One ofClint Eastwood’s undervalued strengths that doesn’t get enough play is surely his uncanny comedic skills. It’s fair, given how infrequently the Hollywood legend has even appeared in comedies. Even those he has appeared in have largely included dramatic elements, likeThunderbolt and Lightfoot, or poorly reviewed, likeEvery Which Way but Loose. But you can see it in subtle ways through many of his roles: the well-timed smirk he gives to an assailant he injured inDirty Harryafter giving his infamous,“Do you feel lucky, punk?“speech. Or the delivery of hisdogs**t speechinSudden Impact.But his comedic skills are sure on display inKelly’s Heroes, an overlooked war comedy where Eastwood recruits members of his platoon to go into enemy territory to steal Nazi gold.
What Is ‘Kelly’s Heroes’ About?
Kelly’s Heroesisbased on an entry inThe Guinness Book of World Records, of all things. An incident writer,Troy Kennedy Martin,found out about a robbery of the German National Gold Reserves in Bavaria by a “combination of U.S. military personnel and German civilians in 1945.” Critics had called the plot “preposterous,” but British journalistIan Sayerconfirmed the event years after,per theSaturday Evening Post. The film begins withPrivate Kelly (Clint Eastwood) discovering the whereabouts of a stockpile of 14,000 German gold barsfrom a drunk Wehrmacht Intelligence officer.Kelly decides to steal the gold, and recruits members of his platoon,including Supply Sargeant “Crapgame”(Don Rickles)and Master Sergeant “Big Joe”(Telly Savalas),as well as a tank squad under the command of loopy tank commander “Oddball”(Donald Sutherland).
The group makes their way to Clermont,losing one member while walking through a minefield,and two more after engaging with a German patrol. However, news of the group’s progress towards Clermont catches the attention of Major General Colt (Carroll O’Connor), but he assumes that it’s an effort being taken by an aggressive unit advancing on their own initiative, and, looking to take advantage for the war effort, starts making his way toward them.When Kelly and his gang arrive in Clermont, they find that it is being defended by three German Tiger tanks and its infantry support.They make short work of them, except for one tank, parked in front of the bank where the gold is being stored. They are at a stalemate, so Crapgame suggests that they offer the tank commander and his crew a cut of the gold in exchange for them blowing the armored doors off the bank.The commander agrees, and the German and American soldiers divvy the spoils amongst themselves.Colt, still unaware of the troop’s real intent, enters Clermont, but is blocked by a crowd of celebrating French residents, who believe Colt isFrench GeneralCharles de Gaulle,thanks to Big Joe spreading the falsity among them.
‘Kelly’s Heroes’ Mixes Comedy with the Tragedies of War
Now to be fair,Kelly’s Heroesis a comedy, first and foremost, but like most of Eastwood’s forays into the genre, it does have its share of dramatic elements as well.It’s a heist film that doesn’t downplay the real tragedies of war in its pursuit of comedy. People die, heroes die, as they are all just victims — a reality of war. It would have been very easy for the film to make the ragtag group’s journey easier,with slapstick obstacles,but instead there are actual consequences for their actions, a decision that givesKelly’s Heroesa gravitas not typically afforded incomedies set in wartime.Those moments are the exception, of course, and not the rule, asKelly’s Heroesis genuinely funny.Sutherland is a standout for his role as Oddball, the spaced-out hippie tank commander that is so inconsistent with the film’s timeline it borders on farcical, something also true of the mini-skirted townswomen and the use of 1960s era phrases like “freaked out” and “hung up.”
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In all honesty,Kelly’s Heroes, with its unique mix of comedy and tragedy, probably shouldn’t work, but yet it does, and the casting for the film is a key part of its success. Heavy hitters more renowned for serious fare, like Eastwood and Savalas, one year removed from his role as Ernst Stavro Blorfeld in the 1969 James Bond filmOn Her Majesty’s Secret Service, were cast. They were up alongside comic legend Rickles and comedianLen Lesser, akaSeinfeld’s Uncle Leo, and O’Connor, who would follow up the film with his role as the iconic Archie Bunker in TV’sAll in the Family.Casting actors whose strengths solidified one extreme or the other, bringing the cast as a whole to a comfortable medium, proves to be a winning formula.To overlookKelly’s Heroesis to pass over comedy — not Nazi — gold.
Kelly’s Heroes
Private Kelly, an American soldier in World War II, stumbles upon intelligence about a hidden stash of gold behind enemy lines. Rallying a motley crew of fellow soldiers, he devises a bold plan to infiltrate enemy territory and retrieve the treasure. As they embark on their high-stakes mission, the group encounters various challenges, from navigating through hostile environments to dealing with skeptical superiors, all while striving to achieve their ambitious goal and secure their fortunes.
Kelly’s Heroesis available to stream on Prime Video in the U.S.
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