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The High and the Mighty

Play trailer Poster for The High and the Mighty 1954 2h 27m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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46% Tomatometer 13 Reviews 59% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
On a flight from Hawaii to California, the engine dies on the plane Dan is flying. As he prepares for a crash landing, the passengers reassess their lives. The template for disaster movies with an Oscar-winning score and a cast list that reads like a who's who of 50s film.
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The High and the Mighty

Critics Reviews

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Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand 02/03/2024
Seen today, this lavish aviation drama falls squarely between Stagecoach and Airport, a large ensemble drama about a mechanical crisis on a Honolulu-to-San Francisco flight where every passenger has a story... Go to Full Review
André Bazin L'Obs (France) 05/26/2022
All of this nullifies any possibility of intellectual depth and is in fact only a foolish privileging of character analysis over any other kind. Go to Full Review
Francois Truffaut Arts (France) 05/06/2022
It is perhaps inappropriate to come down too hard on this movie, which has, despite everything, the advantage of being rather well acted, and which is definitely well directed. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 05/30/2021
3.5/4
A multi-Oscar nominee in its day, underrated today. Go to Full Review
Clyde Gilmour Maclean's Magazine 01/29/2020
There is plenty of tension toward the finish of this widely-read tale...but most of the characters are banal "types," what they say is often uncomfortably corny... Go to Full Review
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 05/03/2007
C+
A forerunner of the disaster movies, this cliche John Wayne blockbuster could be described as Grand Hotel in the Air. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Scott R @ScottR Oct 5 NYT 1000 movies list. A fantastic character study of what people would do stuck in a plane that will crash. Although a bit cheesy at times, it still is original and entertained. Saw on Pluto. See more Jerome O 11/27/2024 Absurd story line with the characters, including big names, acting for the camera instead of from within themselves. Consider the premise of a DC6 flying at only 9,000 feet over the Pacific, and this is before the engine malfunction. The set was as untrustworthy as the engine, with critical parts such as the cockpit visibly wobbling as the actors moved about, and this was also before the engine issue. At minimum they could have used a cutaway of an actual DC6, which was already obsolete in 1954. But here comes a kudo for the Duke. John Wayne looks and acts like the legend he was. As for the other cast members, their acting was as wooden as the set. See more Mark B 07/01/2024 It is interesting from a was this the way flying was. Plan was pretty empty, guy pulls out a pistol and another passenger takes it away and holds it for him. Movie suffers greatly from pacing issues it is 45 minutes too long. You kind of wish they would crash just to shorten the movie. See more Don B 03/07/2023 About an hour into the movie I was kind of hoping the plane would crash so I wouldn't have to watch the rest. A silly overdrawn movie totally unrealistic with lousy music See more 12/27/2021 I absolutely loved this movie. The way you got to know the backgrounds of all the characters on board the plane, their reactions to the imminent crash they were expecting when the engine failed, their relief as they descended from the plane after the pilot made a successful landing. And the little boy who slept through everything! Well acted, great storyline and a film I could watch all over again … and again and again! 10/10 See more steve d 07/21/2020 Some good idea's but it never comes together. See more Read all reviews
The High and the Mighty

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Movie Info

Synopsis On a flight from Hawaii to California, the engine dies on the plane Dan is flying. As he prepares for a crash landing, the passengers reassess their lives. The template for disaster movies with an Oscar-winning score and a cast list that reads like a who's who of 50s film.
Director
William A. Wellman
Producer
Robert Fellows, John Wayne
Screenwriter
Ernest K. Gann
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 3, 1954, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2011
Runtime
2h 27m
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