Don Movie Reviews

My Dad was in the Sixth Armored Division (Oddball's parent command) from 1943 through the end of the war in Europe, during the time frame of the film. When I asked him about whether or not Oddball's situation was feasable, he replied that Oddball's platoon might have been able to avoid higher authority for a few days, but not for weeks as Oddball stated to Kelly in the Division Trains. My Dad reasoned that the tanks and the treadheads would need to be resupplied with Class 1, 3 and 5 (Food,Ammo and POL), in addition to any other sort of maintnenance that the vehicles would need.

This film was a favorite of my classmates when I attended the U.S.Army's IOAC. It was a film that apparently got a lot of attention, judging from one discussion we had about it.

Anyone interested in the history behind this film should read "48 Hours to Hammelburg: Patton's Secret Mission" by Charles Whiting and a companion peice, "Raid" by Major Abe Baum. Much of the background and events depicted in "Kelly's Heroes" were probably extracted from narratives of Patton's order and the subsequent raid on the Hammelburg POW camp.

I read in some promo material about the movie that the tanks in the film were not T-34's or M113's, but real Tiger Mark V's that were rented from the Spanish Army - they still had them in their inventory and were servicable.

Clint Eastwood said that the movie had all the potential to be one of the greatest war movies of all time, but fell a little short of the mark. I agree, but mainly from the standpoint that the film could have borrowed more from the story of the Hammelburg Raid, which would have made for a better story. That, and some of the tactics could have made a little more sense.

However, when you compare this film with dogs like "The Battle of the Bulge" or some of the laugable combat sequences in the film "Patton", it's still far and away a superior testament to World War II combat.

I cannot imagine very many people will be able to identify with a literary critic woman who gets bagged by her creep husband, whose lesbian friends commiserate with her on her new misfortunes and then buys a villa in Italy.

In my opinion, and I am entitled to one, there is only one redeeming quality with this movie and it is this: It could be useful in selling air tickets to Italy.

Guys if you owe your special lady a date-night then maybe this will fit the bill... just plan on catching up on some rest as this movie does really drag on in several places. -- K.K. Dunn, Kansas City

I cannot imagine very many people will be able to identify with a literary critic woman who gets bagged by her creep husband, whose lesbian friends commiserate with her on her new misfortunes and then buys a villa in Italy.

In my opinion, and I am entitled to one, there is only one redeeming quality with this movie and it is this: It could be useful in selling air tickets to Italy.

Guys if you owe your special lady a date-night then maybe this will fit the bill... just plan on catching up on some rest as this movie does really drag on in several places. -- K.K. Dunn, Kansas City

I cannot imagine very many people will be able to identify with a literary critic woman who gets bagged by her creep husband, whose lesbian friends commiserate with her on her new misfortunes and then buys a villa in Italy.

In my opinion, and I am entitled to one, there is only one redeeming quality with this movie and it is this: It could be useful in selling air tickets to Italy.

Guys if you owe your special lady a date-night then maybe this will fit the bill... just plan on catching up on some rest as this movie does really drag on in several places. -- K.K. Dunn, Kansas City

Now that Rambo is back in his element things get interesting as a member of Teasle's posse unwittingly draws "First Blood" (hence the title) unleashing the wrath that is Rambo! The subsequent hoopla and bombast that accompanied the remaining two installments to the series really overshadow the quality of "First Blood." Stallone is at his monosyllabic best with a screenplay that keeps the dialogue down and revs the action up. Veteran action director Ted Kotcheff expertly handles the key set piece of the film that shows Rambo deftly ambushing several unsuspecting victims with such precision that none of them is fatally wounded. Finally Rambo comes face to face with his accuser Sheriff Teasle to issue an ultimatum that actually does more to up the stakes rather then cool the situation down. Rambo's former commanding officer Trautmen (Richard Crenna) is brought in for advice but instead issues his own declaration when he tells Sheriff Teasle that if he continues to pursue Rambo he better have a lot of body bags.

"First Blood" is really a study in wills and the stubbornness not to know when to back down. Sheriff Teasle is not able to admit that he is over matched and Rambo uses the injustice he has suffered both in the small town and in Vietnam as a reason to let his fury rage on an unsuspecting populace. Recent films like the disappointing "The Hunted" would have done well to mimic the terse sensibilities that served "First Blood" so well.

Most of the film is devoted to the hunt for Rambo in the cold, rainy forest. Rambo eludes his pursuers, the hunted becomes the hunter. The dead and wounded are brought out of the wilderness. The forces against Rambo are escalated, yet success eludes them. Colonel Trautmann, who trained Rambo to be the best killing machine, shows up to confront the Sheriff, and attempts to end the conflict by a political solution ("let him go, get him later").

The burning gas station echoes that scene in "The Birds", a film about Nature taking revenge. Shooting into electrical transformers creates a blackout that is all too familiar. The explosions and fires are another disaster. Does the ending with the Colonel remind you of Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men"? While Rambo walks away, the rest of the story is left to your imagination.

The military trains its guard dogs to be vicious, and to obey only their handler. When the handler leaves the service, his dog is destroyed; it has outlived its usefulness. This film is important as an example of propaganda in the movies. A psychotic drifter who kills police and National Guardsmen is portrayed as a hero! Could this happen in real life? Does the failure of the hunt for Rambo echo the Vietnam war? Does the attack on the town portend future terrorism?

Now that Rambo is back in his element things get interesting as a member of Teasle's posse unwittingly draws "First Blood" (hence the title) unleashing the wrath that is Rambo! The subsequent hoopla and bombast that accompanied the remaining two installments to the series really overshadow the quality of "First Blood." Stallone is at his monosyllabic best with a screenplay that keeps the dialogue down and revs the action up. Veteran action director Ted Kotcheff expertly handles the key set piece of the film that shows Rambo deftly ambushing several unsuspecting victims with such precision that none of them is fatally wounded. Finally Rambo comes face to face with his accuser Sheriff Teasle to issue an ultimatum that actually does more to up the stakes rather then cool the situation down. Rambo's former commanding officer Trautmen (Richard Crenna) is brought in for advice but instead issues his own declaration when he tells Sheriff Teasle that if he continues to pursue Rambo he better have a lot of body bags.

"First Blood" is really a study in wills and the stubbornness not to know when to back down. Sheriff Teasle is not able to admit that he is over matched and Rambo uses the injustice he has suffered both in the small town and in Vietnam as a reason to let his fury rage on an unsuspecting populace. Recent films like the disappointing "The Hunted" would have done well to mimic the terse sensibilities that served "First Blood" so well.

Most of the film is devoted to the hunt for Rambo in the cold, rainy forest. Rambo eludes his pursuers, the hunted becomes the hunter. The dead and wounded are brought out of the wilderness. The forces against Rambo are escalated, yet success eludes them. Colonel Trautmann, who trained Rambo to be the best killing machine, shows up to confront the Sheriff, and attempts to end the conflict by a political solution ("let him go, get him later").

The burning gas station echoes that scene in "The Birds", a film about Nature taking revenge. Shooting into electrical transformers creates a blackout that is all too familiar. The explosions and fires are another disaster. Does the ending with the Colonel remind you of Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men"? While Rambo walks away, the rest of the story is left to your imagination.

The military trains its guard dogs to be vicious, and to obey only their handler. When the handler leaves the service, his dog is destroyed; it has outlived its usefulness. This film is important as an example of propaganda in the movies. A psychotic drifter who kills police and National Guardsmen is portrayed as a hero! Could this happen in real life? Does the failure of the hunt for Rambo echo the Vietnam war? Does the attack on the town portend future terrorism?

Now that Rambo is back in his element things get interesting as a member of Teasle's posse unwittingly draws "First Blood" (hence the title) unleashing the wrath that is Rambo! The subsequent hoopla and bombast that accompanied the remaining two installments to the series really overshadow the quality of "First Blood." Stallone is at his monosyllabic best with a screenplay that keeps the dialogue down and revs the action up. Veteran action director Ted Kotcheff expertly handles the key set piece of the film that shows Rambo deftly ambushing several unsuspecting victims with such precision that none of them is fatally wounded. Finally Rambo comes face to face with his accuser Sheriff Teasle to issue an ultimatum that actually does more to up the stakes rather then cool the situation down. Rambo's former commanding officer Trautmen (Richard Crenna) is brought in for advice but instead issues his own declaration when he tells Sheriff Teasle that if he continues to pursue Rambo he better have a lot of body bags.

"First Blood" is really a study in wills and the stubbornness not to know when to back down. Sheriff Teasle is not able to admit that he is over matched and Rambo uses the injustice he has suffered both in the small town and in Vietnam as a reason to let his fury rage on an unsuspecting populace. Recent films like the disappointing "The Hunted" would have done well to mimic the terse sensibilities that served "First Blood" so well.

Most of the film is devoted to the hunt for Rambo in the cold, rainy forest. Rambo eludes his pursuers, the hunted becomes the hunter. The dead and wounded are brought out of the wilderness. The forces against Rambo are escalated, yet success eludes them. Colonel Trautmann, who trained Rambo to be the best killing machine, shows up to confront the Sheriff, and attempts to end the conflict by a political solution ("let him go, get him later").

The burning gas station echoes that scene in "The Birds", a film about Nature taking revenge. Shooting into electrical transformers creates a blackout that is all too familiar. The explosions and fires are another disaster. Does the ending with the Colonel remind you of Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men"? While Rambo walks away, the rest of the story is left to your imagination.

The military trains its guard dogs to be vicious, and to obey only their handler. When the handler leaves the service, his dog is destroyed; it has outlived its usefulness. This film is important as an example of propaganda in the movies. A psychotic drifter who kills police and National Guardsmen is portrayed as a hero! Could this happen in real life? Does the failure of the hunt for Rambo echo the Vietnam war? Does the attack on the town portend future terrorism?

Norm plays Mitch, a guy who can always think of a simple, swift, and cruel way of punishing people who wrong him, but isn't good at much else. When forced to come up with a $50,000 bribe to get his best friend's father a new heart, he decides to capitalize on his special gift. The plot works well enough to not take away from how hilarious this movie is.

Norm is, of course, horrendously funny. His delivery is so brilliant that he can turn the worst jokes into gold. They also incorporate his "note to self" jokes into the movie. Artie Lang, Chris Farley and Don Rickles are also hilarious.

Summary: funny funny funny funny funny.

As for Mr. Grant, Grace Kelly seems to be the last thing he is interested in. It's a wonder things work out he way they do. Cary Grant banked on his remarkable charming screen presence, while Grace Kelly serves as window dressing with no personality. It would have been nicer had she lost that fak-o English accent. It's really too much.

Kudos to the beautiful setting.

The cinematography by long-time Hitchcock collaborator Robert Burks was shot on location in the French Riviera. The style is daylight clear and sparkling, bright as the dream of a princess to be, always focused without a hint of darkness anywhere. Even the scenes shot at night on the rooftops seem to glow. The houses on the hills overlooking Princess Grace's future home and the narrow cobble stone roads with the low-lying stone walls suggest a refined and elegant lifestyle to come. Even though she drives too fast, one is not worried that she might crash...

Cary Grant is John Robie who fought with the French resistence during WWII and then became a jewel thief, dubbed "The Cat" for his ability to slink quietly in the night over roof tops and to steal into the bedrooms of the rich and take their jewels without waking them. As the movie opens he is retired from his life of crime and living comfortably in a villa in the hills above Nice. The complications begin immediately as the police arrive at his villa to question him about some recent cat-like jewel robberies. Robie is innocent of course (we are led to believe) and to prove his innocence he is motivated to find the real thief.

Grace Kelly plays Frances Stevens, the slightly naughty nouveau riche daughter of the widow of a Texas-style oil millionaire. She is used to having men fall all over themselves trying to court her, but Robie seems uninterested, and this excites her fancy and she goes after him. It is interesting to note that by this time Cary Grant (51 when the film was released) had become such a heart throb that directors liked to have the women (who were always noticeably younger; Kelly was 26) chase after him. Audrey Hepburn does as much in Charade (1963). One notes that here, as in Charade, the women kiss Cary Grant first, not the other way around. Here it is nicely done as the previously demure Frances takes a surprising initiative at the door of her hotel suite.

The story itself is rather bland and predictable, reminding me of a James Bond flick from, say, the sixties as though toned down for an audience of old maids. Notable in supporting roles are Brigitte Auber as the athletic Danielle Foussard, John Williams as the British insurance agent, and Jessie Royce Landis as Frances Stevens' mother. Hitch makes his de rigueur appearance as a passenger on the mini-bus that Robie takes to get away from the gendarmes early in the film.

See this for Grace Kelly whose cool and playful demeanor and statuesque beauty form the heart of this somewhat languid romantic thriller.

This is another old Hitchcock film, typical of his expert touch, and like virtually all of his work features a cameo appearance of Hitchcock himself. (A scene on a bus, in which he appears nonchalantly seated alongside Cary Grant as just another passenger for a second or two.)

In this wonderful film, Cary Grant plays a former jewel thief, John Robie, an American living in France who helps the French resistance during WWII, and subsequently (after the war) is given a parole for his former criminal acts because of his wartime heroism, dependent upon his subsequent good behavior, and "goes straight."

But there is a problem: Someone, using his exact modus operandi, begins a series of heists--throwing him into an extremely had light with the local gendarme.

Grace Kelly, as Frances Stevens, a somewhat spoiled American heiress, guesses his actual identity when he is trying to remain in hiding undercover in order to discover the perpetrator, and the plot thickens.

In the unlikely event that you have not seen this film, I don't wish to spoil it for you, so I'll not divulge any more of the plot, but it is HItchcock's usual masterful job, superbly played by a couple of Hollywood's top superstars when they were at the height of their careers.

This film was released in VHS on April 1, 2003. It is one of those timeless movies that never gets tiresome. A true classic representing a time when actors and actresses actually had character, and were identifiable as real professionals. Lord, I miss the "old days" when titillating the audience with filthy language and sex scenes was not necessary to hold their interest--just good stories and good acting.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre ...