Anti-war war movie

Rating: 7/10 (17 May 2006)

This is a fine little film, well worth a rental from your local merchant. The plot is fairly simple: World War II era American GI's learn of a large supply of gold in a bank behind enemy lines and make the decision to heist the stash regardless of the danger from the enemy and from their own superiors. The film, however, is only loosely set in World War II. Donald Sutherland's "Oddball" might as well be wearing tie-dyed t-shirts and grooving to the Grateful Dead. The underlying message is anti-war in the sense that, at the end of the day, looking out for number one is more important and more worth the risk than any military objective invented by so-called superior officers. The only fight really worth fighting is the fight one defines for oneself. Though not nearly as sharp in its criticisms of the military establishment as "M*A*S*H," that same spirit of criticism is present in "Kelly's Heroes," particularly in Carroll O'Connor's loopy Gen. Colt. This is one of Clint Eastwood's better early performances in the title role, and Telly Savalas is quite convincing as the NCO career military man who makes the momentous decision to buck his superiors for the first time in his career.