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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Kelly’s Heroes is a World War II adventure about a soldier who learns that a German bank holds a cache of gold and recruits fellow troops to steal it. Released in 1970, the film mixes a behind-the-lines caper with ensemble comedy and wartime adventure—while its shifting tone and possible anti-war subtext have helped make it a more complicated film than its fun premise suggests.
What is Kelly’s Heroes about?
Clint Eastwood plays Kelly, an American soldier who discovers that gold is being held in a bank behind German lines. He gathers a group of fellow soldiers for a mission to reach it and take the gold. The setup turns a wartime operation into a heist: the men must get through enemy territory, coordinate their plan and contend with the practical risks of the mission.
The film’s appeal comes from the combination of those caper mechanics with a large comic ensemble. Telly Savalas, Don Rickles, Donald Sutherland, Carroll O’Connor, Gavin MacLeod and Harry Dean Stanton are among the supporting cast. Rather than presenting the mission as a solemn military drama, the film gives its soldiers room for squabbling, improvisation and absurdity.
How old is the film, and when did it open?
Kelly’s Heroes was released in 1970, making it 56 years old in 2026—not 58. The American Film Institute records its New York opening on 23 June 1970 and its Los Angeles opening on 8 July. AFI classifies it as a comedy-drama with a World War II setting and gives its running time as 145 minutes. Its alternate titles included The Warriors and Kelly’s Warriors. See the AFI catalog entry for the film’s credits and release record.
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Why was Kelly’s Heroes filmed in Yugoslavia?
The production initially planned to shoot in Italy, then moved to Yugoslavia after comparing costs. The locations included Novi Sad, Vižinada and Umag. Director Brian G. Hutton explained the choice in a 1969 note reproduced by AFI: “The terrain, lush, green and with rolling hills, very much resembles that of western France.”
Yugoslavia also offered military equipment and cooperation. Hutton said American World War II equipment was still in use by the country’s armed forces, and that the government provided more than 1,000 troops as extras. The production ran from 30 June through late December 1969. AFI records a purpose-built set at Vižinada that was destroyed by a fire of unknown origin. A contemporary Variety report, as cited by AFI, said the film was completed on budget at $7.4 million; that is the reported production budget in 1970, not an inflation-adjusted figure.
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Is the film an anti-war movie?
It can be read that way, but the interpretation deserves qualification. Turner Classic Movies places Kelly’s Heroes in the context of Vietnam-era debate over military policy and says Eastwood was drawn to the project partly because he saw a subtle anti-war message in its script. TCM quotes Eastwood describing it as having “the best script, a good cast, a subtle anti-war message, elements that would possibly make a ground-breaking movie.”
That reading sits alongside the film’s comic adventure rather than replacing it. TCM’s retrospective account also says MGM chief James Aubrey required cuts and reports that Eastwood felt the result fell short of classic status. The available record does not establish the full contents of an original cut or settle the filmmakers’ intentions, so the anti-war reading is best understood as a retrospective interpretation, not a definitive statement of what the finished film means. TCM’s discussion is available in its article on Kelly’s Heroes.
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How was it received at the time?
The early critical response was mixed. AFI’s account describes tepid responses from the Los Angeles Times and New York Times. The Los Angeles Times objected to the way the film moved between comedy and adventure, calling those shifts “handled ineptly.” A 10 June 1970 Daily Variety notice called the picture “preposterous,” but also “very commercial.” These reactions capture the tension at the center of the film: the same tonal swings that give it an eccentric comic energy could strike some viewers as awkward.
That divided response is a useful counterweight to calling the film universally beloved. Its enduring identity rests less on a single consensus verdict than on its distinctive mix of war story, gold heist and ensemble humor. AFI’s historical record collects the credits, production details and press responses.
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