Strange, but satisfying war comedy.

Rating: 9/10 (10 September 2001)

Strange, but satisfying war comedy that takes place in France near the end of WWII. The tale follows Kelly (Clint Eastwood), a former lieutenant who's been demoted to private for a particular mishap finds an opportunity to redeem himself. He gets a German intelligence officer drunk, then makes him confess that theres fourteen thousand gold bars in a bank held behind enemy lines.
Second, Kelly persuades Crapgame (Don Rickles), a shifty arms dealer, Oddball (Donald Sutherland), a hippie who commands three Sherman tanks, and his fussy superior officer, Master Sergeant Big Joe (Telly Savalas) and his men to come along for the three-day trip. Big Joe is reluctant at first, to go along with Kelly, but he eventually buys the idea and lets Kelly himself be in charge.
There are plenty of gentle humor and the same can be mentioned for the shootouts, which are wonderfully staged and there's hardly any blood being shed. Plus, take a good look at the tanks that Oddball commands, each one has a loudspeaker and another cannon, which is smaller and fires paint to scare away a Tiger or Panzer tank. Oddball tells Kelly that he only plays "loud music" and his main selection is country. I highly agree on Oddball's selection.
I'll give credit to Brian G. Hutton, the director and his screenwriter, Troy Kennedy Martin, let the movie go at a gentle pace and give anybody who's in on the deal, make their presence felt. Also, whenever I looked at the Sutherland character (Oddball) for a minute, I see the year that the film was released in, which is 1970. 1970 is the year of where America was up to its' neck in the Vietnam War. Lalo Schifrin (TV's Mission Impossible) conducts an excellent score and the songs are great to listen to.
In conclusion, the movie is a delightful romp even though the final showdown is a letdown, but I won't throw it away. Eastwood is solid as he usual is in delivering a good performance. Savalas and Rickles are fine here as is the rest of the supporting cast, which includes Stuart Margolin, Perry Lopez, and Harry Dean Stanton. Sutherland, well, the film wouldn't be as good without him being around. He's basically the film's highlight and quietly snatches any scene that he's in.