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Kelly's Heroes

Kelly's Heroes

List Price: $14.98
Your Price: $11.24
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A rare miss from Warner.
Review: Eastwood, Savalas and Sutherland - what a trio !. I absolutely love this bombastic and funny movie, and I've been looking forward to getting it on DVD for quite a while so I could give it the 5 stars it deserves. So, was all the waiting worth it ?. Yes and no. -Mostly no, if I have to be completely honest. I disagree with some of the other reviewers when they claim it's "a brilliant transfer", and that it's "never looked better". Yes, it has more picture information on the sides than the old letterboxed MGM Laserdisc had, but that old disc was much brighter and therefore more pleasing to look at. The DVD is darker and the colors are a little faded, but generally the picture is ok. Actually, what irritates me the most about it is its aspect ratio. Like I said, it's wider than the Laserdisc, but not as wide as the version shown on TCM (once TNT). -That version was the one I was hoping Warner would've used; it's brighter, the colors are more satisfying, it adds more picture to both sides and it's just as sharp. I hope Warner will fix it and be more considerate next time they release it, but I somehow doubt it. (-I'd hate to prefer a tape over a DVD.) The film itself though, is (as always) an excellent war movie to watch.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best transfers I've seen on DVD
Review: Anyone that has ever seen this movie knows it's a great movie. However, for those that haven't here are the highlights. If you liked "Three Kings" you should LOVE Kelley's Heroes. Three Kings was a reasonably good modern day copy of Kelley's Heroes, but as in most cases, comes up well short of the original. Kelly (Clint Eastwood), a cashiered lieutenant, discovers that the Germans (this is WWII) have hidden about 16 million in gold in a small town in France. With the help of an unlikely cast (Don Rickles, Donald Sutherland, Telley Savalas, and Gavin Macleod), he decides to try to take it away from the Germans. The rest is, by and large, pretty predictable if you haven't seen the movie, but also surprisingly fresh with more laughs then you could reasonably expect of a movie dealing with WWII. In my opinion at least, one of the best casted movies ever made. Carroll O'Connor (aka Archie Buncker) is hilarious. I've probably seen this movie a few dozen times, and was looking forward to the DVD simply to add it to my collection, but found the digital transfer to be exceptional. Everything from the picture to the sound is much enhanced over the old analog version.

This movie is a MUST for any DVD collector, especially if they're a Clint Eastwood fan.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A great non-war war movie.
Review: One of my favorite war movies, if you can call it that. Really a story of a bank heist during WWII. A fun comedy that may make light of the war especially when compared to the recent movie, 'Saving Private Ryan'. However, if you view this keeping in mind that it's fiction, I think you can enjoy it. This movie sort of does for WWII what 'Apocalypse Now' did for the Vietnam War. I can watch this one over and over just for the great one liners and odd situations.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Armed Robbery or Heroic Exploit..?
Review: It is almost impossible not to like this WWII action/adventure-caper/comedy. Clint Eastwood uncovers information that there is a bank in France loaded with gold. To knock it over would be a crime, unless it happens to be behind enemy lines. Eastwood as Kelly leads the usual band of WWII movie misfits, a smart talking New Yorker, a tough sergeant, a hillbilly, a naive kid and so forth, on a mission to pull off the perfect crime. For additional assistance they team up with beatnik tank commander Donald Sutherland. As they fight their way to the bank in a series of rip-roaring, shoot 'em up battle scenes crazy General Carroll O'Connor gets wind of their heroism by stumbling accross their radio transmissions and taking their conversation, "bank heist", and the soldiers various nicknames, "Big Joe, Little Joe" as an elaborate code. He then sheds his bathrobe for a uniform and with a box of medals in tow rushes off to thank the men who got his sedate army back in the war. One thing that stands out is that for a movie that is essentialy a comedy the WWII backdrop appears more authentic, in terms of uniforms, equipment, etc. then do many of the classic WWII films such as 'Battle Of The Bulge' and others. It also takes serious the everyday fights, fears, and fatigue of the common G.I. A terrific comedic dialogue and a theme song provided by a future Lt. Gov. of California add up to make this one of the all time greats. (to see other reviews click on 'see more about me').

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: DVD REVIEW
Review: A most excellent transfer! Colors and detail are crisp and clear, sound is magnificent. Funny how some old movies look great on DVD and some newer movies don't. Don't miss this one!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I've been waiting for this
Review: Excellent transfer to DVD...Sound quality superb....

I am assuming you already knew this was a fantastic movie and the DVD is everything I had hoped for.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Note on Tiger tanks
Review: Enjoyable flick, especially the attention to detail. But German panzer crews had pink pipping on their black uniforms, I believe. As for the Tiger tanks in the square, the attention to detail is quite good, but in one scene in a profile shot of a Tiger as it moves you can see that the wheels supporting the tracks are single spaced. Tigers had overlapping wheels, plus it certainly looks like a Russian T-34 rolling chassis, but I don't mean to quibble as I was very impressed to see Tigers, but knew there had to be catch.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Excellent picture and sound quality
Review: This is a great example of how studios should release their classics on DVD. True, there are no special features other than a trailer, but the care that went into the transfer puts to shame the mediocre efforts I've seen in many other DVD editions. My only complaint is that the intermission music was left out.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Greta Cast = Great Film
Review: Eastwood plays Kelly the man who plans to steal gold from the nazis.Only troulbe the gold is behind emeny lines.With the Help of Telly Savalas, donald Sutherland, and Carrol O Conner.This is one funny war classic

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: 1960s/70s do WWII
Review: I have watched and enjoyed Kelly's Heroes many many times. The premis for the movie is this...

A front-line US sergeant comes across German intelligence information describing a large shipment of German gold being safeguarded in a bank behind enemy lines. When his unit is pulled out of the front lines for a few days of R&R the sergeant he puts a plan into action to recruit the rest of his unit (minus their officer), as well as some additional characters, to make a dash for the gold -- the perfect crime?

The cast is great, with Clint Eastwood, Donald Sutherland, Telly Sevalas, and Don Rickles in the most prominent roles.

Clint Eastwood is "Kelly," the sergeant who comes up with the plan to make the heist. Donald Sutherland is "Oddball," another sergeant who leads of a group of Sherman tanks and an assortment of men one would be more at home in a commune or at a 1960-70s anti-war rally -- anywhere except in the military during WWII. Oddball and his men's main goal is to avoid fighting, but they are willing to play the heroes for a share of the loot. Sevalas is "Big Joe," a tough career sergeant who works hard to keep his men alive. He reluctantly agrees to lead the group once it's clear that all his men will go with or without him. Rickles is "The Hustler," a street-wise wheeling and dealing behind the lines supply sergeant who is always looking for an angle to make a buck. These actors all turn in a good performance. The supporting cast is also wonderful.

One thing that I particularly appreciate about this movie is the attention to technical detail. At least the US forces use US military equipment, and the Germans use German military equipment (including tanks).

This is not a "war movie" but a movie set in a front-lines war setting. There are battle scenes, but the real story includes an aspect of comedy, a disillusionment with the war and fighting in it, and an obvious comedic element provided mostly by Sutherland.

This movie includes solid performances all around, though the dialog, attitudes, and actions of the men are more reminiscent of the 1960s or early 1970s than anything one would expect to see in the 1940s. That's the only reason I gave this movie 4 intead of 5 stars.

I enjoy it though. Perhaps you will too.

Alan Holyoak


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