film

Brian G. Hutton's 1970 movie is a highly distinctive entry to the war film genre, bringing countercultural satire, thrilling heist-movie action sequences and a thought-provoking storyline to the table, mixing it all with panache and style. Clint Eastwood is Kelly, a former lieutenant who discovers the Germans are hiding a cache of gold behind enemy lines. He convinces a ragtag group of American soldiers to join him on a risky mission to steal the gold.

A great strength of the film is its ensemble cast, with Telly Savalas, Don Rickles and Carroll O'Connor all turning in excellent performances each of which add a different element to the mix. Best of all is Donald Sutherland's eccentric and free-spirited showing as the free-spirited tank commander, Oddball. Sutherland died in June at the age of 88, and catching Kelly's Heroes on the big screen will be a fine way to remember what a tremendous actor he was.