Will the planes make it or not? These situations were surprisingly suspenseful (although people raised on current Hollywood fare, may not agree). I sort of wished the filmmakers developed the relationship between Jeff and Bonnie a little more (she's absent for a little too long). Also, the film almost never had a musical score, and while that worked well in the suspense scenes, it may have hurt the non-suspense ones.

"A bizarre and gorgeous film to say the least, this masterwork (based on a story fragment written by Hawks in 1938 titled Plane from Barranca) embodies a fantastic range of opposite states of mind and being." - Zach Campbell

Enjoyable black and white, afternoon viewing.

Classic Hawks flyboy drama. Great acting and directing, plus a little magic somewhere that makes it even better. Thomas Mitchell's death scene--and the aftermath--is a real standout.

"Three great scenes and no bad ones"

#221

awesome flying sequences...and screw Gilda, Hayworth's r e a l l y sexy in THIS. :D

I have no complaints but I can't see what the big deal is. Only the top-notch script puts it above average.

Thomas Mitchell and Jean Arthur knock it out of the park. One of the better adventure films in existence. Meandering and strikingly purgatorial, like the first half of Casablanca.

Cary Grant...*swoons*

226

The flying scenes are action packed, the setting is exotic, and the characters are interesting. In my opinion, the romance element didn't make much sense, but it was still good.

A pretty enjoyable film, with some good performances all around. The drama doesn't always work right but the film is strong enough that it still gets its point across.

One of Hawks' most endearing and accomplished films, with a fervent heart underneath its beautiful skin.

Hawks' macho-but-not-really paradigm gets the ultimate workout from the equally three-dimensional Cary Grant. If it lacks the political intrigue of Casablanca, it more than surpasses that film in warmth, adventure, plausibility (especially regarding the central romance) and character. A sadly underappreciated classic.

# 245

I couldn't stop thinking how much better it would be with Bogart. Don't get me wrong, I love Cary Grant, this kind of tough-as-nails role isn't suited for him. When Hawks made To Have and Have Not a few years later, it's a very similar movie but with the proper casting of Bogart. However, Jean Arthur is spot on for her part. The plot seems cobbled together from pre-determined scenes, but it's a satisfying adventure story about man's men and their ideals, with a few terrific flying sequences.

Another strong work from Hawks: strong men, adamant women and outstanding dialogs. It even has airoplanes in it - what else one could wish for? A film without faults.

218

Early mix of adventure/drama/comedy that pulls it off exceedingly well with pitch-perfect casting and technique. A classic in the best sense of the word.