Twelve O'Clock High

TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH (U)

D: Henry King

20th Century Fox (Darryl F. Zanuck)

US 1949

132 mins

War/Drama

W: Sy Bartlett & Beirne Lay, Jr.

DP: Leon Shamroy

Ed: Barbara McLean

Mus: Alfred Newman

Gregory Peck (Brig. Gen. Frank Savage), Hugh Marlowe (Lt. Col. Ben Gately), Gary Merrill (Col. Keith Davenport), Millard Mitchell (Maj. Gen. Pritchard), Dean Jagger (Maj. Harvey Stovall), Robert Arthur (Sgt. McIllhenny)

Gregory Peck stars as a hard-as-nails Air Force general who takes command of a bomber unit whose members are suffering from low morale and bad attitudes. He soon whips them into shape with his strict disciplinary measures and they ultimately become a proud military force who contribute considerably in an air battle against the German Luftwaffe. 

It's fair to say that film is very much a product of its time, heralding great acts of bravery in the years following World War II. Technically, the film is very well made for its time, using real life footage in addition to special visual effects for its action-packed climax. A handful of the performances are also very strong, especially from Gregory Peck and Dean Jagger.

7/10