Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      Flight Commander

      1930 1h 48m War List
      100% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 71% Audience Score 100+ Ratings Two World War I British pilots (Richard Barthelmess, Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) fight the Germans their way, not their commander's (Neil Hamilton). Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

      View All (5) Critics Reviews
      Richard Brody New Yorker Young recruits are sent airborne toward certain death, but Hawks locates a strange joy in their grim fate. Sep 8, 2014 Full Review Tim Brayton Alternate Ending Uses dialogue in a surprising, even radical way, and that's directly related to the queasy emotional experience it generates overall. Rated: 4/5 Jun 2, 2022 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Retains a certain power because of its great aerial footage. Rated: B- Apr 26, 2013 Full Review Fernando F. Croce CinePassion A thoroughgoing blueprint for Hawksian valor Jan 21, 2013 Full Review Donald J. Levit ReelTalk Movie Reviews Howard Hawks's compact economy and avoidance of stylistic razzle-dazzle allowed for concentration on storytelling, to great effect. Aug 1, 2010 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

      View All (11) audience reviews
      Steve D A real downer but powerful stuff. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 12/24/23 Full Review Louisa E I enjoyed the story of this movie and the ending was great. I have seen this movie before but not this version; I saw the 1938 version. I didn't like the acting unfortunately and it was slow to get to the point but I loved the singing bit and when the Captain says goodbye to Scotto. But the plot was fantastic and that is why it gets the score it does. 6.98/10. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/08/23 Full Review David K The strength of this version of the film are the aerial stunts. They are timeless. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/02/23 Full Review brad h Way OVERRATED. Boring and full of clichés. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member I think I'd seen this decades ago as it was Late Show fare on TV for ages. I saw the 1938 remake entitled "The Dawn Patrol" recently. My recollection was that the original was a better film, but upon reviewing it I see that the acting in the leads wasn't as good as Flynn, Rathbone, and Niven were. The performances here are laughably wooden, barely an improvement over the silent film era that had just ended. I caught one or two places where the dialog is interrupted in mid-sentence as if the actor had momentarily forgotten the line, but the director didn't shoot another take. This had originally been titled "The Dawn Patrol," too, but was retitled after the 1938 remake. I'd say the only thing done better here is that they didn't show the fliers swilling down quite as much straight liquor as in the remake. A side-by-side comparison between the two films shows the technical advances made in movie production over an eight year span. Most of the aerial footage and special effects footage of the original were taken intact for the remake, so that one is just as hokey as this one once our cast is airborne. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member The Troubles facing a WW 1 British flying squadron with a high casualty rate. It's a conventional war movie that's rough around the edges as an early talkie, but has strong character work especially from Fairbanks, Barthelmess, and Hamilton. The film could use a score to enhance the experience but there are two fantastic action sequences with stunning aerial photography and stunts, particularly the raid on the German camp. The handing over of power to a new commanding officer is an interesting device that I don't think I've seen explored in another film. A few bad performances and an over reliance on clunky exposition. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

      Photos

      View All Flight Commander photos

      Flight Commander

      Flight Commander (1930) Flight Commander (1930) Flight Commander (1930) Flight Commander (1930) View more photos

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Two World War I British pilots (Richard Barthelmess, Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) fight the Germans their way, not their commander's (Neil Hamilton).
      Director
      Howard Hawks
      Production Co
      First National Pictures
      Genre
      War
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Nov 20, 2016
      Runtime
      1h 48m
      Most Popular at Home Now