Intended to be a satire, ended like propaganda

Rating: 4/10 (15 February 2008)

It's really pretty scary film. It is about few brave American soldiers, who represent all possible mainstream macho and caper gangsters clichÃ©s, but at the same time all are absolutely positive. And the film is positive, too. I don't know, maybe it is true that Eastwood and Hutton weren't let to make the film they wanted, maybe some parts didn't survive under producers (read - censors) heavy scissors, but is very wrong that Kelly's Heroes is seen like a positive movie in the end. Released the same year with Catch-22 and MASH, it looks like a real propaganda. People are living American way of life (cinematic one at least), they don't care whom do they have war with, but at the same time we see people around celebrating. It's a real holiday of happy life, Americans came! And Americans are happy, too, and even this survived nazi is happy. Indeed, who cares about the war, when you have the money. And how about that phrase Big Joe says to German about the stupid war, and that he doesn't know whom and what for are they fighting... says after Kelly's Heroes have killed around 50 Germans themselves. In the end it is a light western mixed with some war action. Doesn't even smell as a satire. And it's not about war for God's sake. I don't know how can this film be named as one of the greatest war movies.