MovieRob’s Birthday Bash of Favorites 2022 (#47 of 49) – Kelly’s Heroes (1970) – Encore Review 2

January is my birthday month, so I decided that I would try and do something quite unique and special for this milestone in my life. I will be turning 48, so I decided to watch 49 (48+1 for good luck) of my all time favorite movies in a random order over the course of this month. I have reviewed every one of these films already, but I will now give new perspectives on them all. Every one of these films received a 10/10 scoring from me. Some of these reviews will contain spoilers so if you have never seen them before, I recommend that you read some of my previous reviews of the film that are spoiler free before reading on…

Hope you enjoy!

This is film #47 of the 49.

Let’s continue with…

“[Muttering in the minefield] Coulda been in the States playing ping-pong; volleyball… Plenty of broads… Who the hell needs all this? Gonna get my knife & get the hell outta here. Eaaa, lousy equipment! Now I gotta lift up this CANNON; carry it all the way to the front line someplace. Damned thing is heavier that Kelsey’s burgers!” – Crapgame

Initial Viewing Memories – This is a film that one of my older brothers brought home one night to watch with friends and immediately got me hooks because it’s done in such a fun way.

Number of Times Seen – Too many to count (Video, DVD, 27 May 2013, 29 May 2018 and 30 Jan 2022)

Link to original review – Here and Here

Brief Synopsis – A platoon of soldiers on R&R during World War II, decide to go across enemy lines in order to steal 16 Million dollars worth of gold sitting in a Bank.

My Take on it – Such an amazing concept that works so well due to the very talented cast and a great script.

Telly Salavas, Donald Sutherland, Gavin McLeod, Don Rickles, Harry Dean Stanton, Carroll O’Connor and Stuart Margolin all follow the lead of Clint Eastwood as this band of misfits tries to get to a bank filled with Gold before the area is liberated by the allies.

The characters are all developed really well and show the various archetypes of soldiers who are found in just about any war.

The battle scenes are great and the humor that is thrown in along the way helps keep things so enjoyable and entertaining to watch unfold.

The music also helps keep the pace going well and adds so much to the feel of this adventure that these soldiers have chosen to undertake.

Highly Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – At the beginning of the movie, Big Joe (Telly Savalas) is desperate to know about the best places to stay in the city of Nancy, and he uses a Michelin tourist guide book. Use of these books by Allied troops during WWIi is accurate. When planning the Normandy invasion, staff officers were concerned about how the troops would navigate in light of the possibility that retreating Germans would take down or reverse road signs. The U.S. government quietly reprinted the most recent edition from 1939, as new publications had been suspended because of the war. So when Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normany on June 6, 1944, they carried the Michelin guides and, for the remainder of the war, advancing forces depended on their Michelin maps. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (10/10) (no change from original review)