Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      The War Lover

      TV-PG Released Oct 25, 1962 1h 45m War List
      Reviews 47% 500+ Ratings Audience Score In World War II, American bomber pilots Capt. Buzz Rickson (Steve McQueen) and 1st Lt. Ed Boland (Robert Wagner) are stationed at a military base in England. Buzz is a hotshot pilot who consistently demonstrates great bravery -- if not outright cockiness -- in air combat. Ed, on the other hand, is more cautious in his approach and looks up to Buzz as the superior pilot. When both pilots fall for the same girl, Daphne Caldwell (Shirley Anne Field), their comradeship begins to fall apart. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

      View All (4) Critics Reviews
      Roger Moore Movie Nation If this script feels like it pulls its moral, sexual and violent punches, that must have been because screenwriter Howard Koch was up against the mores of the day and a director without the status to push back at studio and star efforts to water it down. Rated: 2/4 May 20, 2022 Full Review Steve Crum Video-Reviewmaster.com Rarely seen McQueen actioner is pretty good. Rated: 3/5 Aug 14, 2007 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Jul 9, 2005 Full Review Carol Cling Las Vegas Review-Journal Rated: 4/5 Sep 3, 2004 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

      View All (26) audience reviews
      camille l N'allez pas chercher de subtilité dans The War Lover. Depuis le titre jusqu'à la dernière image, le film de Philip Leacock présente un duo d'aviateurs de la WWII composé du va-t'en guerre psychopathe Steve McQueen et du plus sympathique et presque anti-militariste Robert Wagner qui se battent pour les bras de Shirley Anne Field. S'il est étonnant de voir à quel point les scènes d'action en avion sont très belles pour cette époque, la romance est parfaitement cousue de fil blanc, sans aucune once de nuance et d'intelligence. Il n'en demeure pas moins que Steve McQueen est parfait dans un rare rôle de salopard, tandis que Robert Wagner lui rend plutôt bien la pareille. The War Lover est un film plutôt sympathique à défaut d'être réellement intéressant. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member The acting is very interesting to watch and McQueen's character is complex enough you want to know more about his background, but you never get it. He is a more seedy kind of Maverick character of Top Gun fame. But the flying is underwhelming. McQueen is the best pilot in the wing until the end of the movie when he is a very stupid pilot. They reused the belly landing from 12 O'Clock High which felt cheap to me. And they blew up a few models which I don't think 12 O'Clock High ever did. Worst of all, the sound for the engines had no low frequency. It was like you'd turned the 50, 500, and 1000 equalizer settings to 0. A B-17 is not a B-17 without the rumble. The best part about the movie was the adorable actress who played Wagner's love interest. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Audience Member A reckless pilot with a love for thrills risks all when his rebellious attitude gets in the way. Given the cast, this should have been so much better. Stock footage, stiff performances and a weak story sinks this one quickly. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review s r Seemed like war propaganda, but it went deeper with McQueen struggling for purpose as a bomber captain. Although he was talented, he was a loose cannon and ended up hurting others. He then redeems himself in a unique way, but after all his risk taking his luck runs out. Daphne had an odd voice, but was pretty. The shots of kings college in Cambridge were also nice. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member I liked this movie the first time I saw it, because it was pretty realistic in the scenes depicting the air war and the Hell that the 8th Air Force B-17s and their crews endured. Buzz was a riveting figure, and the viewer, this one at any rate, devloped a love/hate (mostly hate) relationship with his character. He was a distillation of many of the negative things that make some warriors so great---honed for only one thing, and that is to kill. As a former AF fighter pilot myself, and with an uncle who flew Fortresses in the 8th AF in WWII, I gave this movie high marks for accuracy and character development. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member I watched this when I was a kid, and all I remembered was the climatic scene. Seeing it again, I found it to be a pretty solid story. McQueen and Robert Wagner play off each other well. A throughly enjoyable WWII movie! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

      Photos

      View All The War Lover photos

      The War Lover

      The War Lover (1962) The War Lover (1962) View more photos

      Movie Info

      Synopsis In World War II, American bomber pilots Capt. Buzz Rickson (Steve McQueen) and 1st Lt. Ed Boland (Robert Wagner) are stationed at a military base in England. Buzz is a hotshot pilot who consistently demonstrates great bravery -- if not outright cockiness -- in air combat. Ed, on the other hand, is more cautious in his approach and looks up to Buzz as the superior pilot. When both pilots fall for the same girl, Daphne Caldwell (Shirley Anne Field), their comradeship begins to fall apart.
      Director
      Philip Leacock
      Screenwriter
      Howard Koch
      Distributor
      Columbia Pictures
      Rating
      TV-PG
      Genre
      War
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Oct 25, 1962, Original
      Release Date (DVD)
      May 13, 2003
      Runtime
      1h 45m