Fighter Squadron

This war movie is filled with cliches but redeemed by great color documentary footage of air battles so superbly edited and integrated that--for once--the fighter missions actually make sense instead of looking like a random series of kills. Raoul Walsh's keeps things moving, stopping just long enough to highlight the bonds of comrades in war. The whole cast is good, but Tom D'Andrea as the cagey comic sergeant and Henry Hull as the crusty old general give particularly good performances.

"Fighter Squadron" presents a plot centered on contrasting command styles, peppered with acts of heroism depicted as the key to triumph. It explores the dichotomy of stringent regulations for certain characters while others navigate loopholes. Despite the skillful storytelling, the film ultimately falls short of rising above mediocrity.

Fighter Squadron (1948) is more about the dynamic between the pilots than the combat itself. In some ways that feels economic, and I'm not sure the chemistry was the best I've seen in such a fighter pilot feature. There was still a lot of personality here, such as Robert Stack, who was probable my favorite in this one, Edmond O'Brien and Tom D'Andrea, giving the characters life. And it felt like this mostly was designed to give them screen time to get noticed. A showcase, almost a screen test.