Kelly’s Heroes
was a successful movie despite the studio’s meddling. It was meant to be a
vehicle for Clint Eastwood to increase his growing stardom. Indeed, his star
would continue to rise with a series of successful films that would leave a
trail of iconic characters and oft-quoted lines. But Kelly’s Heroes didn’t spotlight Eastwood as well as it could have.
For one thing, a fair portion of the script was either thrown out or ended on
the cutting room floor. For another, all of the other actors did a terrific job
with their characters and kept stealing scenes. Eastwood ends up playing
straight man Abbott to every other actor’s Costello. The magic of Kelly’s Heroes is that this level field
amongst the actors created a sense of camaraderie that radiated off the screen.
You end up empathizing with this band of shysters, thieves, and hooligans. Even
after editing, enough war commentary was still left in
the story to make it relevant to an audience still in the throes of dealing
with the impact of the Vietnam War. Kelly’s
Heroes was warmly received by an audience enjoying a wave of WWII films. War
movies seldom have an enduring charm, but this one does. You’ve got some great
acting portraying unique characters, very good writing, non-CGI battle scenes,
and a soundtrack that you will be humming for a few days. It’s well worth a
viewing.
