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Desperate Journey

Play trailer Poster for Desperate Journey 1942 1h 47m War Play Trailer Watchlist
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67% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 70% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
A Royal Air Force bomber with a mission to destroy a rail line crash-lands in Germany after the commanding pilot is shot. The surviving crew, led by Flight Lt. Terry Forbes (Errol Flynn) and including Johnny Hammond (Ronald Reagan) and Jed Forest (Arthur Kennedy), flee the plane as it explodes, but German soldiers capture them and place them in a prison camp. Terry's ability to speak German provides the men a way to overcome the guards and attempt a cross-country escape fraught with peril.

Critics Reviews

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Tom Milne Time Out 01/26/2006
Aside from some expendable propaganda heroics, rousingly handled by Walsh. Go to Full Review Dave Kehr Chicago Reader 01/01/2000
Instinctive existentialism of a very high order, and a very entertaining adventure (1942). Go to Full Review Aurelio Pego Cine-Mundial 09/19/2019
If I summarize the plot, the movie may seem mediocre, but it has enthusiastic performances and it is very pleasant. [Full Review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 06/26/2015
C+
A rousing Hollywood propaganda World War II adventure film. Go to Full Review Michael E. Grost Classic Film and Television 01/31/2010
Lively adventure. Go to Full Review TV Guide 06/13/2008
2.5/4
Desperate Journey was viewed at the time of its release as a ludicrous, comic-strip war adventure. That view has only been strengthened over the years. Go to Full Review Read all reviews
Desperate Journey

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Cast & Crew

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Raoul Walsh

Director

Errol Flynn

Flight Lt. Terrence "Terry" Forbes

Ronald Reagan

Flying Officer Johnny Hammond

Raymond Massey

Major Otto Baumeister

Nancy Coleman

Kaethe Brahms

Alan Hale

Flight Sergeant Kirk Edwards

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Desperate Journey

Desperate Journey (1942) Desperate Journey (1942) Desperate Journey (1942) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A Royal Air Force bomber with a mission to destroy a rail line crash-lands in Germany after the commanding pilot is shot. The surviving crew, led by Flight Lt. Terry Forbes (Errol Flynn) and including Johnny Hammond (Ronald Reagan) and Jed Forest (Arthur Kennedy), flee the plane as it explodes, but German soldiers capture them and place them in a prison camp. Terry's ability to speak German provides the men a way to overcome the guards and attempt a cross-country escape fraught with peril.
Director
Raoul Walsh
Producer
Hal B. Wallis
Screenwriter
Arthur T. Horman
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Genre
War
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 25, 1942, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 31, 2016
Runtime
1h 47m
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