Kelly's Heroes stands in stark contrast to the John Wayne type WWII movies where the good guys were perfect and the bad guys the epitome of evil. Still, it doesn't detract too much from the film as a whole. The only downside to the film is the music which comes straight from the late '60's hippy era and doesn't really fit in with WWII.
The supporting cast is just as impressive and everyone plays their part, no matter how small, to perfection. The all star cast, anchored by a young Clint Eastwood and an ageless Telly Savalas, carries the story through with humor and panache and a certain amount of pathos as members of the company die in their quest for German gold.
One beset with characters getting favors because of family ties ('How can he get away with that?' 'His uncle is the general'), troops burned out by relentless fighting and some who should have been sent back home to a nice padded room long ago (Oddball) driven by generals who are obsessed with glory (Caroll O'Connor), regardless of what it's doing to their men. Rather than showing clean-cut heroes in dramatic and somewhat unrealistic situations it shows a grittier more what I consider realistic scenario of war.
