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Kelly's Heroes (1970)

Rate: 5
Viewed: 10/05

KellyH
10/05: Kelly's Heroes is a fair war film in the vein of The Dirty Dozen.

If not for Donald Sutherland, it'll probably fall flat in most aspects. His character Oddball may look like an anachronism, but whatever works works.

Donald Sutherland has a great presence, and his best moment is when he looked at the bridge through his binoculars and said, "Still up," while giving a thumb up as the plane came in to blow up the bridge, causing him to conclude, "No, it ain't." Additionally, he has winning 60's lines for a WWII picture such as:

"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?"

"Definitely an antisocial type. Woof, woof, woof! That's my other dog imitation."

"Always with the negative waves, Moriarty, always with the negative waves."

The rest of the cast is all wrong. The officers and some of the soldiers look like caricatures from a vaudeville show. Interesting is the premise, but it doesn't work for me. The biggest malady is Don Rickles who does an atrocious job. Historically speaking, is it possible that the gold was extracted from victims of the Holocaust? Then, I can't be rooting for anyone, right?

All in all, it's Donald Sutherland who steals the show in Kelly's Heroes what's otherwise a mediocre WWII picture.