Heroic Movie

Rating: 9/10 (24 October 2010)

A great cast of popular stars, are perfectly chosen for their ability to play it tongue-in-cheek. Telly Savalas and Donald Sutherland in particular have demonstrated their ability to pitch anything from straight, comic and crazy in other movies.
It's a heist behind enemy lines. There's millions of dollars in gold just waiting for some military enterprise. Clint Eastwood plays a straightlaced GI who decides to turn soldier-of-fortune when he discovers this stash of bullion is inadequately guarded just 30 miles beyond their advance. The post D-day German defences are crumbling, and in the confusion he and his team might just pull-off the perfect crime.
Right from the outset, this is a great action movie. Clint and Telly's outfit find themselves caught-up in fierce combat. There's tremendous pyrotechnics here and what look like real Tiger tanks, not disguised American hardware. It's tense, vigorous and exciting stuff, but with a thread of ironic comedy all the way. Each of the principal characters is simply, but clearly stamped. They're flawed, likable and we care about them - as we should.
Using a couple of 'specimen' gold bars, Eastwood's character co-opts and bribes whatever and whoever he needs to succeed in the caper, inadvertently shortening WW2 in the process.
Throughout the movie there is some of the most splendid wartime action drama in any work of its vintage. Yes; the Germans are slaughtered wholesale as usual - but who cares? There is also one of the most entertaining close-quarter tank encounters of just about any movie - including the epic 'Battle Of The Bulge'. Sutherland's solitary Sherman goes up against 3 Tigers in the confined streets of a French village, employing its manoeuvrability and surprise.
That last conflict is extremely well realised. A surprisingly generous level of base rewards the use of subwoofers, as these roaring dragon-like machines compete in the rural ideal. At the same time, as the ambush is prepared, a simple rhythmical riff gathers instrumental complexity, ratcheting-up the tension in a way that is both simple and effective. The riff doesn't get faster; more instruments are gradually included into the given tempo. A similar trick was employed in 'Henry V' of 1935 vintage. I'm surprised it isn't used more often.
The action is realistic, the humour never jars with the tragedies that befall our heroes, locations are wonderfully evocative - I was convinced that this was shot in France, filming, editing and other technical issues all hit the spot. As a piece of action entertainment - wartime or otherwise - its hard to fault.
You couldn't improve upon this movie even today. For one thing, the players simply don't exist who could fill these collective characters. Neither could the combat scenes be more intense or realistic whilst retaining the comic thread.
In terms of what it has to offer, this movie, then, is very much a one-off. Very highly recommended.