My Favourite Movies: Kelly’s Heroes.
Yes, I know, I know. It’s another old war film with Clint Eastwood - but what a film! You can’t help but like it, well, OK… I can’t help but like it.
Just think about it for a moment or two. Here we have a Second World War film made in 1970 – and made in such a way that it felt just like 1970 during the whole movie. They certainly had the tanks and the guns of the period but the music, the attitudes, the speech patterns and the entire feel of the movie was contemporary. It’s just such a great clash of times and cultures – which makes the whole thing doubly funny.
I mean, just look at the plot. Its post D-Day and the Allied forces are slowly making their way towards Germany when Kelly (played superbly by Eastwood) stumbles upon the location of a bank full of German gold. Putting together a plan and a team to acquire the gold accidentally results in a breakout from Allied lines into occupied territory exploited by American forces to shorten the war.
The movie is chock full of wonderful moments not least of which is the performance by Donald Sutherland as the tank commander ‘Oddball’. I just loved the idea of a mobile hippy commune in the middle of a battle zone and the idea of filling shells full of paint because the explosions look cool is just… well… cool!
A seriously funny and upbeat film. Recommended.
4 comments:
Such a brilliant group of actors all really working well with each other, none ever really seeming to upstage ther other in any way.
And what with the way the the film seems to keep it's focus on a good solid plot all the way through while producing such timeless quirky humour just proves it to be that classic masterpeice it is.
diddyman - Agreed.
Great movie... Donald Sutherland is the best part!
laura said: Donald Sutherland is the best part!
He was great in it. I understand that he pretty much ad-libed the whole thing. The "That was my other dog impression" came totally out of the blue apparently!
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