Customer Reviews
who love's ya baby - By: Mr. D. Gough, 14 Oct 2008 
this film is quite comical really but it actually entertains you throughout & there is plenty of action to keep you interested.
i prefer this to eastwoods earlier war film "where eagles dare" this is definatly more enjoyable & lighthearted. but the real star of this film is old kojack himself who putsin a sterling effort trying to control his troops but will they get their gold ?
CATCH SOME RAYS AND EAT SOME CHEESE - By: L. Wilson, 29 Jul 2007 
I sometimes wonder about what is a review & what is a history lesson or what is a rehash of the entire film. Basically I think thatin this scenario we should look at; Is it a good film? does it make you want to see more? ARE YOU ENJOYING IT? or are you so busy nit picking that you miss the whole context of what is going on? Do not watch this film with anything other than an open mind & an acute sense of outrageous humour. woof woof.
War movie? Comedy? Satire? Take your pick. - By: Raul Leite, 31 May 2005 No way this movie can be watched as a pure war movie, the humour, the characters, hell, even the music, everything is so completely off the mark of objectiveness we can only take it as a satirical piece using WWII to comment on modern times (that is, the Vietnam era).
Anyway, using the famed German gold as the object of desire, Clint Eastwood convinces his platoon sergeant, played by Telly Savalas, to go 30 miles deep into enemy lines to get 16 million dollarsin solid gold bars... But for that they are going to need more than good will & a few men...
What about some tanks? Enter Donald Sutherland, tank commander, hippie (in the 40's!), & all around crazy, with his squad of Shermans, properly disguised, & carrying several unauthorized "special" weapons.
And support? Enter Don Rickles, con-man, always looking out for a deal, & with a soft spotin his heart, whenever he isn't grumbling about something.
Then there is the rest of the whole Army, from the graves registration office up to the General, including a band! Everyone wants to getin on the act. Even the Germans, once they know what'sin that bank, & after a showdown suitable to a western, completely out of placein a war flick...
The whole movie goes around with small jokes & satirical characters, but when it tries to get serious it becomes serious (in one small scene on a mined field).
A parade of gags around a serious theme, well worth seeing it!
Say something righteous for a change! - By: Deborah MacGillivray, 08 Aug 2004 What an early Eastwood gem! Eastwood as Rowdy Yates rode off into sunset of Spaghetti Westernsin the 60's, but came back to start is long careerin Hollywood movies with several quirky, oddball movies Two Mules for Sister Sara & 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 & can add so much, that they would put out the FULL LENGTH version of this movie. I have seen the longer version & 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. - & they are not heroes. You quickly learn from Oddball (Donald Sutherlandin 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 interestedin 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 dollarsin 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 secondin command. Some of Sutherland's & Macleod's "making with them negative waves" banter is just so perfect! Then there is Cowboy (Jeff Morrsi & Willard (Harry Dean Statton, who actually gets to sing!) "Damn right!", Gene Collins' Pvt. Babra "Stop calling me Barbara!" & Don Rickles as Crapgame.
Tossin scenes that are witty, a parody of Eastwood Spaghetti showdown, this is just brilliantly directed, paced, acted & written from beginning to end. Don't miss Sutherland & his dog imitations, the exploding shells of paint or Crapgame's encounter with the outhouse!
Profit in chaos - By: B. Chandler, 05 Jul 2004 A captured German was being brought back for intelligence purposes. A cursory investigation of his briefcase showed the he possessed a bar of gold. This turns out to be part of a horde that isin a bank behind German lines. Knowing this, what would you do?
Clint Eastwood, you remember him as the Jet Squadron Leaderin (Tarantula (1955) is now on footin the military during WWII. He upon learning that there is a considerable amount of German goldin a bank, 30 miles into enemy territory, he decides to assemble a taskforce of loyal...Oops, greedy soldiers that are capable of recovering the gold before the town is taken by the allies. In the processes they encourage the allies to push harder & further, regardless of the odds.
Some of the key people are:
Of course Kelly the organizer & instigator, who is Clint Eastwood who played a lab technicianin "Revenge of the Creature".
Telly Savalas is Big Joe. Much different than his characterin "John Goldfarb, Please Come Home" (1965), where he was a Harem procurer that procured Shirley MacLaine.
One person that did not change is Carroll O'Connor as General Colt who was listening to the progress on the radio & thought that the expedition was an enthusiastic spearhead. He plays General Boltin "What Did You Doin the War, Daddy?" (1966), who looks at aerial photographs & thinks that the troops arein hand to hand combat. (Bolt, Colt, it is still Carroll 0'Connor)
Last for best is Donald Sutherland as Odd Ball the unorthodox tank Commander. See him on the other side or serious side as Faberin Eye of the Needle (1981).
