Light-hearted war movie fun

Rating: 7/10 (10 August 2016)

One of those old-fashioned all-star movies, this is a film which is very easy viewing, amiable throughout, and one which provides good-natured laughs at regular intervals. In the days of modern blockbusters which contain snappy one-liners, frenetic pacing, and more, it's refreshing to see an older movie like this which is content to take things more slowly and build up the plot before getting to the action.
The story of a plan to make a daring raid on a bank in occupied France is a fresh and interesting one, while the budget of the production is high enough to give the war and battle scenes a realistic look; you never for one second aren't convinced of the authenticity of the situation. As the scale of the journey grows, so do the laughs, one particularly good moment arising when the US General mistakenly believes that the men are advancing the lines instead of going out on a limb to get themselves some rewards instead. The ending of this film is highly suspenseful, consisting of a minutely-planned raid on the bank which is unfortunately guarded by Germans complete with three tiger tanks.
The cast is one to die for, containing heavyweight turns from the reliable Clint Eastwood and Telly Savalas, a comic performance from Don Rickles as a bumbling and greedy companion, plus one memorably kooky performance from Donald Sutherland as a whacked-out hippy who is definitely before his time; his warped character is disturbingly strange while being frequently funny at the same time. Savalas is the gruff sergeant who chews the scenery, Eastwood the somewhat bland and heroic leader who doesn't have many memorable characteristics about him.
The best thing about this film is the fine mix between war movie and comedy. One minute we're laughing along at the jokes, the next feeling down about a man who gets blown up in a minefield. The skillful mix is what makes this film watchable, as on the one hand you get to enjoy the thrills and spills of a war film, and on the other you get to laugh at some fine comedy and have a good time while you're watching as well. Good music and photography complement the film on either side, and although the running time is long, the time goes by pretty quickly and never outstays its welcome. Recommended, light-hearted fun with just the right balance of action and laughs.