Released in 1970 and directed by Brian G. Hutton, "Kelly's Heroes" is a war dramedy starring Clint Eastwood as the title character who convinces Sgt. Big Joe (Telly Savalas) & his platoon and a free-spirited Sherman tank commander (Donald Sutherland) to spend their three-day leave on a gold heist at a French village. The events take place 12 weeks after the Normandy invasion."Kelly's Heroes" was obviously inspired by "What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?" from four years earlier. Carroll O'Connor even plays the same basic role, a general who mistakes the misdeeds of Allied soldiers as brave, selfless combat; and arrives on the scene to commend them. The picture miraculously combines zany comedy with serious war action and is highlighted by the fun, eccentric theme song "Burning Bridges" by The Mike Curb Congregation. Of course the all-star cast is great with Sutherland standing out as Oddball. People complain that Oddball was anachronistic since he was a late-60's hippie type, but his crew resembled Gypsies and, besides, there are laid-back free-spirited types in every generation.While the film is overall superior to "What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?" it's inferior in that it lacks a female cast member in the form of the jaw-dropping Giovanna Ralli. Actually, the film was slated to have a female role, but it was cut from the script prior to filming. The stunning Ingrid Pitt was cast, as she worked with Eastwood two years earlier in "Where Eagles Dare." Ingrid was virtually climbing on board the plane bound for the set in Yugoslavia when word came that her part was cut. The fools.The film is a little overlong at 144 minutes and should've been cut by about 15-20 minutes, but the compelling last hour makes up for the flabbiness. The movie was shot in the Istrian village of Vižinaa in Croatia (former Yugoslavia), substituting for France.GRADE: B+

Perry Lopez' character name in the movie is not Petuko. it is 'Pachuco'! An inferred slant as to Lopez' ethnicity in associating him with the Mexican subculture, 'Pachucos': one can clearly hear 'Big Joe'call Lopez 'Pachuco'. I know, I'm a South Texan, born in El Paso and raised in Corpus Christi; I had to fight-off such during my Jr High years. I am sure that the LA based mega studio did not want to inadvertently incite racial tensions in denigrating such ethnic groups thereby the intentional misspelling in the credits. A subliminal twist on pronunciation I guess; as to what is printed vs what is heard. It is quite obvious that screen writing decided to base character names on trait: Big Joe/Little Joe (obvious), Crapgame (grifter or con artist), Oddball (obvious), Cowboy (Texan), Mulligan (bad shot), Babra (Barbara) and Petuko (Mexican: audibly, Pachuco). Wikipedia: PachucoPachuco refers to a particular old school subculture of Chicanos and Mexican-Americans associated with Zoot suits, street gangs, nightlife, and flamboyant public behavior. The idea of the Pachuco – a Zoot-suited, well-dressed, street-connected flamboyant playboy of Hispanic/Latino heritage – originated in El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, had moved north, following the line of migration of Mexican railroad workers ("traqueros") into Los Angeles, where it developed further.The origin of the term "Pachuco" is uncertain, but one theory connects it to the city of El Paso, Texas, which was sometimes referred to as "Chuco Town" or "El Chuco". People migrating to El Paso would say, in Spanish, that they were going "pa' El Chuco". These migrants became known as Pachucos. The name "Pachuco" is quite possibly derived from the name of the city of Pachuca, the capital of Mexico's Hidalgo state. There have long been migrants from Hidalgo state living in Texas.

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.

This is something as odd as a feel good movie that takes place during the final stages of world war II. A merry gang of disillusioned and wary soldiers led by Clint Eastwood and Telly Savalas learns about a large deposit of gold hidden behind enemy lines. After joining up with a slightly unhinged tank commander played beautifully by Donald Sutherland they decide to go after the gold rather than serving as cannon fodder for the official cause.The movie is quite absurd at times and takes many liberties with reality, but it's so charming and up beat that you swallow it all, grenades, hook, lion and sinker. The characters are both bad ass and human at the same time and much easier to identify with than the stereotypical action heroes.Give this one a chance and you will not regret it!