‘Why don’t you knock it off with them negative waves?’

Happy to oblige, Oddball, because Kris Hall has only positive things to say about the wartime heist movie classic…

Above: Donald Sutherland as Sherman tank commander Oddball, a hippie born 20 years too soon

According to a newspaper study, the average Briton will see 4341 films in their lifetime. One of those films will be Kelly’s Heroes. Trust me, it is inevitable. Over half a century old now, Kelly’s Heroes’ journey from generally well received upon its first release in 1970, to bona-fide screen classic today took in all the usual milestones along the way. It was The Big Bank Holiday Movie in the 70s, definitely one to add to the video collection in the 80s, regularly on late night re-runs in the 90s, and is 4.7 stars out of 5 on streaming service Amazon Prime today (373 reviews).

For the benefit of the very few who have yet to see it, Kelly’s Heroes is a war/heist/anti-war/comedy/action film. It stars Clint Eastwood at the height of his early fame but the movie is stolen from right under his nose by Donald Sutherland and Telly Savalas.

The film starts during a thunderstorm. It”s night, we’re behind enemy lines. The camera pulls past lines of weary, rain-lashed German soldiers and swastika-emblazoned armoured vehicles waiting at a German checkpoint. Our gaze settles on a Wehrmacht Colonel staring fixedly ahead from the front of a Jeep. It takes us a moment before we realise that he is sitting in a Willy’s Jeep – an America vehicle with U.S Army insignia. Sitting next to the nervous looking German Officer, is a taciturn American G.I. And he’s Squinting. Coolly.

The German Army notice Clint shortly after we do, so he”s forced to “hightail it outta there” amid a hail of gunfire, explosions and alarmed shouts of the “Achtung! Gott im Himmel!” variety. The thunderstorm rages, the shelling continues, buildings collapse persuasively, the Jeep splashes on through the rain as The Mike Curb Congregation sing Burning Bridges over the opening credits.

This image: Relaxation time for Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Don Rickles and the rest of Kelly’s Heroes (1970)

Above: Clint Eastwood as Private Joe Kelly with Telly Savalas as his platoonleader, Big Joe

4 minutes and 30 seconds later, the Jeep ends up at a French farm occupied by a squad of the U.S Army”s 34th Infantry Division -our Heroes. Clint’s Private Kelly character bundles the German officer into a barn where Telly Savalas is doing some impressive – really impressive -shouting over the radio. They’re being shelled by their own side. Their own “Goddamn” side, no doubt.

Telly Savalas is Big Joe, the squad’`s Master Sergeant, mother hen and de facto leader, due to Lieutenant Kelly having being busted down to Private and the virtual abdication of command by the squad’s glaringly selfish C.O, Captain Maitland.