Amusing, well-scripted film with stellar cast!

Rating: 7/10 (30 April 2001)

This film is really funny, with quirky characters, great dialogue and a *really* strong cast In fact, the cast sometimes saves this film from slipping into dreariness. A bit too long at 2h26, some scenes are simply unnecessary or too long. A good example is the General (a real waste of Carrol O'Connor's talents) A useless role, his scenes are all fairly useless, and could be pretty much wiped out of the film without changing it.
Donald Sutherland is a standout here, nearly as good as his portrayal of Hawkeye Pierce in M*A*S*H; his hippie artillery leader named Oddball' is a hilarious role played to near perfection! Clint Eastwood also plays his role, title character Kelley, to near perfection. A strong, solid character who counters Telly Savalas' big lug Big Joe' and Sutherland's Oddball' quite nicely. Don Rickles plays Don Rickles, so few surprises there. And the supporters are there purely to support the main three, which works out well (look for Harry Dean Stanton 9 years prior to Alien).
Considering it's not supposed to be taken seriously in the least, the impossibilities' in terms of characterization and certain props should be overlooked. There are some slightly glaring plot holes as well, but they don't really matter. This film is simply fun and should be enjoyed as such. 7/10.