Kelly's Heroes - Page 2

That the film is about soldiers making the best of their situation is interesting, if taken with the knowledge that “the good war”, as World War II came to sometimes be called in America, resulted in an immense surge of prosperity in the United States. Are Kelly and his men simply taking their due (even more so, since the gold was likely stolen by the Nazis), or are they unethically profiteering while others are still fighting and dying? Since all they’re doing is killing Nazis and taking back Nazi-occupied cities, and are beneficial to victory, do their ethics and motives even matter? Likewise, Industrialists like Henry Ford became rich during World War II, but the machines and weapons they supplied to the United States Army and Navy greatly contributed to winning the war. I don't think the film offers a concrete opinion on the subject.

Although usually left off the lists of Greatest War Films, or even Greatest World War II Films, Kelly’s Heroes is a classic. And for anyone who doubts how influential the film is, just watch the last hour of Saving Private Ryan, which features a showdown, set in a small town, between a group of American soldiers and two German Tiger tanks. Two guesses at what happens near the end of Kelly’s Heroes.

Rating: 3.5 / 4.0

Article Author: Akromatika

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