Kelly’s Heroes (1970)

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How’s this for an ensemble? Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Don Rickles, Carroll O’Connor, Gavin MacLeod, and Donald Sutherland. If you can’t imagine how that would work, neither can anyone else whose seen this movie. Kelly’s Heroes tries to be both a ‘guys on a mission’ adventure movie and a satirical comedy. It should have committed to the former and given up on its M.A.S.H.-like aspirations. The humor just doesn’t work. Donald Sutherland, whom I usually adore, comes off annoying with his weird facial gestures and bizarre accent. Carroll O’Connor (All in the Family) has the greatest screen presence, but his contributions don’t fit the film well. In the end, Kelly’s Heroes is a tonal mess that just doesn’t go down well.

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