| SYNOPSIS
In a wild melee behind German lines, Kelly (CLINT EASTWOOD) and Gutkowski (DICK DAVALOS)take a captured prisoner,Colonel Emil Dankhopf (DAVID HURST), to their barn headquarters in the American area. Here, Big Joe (TELLY SAVALAS), Little Joe (STUART MARGOLIN) and Corporal Job (TOM TROUPE)wait. By radio, Big Joe, the outfit's s sergent, persuades his own artillery to stop shelling their position, and Kelly inbrrogates the captured colonel, beginning by making him drink almost a bottle of whiskey. These are not the parade-type GI's. A polite term might call them goof- ups. And the interrogation is not for military information, but for something more human. Where are the women, best restaurants and hotels in the town that is about to be captured? Big Joe leaves on a call from the commander, Captain Maitland(HAL BUCKLEY), who is more interested in a beautiful, undamaged yacht he has found in a neary boat house than in the war. He tells Big Joe that the men can have a three-day rest while he "liberates" the boat to Paris. However, their rest is to be taken not in the near by town but in the woods outside. Big Joe argues that whenever they take a town, it's the guys with clean uniforms and ties who go in. But an unimpressed Maitland tells him lo build a baseball diamond and that books and games will be brought up - but no whiskey and no women! Disgusted, Big Joe leaves. Meanwhile, Kelly, who has gotten both the-prisoner and himself pretty drunk,has found lead- covered gold bars in the colonel's briefcase and has learned that, the Germans have 14,000 more in a small bank within their lines. On the next day, the men watch as those "with ties" move into Nancy, France, while they are to move back. Kelly tells Big Joe he is going for the gold. At the supply depot, Kelly agrees to cut Crapgame(DON RICKLES), a Sgt. Bilko type with an IBM mind for schemes,in if he will supply guns to get the gold. He agrees and they are joined by Oddball (DONALD SUTHERLAND), one of the remaining members of a tank company believed destroyed by the Germans, who volunteers to obtain tanks for a cut of the gold. Oddball is a forerunner of the hippies and so are the restof his men. But they do look dangerous and hungry for money, so Kelly enlists their aid for the next night. Crapgame will go along to protect his share. Back at the "rest area," Big Joe has left to recruit wine, women and song, and Kelly tells the men about the gold. After some argument, Big Joe joins in on the scheme. On the next night, they wait for the mortar fire Kelly has arranged to fall on the German barricaded road. It does,and when it finishes, their convoy weaves its way through the carnage. The next day they hide and rest within enemy lines. While they are relaxing,an American P-47 flies over and machineguns the trucks and equipment. The men escape with some ammunition and then undertake the long walk to still try for the gold-guarded by three German Tiger tanks! The scene shifts to General Colt's (CARROLLO'CONNOR) headquarters, where he is berating his staff over missing aerialphotos. At Oddball's camp, amid remains of a wild night, girls and wine bottles, Oddball and his men are looking at photos stolen from the general. Oddball spots a bridge and speculates if it will still be standing, then gets his men ready and they move out. He moves his group through a railway tunnel into a freight yard and blasts his way through, only to find after the victory that the bridge is down. Oddball gets on a field phone to the American engineer camp and confides his position and need for a bridge. The engineer "wants in" but needs help to move the equipment, so he recruits the unit's band. Meanwhile, Kelly and his group have spied on and passed with reluctance three beautiful girls swimming nude with German officers,and find themselves in mine fields. One man is killed, but the others escape. A German patrol is alerted and a fight results, with the patrol destroyed. But several more GI's are killed. The remaining group moves to the point where they are to meet Oddball's tanks. The tanks arrive, and now there are more recruits as word has spread about the gold. At General Colt's bedroom, he is awakened by a call from the Old Man, congratulating him and saying he is sure for a third star because of his brilliant tactics. A confused Colt hangs up and intercepts a wireless between Kelly and his army. They are fighting their way through. Colt thinks it's the stuff heroes are made of, not knowing it is gold-plaled courage. By now it's an all-out battle with the GI's, who are aware that those not there when the gold is taken will not get a share. Meanwhile, the proud General Colt is en route to distribute medals to his "warriors." The fighting is brutal in the town, and many men die before there is only one Tiger tank left guarding the bank containing the gold. Among the dead is Crapgame, who before he dies tells Big Joe to "make a deal with the Germans. A deal is made, and with last- minute efforts Kelly and his group leave as the General arrives, asking,"Where are my heroes?" What happens to "The Warriors?" Well, there's still a P-47 roaming the sky to have a voice in the matter. |