Taking place in the Second World War, Clint Eastwood stars as Private Kelly, a disgraced officer serving in a motorised reconnaissance platoon. After capturing a German intelligence officer, Kelly embarks on a private mission behind enemy lines to rob a bank in a German-held town, recruiting the other members of his platoon - including Master Sergeant Big Joe, played by Telly Savalas. Also starring is Don Rickles as Staff Sergeant Crapgame, who "bankrolls" the caper with weapons and supplies, along with Donald Sutherland as Sergeant Oddball, a beatnik tank commander who invites himself into the scheme by offering armour support.
Some of the more conservative readers might take issue at a group of soldiers abandoning their sworn duties to get rich quick. Lighten up, it's a comedy. But that said, the platoon members are likeable characters and also sympathetic; The film opens with them sitting in a barn on a stormy night, facing a German counter-attack while being shelled by their own mortars. They're constantly denied decent rest periods, and their commanding officer Captain Maitland is constantly neglecting them while stealing yachts and going on shopping trips in Paris - hypocritically warning them about penalties for looting. Meanwhile, Carroll O'Connor plays Major General Colt, a gung-ho glory seeker who is hopelessly incompetent: he listens to radio reports while acting like it's sports commentary, and when he learns of the caper, he assumes it's a breakthrough.
However, it's Oddball who steals the show. Everything he says is pure comedic gold, especially when he's telling his mechanic to "knock it off with them negative waves".
The story's great, the characters are great, the action's great, and I really love the song Burning Bridges.
Anyway, I'll see you soon for my next pick.
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