A heist behind enemy lines

Rating: 8/10 (14 June 2015)

When a German colonel is captured by Kelly, a US soldier, black bars are found in his bag; he claims they are just lead so he could sink the bag in a river but a few scratches reveal them to be gold. After questioning him Kelly learns there are fourteen thousand more bars in a bank in Clermont Kelly decides there and then that he intends to get the gold. He will need help though as Clermont is thirty miles behind the German lines. The rest of his platoon are soon persuaded to join in; they are fed up of risking their lives for Uncle Sam; they want to do something for themselves for a change. They will need support though; this comes in the form of three Sherman tanks under the command of the distinctly odd 'Oddball'. It won't be easy; before they can get their hands on the gold they will have to pass through the front line, pass through thirty miles of enemy territory and finally deal with the German's in the town and their three Tiger tanks.
This is a fun film; nicely combining a war movie with a heist movie to give us a really entertaining time. Clint Eastward puts in a solid performance as Kelly and Telly Savalas is equally good as his sergeant 'Big Joe' however it is Donald Sutherland's portrayal of Oddball that is the most memorable; he gives us a great character; a hippy long before there were hippies! The rest of the fairly large main cast are also pretty good. The film contains some great action which is bloodless so there are no disturbing images. That isn't to say that nobody dies; a few good guys and dozens of Germans are gunned down or blown up; the ratio may be more than a bit unlikely but this was never meant to be taken that seriously. As well as action there are plenty of laughs to be had along the way. If you are a fan of any of the main stars this is a must see and I'd certainly recommend it to anybody wanting a war movie that isn't too serious; the PG rating means it can be enjoyed by all apart from young children.