, Clint Eastwood, Donald Sutherland, and all the rest. Personality-wise, they all fit into their roles perfectly.With regard to the idea of making a comedy movie set in the midst of war, I suspect that soldiers involved in combat develop their own bitter sense of humor in their attempts to cope with the tragedy all around them.I would have been more offended with the early sub-plot involving 'Big Joe' (Sevalas) and his concern with securing willing French girls for his men to have sex with. What do feminists have to say about that? I'm no expert, but I suspect that soldiers are even more concerned with sex than the 'average man' since they don't know if they'll have the opportunity for one more intimate encounter before they get killed in action.One minor aspect I was very pleased to see was the selection of which unit the characters came from. The script placed them in an outfit that was actually in that part of France in the late summer of 1944. I would have to suspect that the movie was set in September of 1944, since the Americans hadn't yet taken Nancy and there was one sequence where the men are siting around in their t-shorts, apparently quite comfortable.All in all always a lot of fun to watch, whenever it's on TV.

One of those old-fashioned all-star movies, this is a film which is very easy viewing, amiable throughout, and one which provides good-natured laughs at regular intervals. In the days of modern blockbusters which contain snappy one-liners, frenetic pacing, and more, it's refreshing to see an older movie like this which is content to take things more slowly and build up the plot before getting to the action.The story of a plan to make a daring raid on a bank in occupied France is a fresh and interesting one, while the budget of the production is high enough to give the war and battle scenes a realistic look; you never for one second aren't convinced of the authenticity of the situation. As the scale of the journey grows, so do the laughs, one particularly good moment arising when the US General mistakenly believes that the men are advancing the lines instead of going out on a limb to get themselves some rewards instead. The ending of this film is highly suspenseful, consisting of a minutely-planned raid on the bank which is unfortunately guarded by Germans complete with three tiger tanks.The cast is one to die for, containing heavyweight turns from the reliable Clint Eastwood and Telly Savalas, a comic performance from Don Rickles as a bumbling and greedy companion, plus one memorably kooky performance from Donald Sutherland as a whacked-out hippy who is definitely before his time; his warped character is disturbingly strange while being frequently funny at the same time. Savalas is the gruff sergeant who chews the scenery, Eastwood the somewhat bland and heroic leader who doesn't have many memorable characteristics about him.The best thing about this film is the fine mix between war movie and comedy. One minute we're laughing along at the jokes, the next feeling down about a man who gets blown up in a minefield. The skillful mix is what makes this film watchable, as on the one hand you get to enjoy the thrills and spills of a war film, and on the other you get to laugh at some fine comedy and have a good time while you're watching as well. Good music and photography complement the film on either side, and although the running time is long, the time goes by pretty quickly and never outstays its welcome. Recommended, light-hearted fun with just the right balance of action and laughs.

Credits roll as The Mike Curb Congregation perform their catchy "Burning Bridges" during a thunderstorm punctuated by fiery explosions. Believe it or not, it's 1944 and the Germans are bombing Americans stationed in France. While future "Kojak" TV detective Telly Savalas (as Big Joe) barks orders, rugged box-office star Clint Eastwood (as Kelly) saunters on screen. After inquiries about liquor and loose women, Mr. Eastwood discovers gold in a German prisoner's possession. Even better, a $16 million fortune in gold is stored in a bank vault, just behind enemy lines. "Beach Party" series adult and insult comedian Don Rickles shows interest. Future lovable bigot "Archie Bunker" Carroll O'Connor joins the fun. Eastwood organizes "Kelly's Heroes" and a cast of dirty dozens in an attempt to infiltrate German territory and steal the gold...Writer Troy Kennedy Martin and director Brian G. Hutton may have been trying for satirical comedy with this one, but "Kelly's Heroes" fails to thrive in its World War II setting. They should have set the story in (then) present-day Vietnam; the situation, that of a heist, hints at imperialism and flirts with anti-war sentiments. The most obviously inappropriate character is pseudo-hippie Donald Sutherland (as Oddball), but Don Rickles and others area also misplaced. The action consists of character actors shouting their lines amid explosions, to which Eastwood plays straight man. A sequence involving land mines, including a gun battle, is very skillfully done; momentarily, the film is lifted. It does get back to basics, those being loud character actors and fiery explosions. In a film like this, loud character actors and fiery explosions are gold.****** Kelly's Heroes (6/23/70) Brian G. Hutton ~ Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland, Don Rickles