picicici Reviews

Once a Thief (1991)

"To Catch a Thief" for the '90s.

[13 July 2001]

Really the best movie ever, which shows the world of the high-class thieves. It has been copied several times since its making. For example the use of the French Riviera for a superb car chase. It reminds me of the "Ronin". Or the play with the invisible laser rays can be compared with the "Entrapment". Finally the stylish ball scene, when Cherie Cheung steals the key of the safe. Is it familiar? For years later in the movie called "True Lies" we can find a similar scene like this. So it's an essential action-comedy, which collects the greatest moments of the movie history ("To Catch a Thief", "Raiders of the Lost Ark") into an endless fun although the funny moments are sometimes a little bit embarrassing. It's still highly recommended.

Julius Caesar (1953)

"Beware the heights of March!"

[6 June 2001]

Shakespeare's plays are very fashionable nowadays, but film-makers only use his stories and adapt them into a teenage movie (e.g. 10 Things I Hate About You). It seems to be very comfortable to them, because they've got the best stories of all time. But it's a shame, that there are no real Shakespeare adaptations anymore (except the ones by Kenneth Branagh). Doesn't matter, we still have got timeless classics like the Joseph L. Mankiewicz's version of 'Julius Ceasar'. He had the best story about intrigue, hatred and revenge, which has ever been written. And he doesn't fail. Whit his stars, like Marlon Brando, John Gielgud, James Mason, Louis Calhern, Greer Garson and Deborah Kerr and with Joseph Ruttenberg's brilliant B&W pictures and Miklós Rózsa's fantastic and pompous music, he made one of the finest Shakespeare adaptation of all time. I have to say, that Joseph Ruttenberg is the ultimate master of the B&W cinema. He has already proved his talent in such films, like 'Mrs. Miniver' (Academy Award) and in 1956 he got another Oscar for 'Somebody Up There Likes Me'. Miklós Rózsa is simply fantastic. Let's speak about the actors! OK, Marlon Brando is mad as always, but in my opinion John Gielgud steals the show with such lines like: 'I do fear of people choose Ceasar for their king.' He is the best Cassius. Greer Garson is beautiful and shows real talent in her minor role as Ceasar's wife. The direction is atmospheric. The scene of Ceasar's murder is very fearful. He says: 'I am constant as the Northern Star.' And the conspirators are all around. WOW! So don't afraid of the year of making: 1953. It's a very modern adaptation. Even Kenneth Branagh couldn't have done it better. Enjoy it!

The Cincinnati Kid (1965)

'You just not ready for me, yet.'

[29 May 2001]

A movie that shows the world of gamblers and card players should be elegant, claustrophobic, decadent, sexy an full of suspense. In 'The Cincinnati Kid' these are mixed in the most delicious way. Set in New Orleans, during the Depression the film tells the story of 'Cincinnati Kid', who wants to be the best card player in the world. He has the opportunity when the best ones get together in New Orleans for a marathon-lenght poker party. It's obvious that the final party would be between The Kid and Lancey Howard (very cool: Edward G. Robinson). It's a fine classic like almost all Steve McQueen-movies. McQueen is the king of cools and the supporting cast is good too. Tuesday Weld is pretty but Ann-Margret is the most seductive chick in town. The cock-fight scene and the final poker party is fantastically photographed and wonderfully edited (by Hal Ashby, who later directed the 'Coming Home'). And the music! Lalo Schifrin is a master and Ray Charles' song is simply fantastic and fits to the set and mood of the movie. The ending is unusual and unpredictable, but in my opinion it's very fair. Norman Jewison must have been liked his actors very much. The only flaw is the women hair-style. But it's an usual thing mostly in the films from the 60s (like 'Doctor Zhivago'). Although it's regarded as a classic, the wide audience don't recognize and respect it - 'You just not ready for me, yet.'

The Thin Red Line (1998)

The Third Masterpiece.

[28 May 2001]

Terrence Malick is definitely not the most plentiful director. He hasn't been directed for 20 years. This is his third movie: Badlands (1973), Days of Heaven (1978) and now The Thin Red Line. The source is fantastic: James Jones' novel. The cinematography is superb (John Toll should have won an Academy Award) and the cast is fine. The film is full of major film stars, but they play only the small parts (John Travolta, George Clooney, John Cusack). They come and go and an hour later appear again somewhere among the stunts. You can't guess who will survive (Woody Harrelson dies very soon). And that's why 'The Thin Red Line' is a fantastic film. In war you can't guess who would survive. If someone makes a mistake, he dies. No matter how important person he is (like Woody). And your life depends on a second. And this second is the difference between life and death. After this second it is decided that you are a survivor or a hero. So, this film is the reality itself. Comparing with the 'Saving Private Ryan' it's definitely more sensitive, more understandable and more interested in the chaos of war and the people in war. To be honest, 'Saving Private Ryan' after the really fantastic opening scene continues as an average, usual and sentimental war movie. But in Malick's masterpiece the human brutality is set against the beauty and peace of nature. Those eye-popping, peaceful nature shots! And the unforgettable moment: the intruders meet the native islander. In my opinion that moment is the essence of the whole film and makes this movie one of best anti-war dramas of all time. I think only Stanley Kubrick's 'The Paths of Glory' (1957) can be compared to it. And don't forget the fantastic performance by Nick Nolte. MAD!!! (Nolte has been deserved an Oscar for a long time.) Very long movie but worth seeing. The most underrated movie of 1998 and the 90's. Should have won several Academy Awards, but 'Shakespeare in Love' and 'Saving Private Ryan' were the major successes of the year (unfortunately). It will become an all-time classic soon. That's for sure. A question: Will Mr. Malick wait 20 years again until he directs his fourth film?

Babette's Feast (1987)

The movie fans' feast.

[20 April 2001]

Delicious. There are very few movies, which are deserve this title. There are classics, cults, Academy Award Winners but delicious movies are very few. "Babette's Feast" is one of them. The watching of this film is not just simply watching, it's a massage for your eyes (Henning Christiansen's pictures of the wild Danish landscapes are exceptionally beautiful) and a feast of your soul. When Babette starts to cook the dinner, she becomes an angel and brightens (there is a reason for this brightening, but watch this movie, I won't tell you the point). And when the movie friends watch this film, they feed their eyes and soul and after the film they become wiser, like Babette. The interior of Babette's kitchen is so intimate and wonderfully photographed, that I wish, that I could have been there during the cooking. And the foods! The food called "bird in the sarcofage" is the most extraordinary food that ever been made and there are parallels between Babette's life and these birds. She buries and mourns these small and breakable creatures, like she has mourned her children. It seems morbid, but believe me, it's poetic. Babette is not suitable for that conservative community, where she lives in. But she fights for her freedom and happiness, which she left behind in France. Her dinner is the proclamation of her freedom. And this film is the proclamation of the European Movie, which survives every difficulties, like Babette. As you see this film is not just the simple story of a dinner, it's more. Think about it, after you finished watching the movie. Don't refuse it like the villagers try to refuse the dinner and they proclaim that they would not taste it, just eat it. Don't refuse this movie. Once André Bazin said: "... the film is like the ushrette's little lamp, which light, like a meteor, orbits around the screen, where is no space and limit, and passes over the night of our wakened dreamt dreams." (it's not a literary translation). This masterpiece is like this.

Limbo (I) (1999)

Find your destiny!

[19 April 2001]

Some people have to travel to the end of the world to find his or her destiny, some people find it at home. Some people live in harmony and in family, some people wandering and remain lonely all of their lives. The main characters of this movie are lonely, sad people but you fall in love with them at first sight. The set up is wonderful. In the first hour we can see the life of the people of Alaska. The life is very hard here but the fishermen, the factory workers fight for the survive. At first sight they seem to be losers and at second sight, too. Joe Gastineau (played by the wonderful David Strathairn) was the hope of the local basketball team, but he has had a break in his life and he is a human wreck since then. He meets the singer Donna De Angelo (Mary Elisabeth Mastrantonio - never been better) and her daughter, Noelle (the new talent: Vanessa Martinez). They fall in love and these three people find their destiny at the end of the world. Deep feelings set in hard, unbearable locations. John Sayles is a real talent. His film is a very good drama and a very good thriller, one of the best film of 1999. You want to refuse this film because it's very hard to watch, but if you start to watch it you can't turn it off until the very end of the film. I say 'the very end' because you can hear Bruce Springsteen's "Lift Me Up" during the end titles. Listen it, because it's a very good song. I don't want to say more about the story, because I don't want to spoil the experience. The end is as good as the end of the "Los amantes del Círculo Polar". Check it! Beautiful.

Amadeus (1984)

Two geniuses: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Milos Forman

[12 April 2001]

When Forman left Europe in 1968 he was a quite famous Eastern-European director mostly among the young because of his early masterpieces like: 'The Firemen's Ball' (1967) and 'The Loves of a Blonde' (1966). But when he arrived to the United States, he was just a young Eastern-European director and he had to prove his talent what he did in the 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' (1976) and 'Hair' (1979). He was one of the biggest and most appreciated director of Hollywood in 1984. This year he decided to make a movie about the life of Wolgang Amadeus Mozart. He decided to go back to Prague and make the film in his homeland, which he left 16 years ago. So this film is not just a fabulous film about Mozart but very important in Forman's life, because he could return back to his home, which was still suffering from the communist tyranny that time. And this detail is so essential in an Eastern-European people's life, because only we, the Eastern-Europeans, can understood that how hard the life of a Czech, Hungarian or Polish people is, if they have to leave their country. He decided to shoot in Prague instead of Vienna or Budapest, because in Vienna there are lot of modern buildings and in Budapest the communication possibilities weren't good enough that time and the price was too high. The Habsburg Empire flourished at the dusk of the 18th century, it was one of the biggest and most powerful empire in Europe. At this decadent time Mozart becomes the most applauded composer of Vienna. He was the indispensable guest of the huge and fabulous balls. Soon he becomes the reason of the intrigues of the royal palace, and the object of Salieri's jealousy. Salieri's (the royal composer) feelings about Mozart are very complex, because in one hand he hates Mozart because of his childishness, but on the other hand he admires him because of his talent. He can't get rid of this complexity all of his life even in the asylum (the pictures of the asylum are very strong, brutal disgusting but beautiful). This rivalry is noticeable between the two actors, F. Murray Abraham (Salieri) and Tom Hulce (Mozart). They were both nominated for the Best Actor Oscar but this time F. Murray 'Salieri' Abraham won. Tom Hulce's performance is also outstanding and he should have won an Academy Award too. This was the hardest decision in the history of the Oscar and nobody could have made a right decision. The costumes and the set design are also terrific. And the cinematography! Miroslav Ondricek is considered to be one of the best cinematographer since his early collaborations with Forman. And he got the Academy Award and became one of the most appreciated cinematographer in Hollywood and made such film like: 'Awakenings' (1989), 'Valmont' (1988) etc. When geniuses meet the result of their collaboration is a masterpiece. And this time that's happened. It's an essential movie of the 80s, all-time classic and the best of Milos Forman's.

Cows (1992)

The Eyes.

[10 April 2001]

Since 'Los Amantes del Círculo Polar' (1998), Julio Medem has been in my good books. This is one of his earlier masterpiece and I think this is one of the most powerful European movie in the 1990s, but very underrated, maybe because the Basque region (where the film sets) is not very popular nowadays. But if you watch this film, you will realize that those people are just like us with human feelings (fear, love, courage) and you will tolerate them. The only thing to do is to look into their eyes and you will understand that these people have been suffer and fight for freedom for centuries. Julio Medem is the most sophisticated and most sensitive contemporary Spanish director and in lot of aspects his works are much better than Almodóvar's and Saura's films because his style is cleared-out. This film is only 91 minutes long but it covers the story of two rival families from 1875 till 1936 so the story is very tense. But in my opinion if someone knows what he wants to say, he can say it in short and says the entity. Medem says the entity. The scenes of the woodsmen contest is one of the most thrilling and exciting scene what I've ever seen. The cinematography and the music are also superb it's full of surprising cinematographical solutions, like in the 'Los Amantes...'.

Check this film, you won't be disappointed and you will find a real treasure and become a fan of Julio Medem. 100%

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

James Cagney's best?

[9 April 2001]

I watched this movie because it is said to be James Cagney's best performance. Who said this? What about the 'White Heat' (1949)? I don't say that he isn't good in this film, because it wouldn't be true. He's great as always and maybe deserved his Academy Award, but if this is an Academy Award Winning performance than he has got several others, which he should have won an Academy Award for. This is a typical flag-waving propaganda film about George M. Cohan who has written such songs like: 'Over There' etc. There are some beautiful sceneries in the film (hooray for James Wong Howe!) and fantastic dance ensembles (great choreography!). The first half of the movie is much better (the life of the vaudeville performers), the WWI scenes are sometimes embarrassing. I have to say, this is not a typical James Cagney-movie, it's interesting to check this film, just because of Cagney's dancing style (WOW!!!). All in all, there are advantages and disadvantages of this film. Don't take it so seriously, enjoy the music, dancing, pictures, the presentation of the 'vaudeville era' and last but not least James Cagney.

Sergeant York (1941)

Hooray for Gary Cooper.

[3 April 2001]

The worst war movies were made during the war, but the best ones too. This seems to be a paradoxity but if we think a little bit about this statement we find that this is obvious. If we compare the bad war films with the good ones we find only one difference, but this difference is fundamental: the matter of the actors. And Gary Cooper is a great actor. His personality guarantees the standard high quality all over the movie. He plays a farmer from Tennessee who wants to guarantee a comfortable life for himself and his love (beautiful: Joan Leslie) but the United States declares war to Germany and he has to enlist to the army. The first half of the movie is full of eye-popping black-and-white sceneries and great, laughable characters and situations. I love the character of George York (Alvin York's younger brother, played by Dickie Gibson) the most. That scene is so cool where he finds Alvin at the bar, which is settled on the border of Tennessee and Kentucky, and forces his brother to go home. He has a big gun in his hands for safety sake. These people are simple farmers, they live in peace and harmony, don't care much about the rest of the world (they don't even heard about the World War), they live by the rules of the Bible.

There is a great battle scene at the second half of the movie. Alvin realizes that the war is similar to the turkey hunting, kills lot of German soldiers and becomes a national hero and the most decorated American soldier of the WWI. This film is great because it's lack of unnecessary patriotism and heroism. It's about the duty we have to fulfill because there are situations in life when our personal happiness is less important than the freedom of others. Alvin C. York realizes this and goes to a war against a country which he has never heard of and protects people whom he has never met. That's why he is a great man. And when he fulfilled his duty he goes home to the well-earned peace and comfort. And when Gary Cooper fulfilled his duty and gave a superb performance as Alvin York, he got the well-earned Academy Award for the Best Actor.

Mrs. Miniver (1942)

Just the bravest women can survive it.

[2 April 2001]

A duty to fulfill... The faith to keep... The fear to face with... A family to keep together... A man to love... A life to fight for... These are the things that women have to do during the war. Recently I saw two great war films from the same period, which are represent the different sides of the war: Sergeant York (1941) and Mrs. Miniver (1942). It was interesting to compare the two films with each other. 'Sergeant York' is about the men's side, 'Mrs. Miniver' is about the women's side of the war. I have to say that 'Mrs. Miniver' is the best war movie ever, however it's not definetely a 'real' war movie. It's about the life behind the lines, how women keep their families together. Sometimes life is harder there than on the battlefields, because women worry about their husbands and sons and have to care about the children. It's the fight for everyday life.

After the nostalgic, sometimes boring scenes at the beginning (boring, because life is sometimes boring in peace), the film turns into a nightmare. The psychology of the war behind the lines is wonderfully represented. This film deserved every single Academy Award which it got. It's full of wonderful performances: Greer Garson, Teresa Wright, Walter Pidgeon and Henry Travers. The screenplay is beautiful it's full of great lines and dialogues, for example when Greer Garson and Teresa Wright are speaking about the happiness and that we have to be happy even in these days and we have enough time to cry if we lost our love. At the end of the film the preacher asks a question: Why have innocent women, children and old people to be sacrificied in the war? But he fails the answer. The real answer is that this is the war, war is about sacrificing the innocence. That's the only thing what this film fails. UNFORGETTABLE SCENE: When thousands of small boats are getting together and the big ship orders them and the destination is: Dunquerque.

Shaft (1971)

Cool!!!

[27 March 2001]

Nasty, violent, vulgar, sexy, hot...perfect. This is BLAXPLOITATION! I haven't seen the Samuel L. Jackson-version but I don't even interested in it because Richard Roundtree is the best. He's mean, brutal and not obviously standing on the right side. He's a private-eye and hasn't any moral problems with working to the mob. He is hired by the head of the mob, whose daughter was kidnapped, and Shaft finds himself in the line of the fire. You can guess, that there are lot of actions, good women (he's definitely not the best husband at all...). I've heard a lot about this film before, I saw the two sequels (Shaft's Big Score /1972/ and Shaft in Africa /1973/) first, so I knew what to expect. And I wasn't disappointed. And the music!!! Isaac Hayes is a God! He deserved his Oscar for the Best Song in 1971. It's the essence of the whole film. I've never seen another film where the music and the film was in better harmony than in this one. The whole soundtrack is perfect too. You can think over the film again while you're listening the music. So, if you want to watch a great 1970's crime and action movie, 'Shaft' is what you're looking for. 100%

Gone with the Wind (1939)

Great, but not my personal favourite.

[26 March 2001]

It's very hard to write about this film, because in one hand it's really one of the greatest film, but on the other hand I don't like this film very much and not my personal favourite. I have to appreciate its place in the movie history, the great achievements in cinematography and special effects (matte painting) and the performances by Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. The thing, I don't like about this film is the story. It's full of sentimentalism, propagandizes conservative thoughts and behaviours and simply too long. But it's interesting to watch the film just because of the cinematography. Every pictures, every moments were so beautiful and eye-popping. It made the whole movie like a dream and so unreal. The use of colours, shades, contrasts. And Ernest Haller keeps the quality at the same level along the whole movie. And the level is perfect. Never could anyone reach it again. It's an interesting fact, that he photographed 'Jezebel', the other Southern epic, one year before. It was made in black-and-white and he could catch the mood of the South so well, that the only man who could made 'Gone with the Wind' was him. The scene of the burning of Atlanta is an essential scene in the movie history and a landmark in the action-photography. David O.Selznick was a talented economist too, because it was a great idea to burn down old sets in front of the cameras and put it in the movie as 'the burning of Atlanta'. No one wondered that 'the gate of King Kong' was in Atlanta. The other great thing is the set design. I was surprised, that how perfectly have the matte painting technic been used in this relatively early movie. Clark Gable is perfect as Rhett Butler. I think, that he was more believable than Robert Donat, who got the Academy Award for the Best Actor in 1939, in 'Goodbye, Mr. Chips'. Vivien Leigh is the only Scarlett O'Hara. The casting procedure and the hysteria across the United States was something what has never been before and never happened since then. And it was a huge fortune, that Selznick found Leigh at the last minute, because only one producer suggested her to the role. The background of the film is almost as interesting as the movie itself (three directors but only one credited, lot of versions of the screenplay and the most important: Hattie McDaniel was the first Afro-American actress, who got the Best Supporting Actress Oscar). All in all it's a great, landmarking picture from my favourite period of movie history, one of the biggest success of all time and got 8 Academy Awards.

A Patch of Blue (1965)

Hidden treasure

[8/10 · 23 March 2001]

I've never heard of this film before and as far as I know it hasn't been broadcasted in Hungary yet. It's a shame, because it's a very fine romantic drama and far the best movie about the world of blind people. I could watch it on Turner Classic Movies. So it was a hidden treasure for me, like a pearl at the bottom of the ocean. Although I don't know, why hasn't been broadcasted in my country yet, because Sidney Poitier and Shelley Winters are well known actors in Hungary too. Nevermind, I'm happy that I could watch it. Elisabeth Hartman was fantastic, I can't imagine, why was she forgotten so fast, she was a real talent. That scene, where she imagines that she's playing and running in the park is fantastic. She is hiding behind the tree from the camera. The camera is looking for her, playing with her, so the viewer becomes a participant of the film. Robert Burks is a genius. In conclusion it's a modern classic with a great story, sensitive direction, great acting (fortunately no overacting), good message and music (by Jerry Goldsmith). I highly recommend it and encourage every Hungarian movie fan to check this great movie, because it would be fantastic if more and more people could watch it in Hungary too. It would teach everybody for more tolerance and we really need it.

Lovers of the Arctic Circle (1998)

Spiritual, surprising movie

[9/10 · 22 March 2001]

Your love's mother gets married to your father, she becomes your sister and you grow up together as brother and sister. What a story!!! And Julio Medem is a great director who made a very good film from this story. The movie is full of original ideas, this uncommon relationship requires an uncommon way of telling. The story builts up from mosaics so it keeps you interested in until the last minute because you have to put the pieces in order for yourself. It's a fantastic idea that we can only see the children (Otto and Ana) at the back seat of the parents' car going to school. They don't meet each other for years just at the car and they don't even talk to each other because their love is so deep and spiritual that words are unnecessary. Just secret touches, stolen moments. When the teenager Otto moves to his father's and stepmother's house because he wants to be next to Ana, they become real lovers. The first night together, when their spiritual love becomes physical, is a so gentle, innocent and discovering journey into the world of sexuality, that never been better put on screen before. The next scenes, where we can see them as secret lovers hiding from the parents are so beautiful that the last one hour, when Otto leaves Ana and works as a pilot and they don't meet for years, is one of the most sorrowful one hour in the film history. They are crossing each other's lines, but they never meet, and it causes a physical pain to the viewer. During these years they're getting to know more about themselves and their family, relationships, have some accidental meetings. Finally, years after they meet... The ending is as unusual as the whole movie, Julio Medem had enough talent to make a good ending which is the biggest risk of the movies - and he doesn't fail, leaves some doors open, because life doesn't finish, when curtain goes down. Full of surprises, one of the best film of the 90s. I highly recommend it to everyone who is tired of pink, unrealistic romantic films, and wants to see a really good, modern romantic film.

Ryan's Daughter (1970)

Sadly forgotten beautiful epic.

[22 March 2001]

It's one of the most underrated, but one of the most beautiful epic that ever put on screen. It's directed by David Lean, who made 'The Bridge on the River Kwai', 'Lawrence of Arabia' and 'Doctor Zhivago' before and this film ranks up with his previous works. I can only write about this film in superlatives. Foremost the photography - another excellent work by Freddie Young - honoured with an Academy Award, and the acting by John Mills, who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his outstanding performance as the dumb fisherman. But I would have awarded Sarah Miles (she's "just" nominated for the Best Actress Oscar). Robert Mitchum has never been better, he fills the widow village teacher's character with life. Also great performances by the supporting cast - the aged Trevor Howard as the priest, and Ryan, the two-faced village pub owner, who risks his daughter's life when the villagers abusing her. It's one of the most disgusting character I've ever seen. Robert Bolt's original screenplay is also one of the most complex story I've ever seen. It' as good as the screenplay of 'Doctor Zhivago' which was honoured with an Academy Award and also written by Robert Bolt. This is a film about an outstanding love at an unbearable period of history between an English officer and an Irish woman. It's about sensitivity, courage, hope, admiring and collaborating. The story is so complex, that it's almost impossible to summarize in few words, so I would like to draw the attention to some WONDERFUL scenes: the love scene between the two young lovers, full of symbols and sensitively photographed. It's the most poetic love scene ever. The other beautiful scene is when Robert Mitchum finds his wife's and her lover's footsteps in the beach sand, follows them, imagines what could have happened between the two lovers and becomes sure, that his wife has got another man in her life. And finally of course the storm scene, when the villagers try to save the weapons from the stormy sea. This enormously powerful scene with those poetic scenes above are my favourites in the movie, but the whole movie is full of wonderful scenes and the 3 hours long film remains a religious experience until the last minute.

Last but not least I have to mention the score which can be explained perfectly in 4 words: made by Maurice Jarre. Could be jungle, desert, Russian winter or wild Irish landscapes David Lean always knew how to use these locations to tell his stories. It's pity, that he didn't make any movies until 1984, because of the bad critics. Waste of talent and genius.

Objective, Burma! (1945)

One of the best combat films but has some flaws!

[22 March 2001]

First I've read about this film on the IMDb. It was highly recommended, so I watched it on Turner Classic Movies and I wasn't disappointed. I think, this is one of best the WWII combat films, I liked it better than 'Saving Private Ryan'. I have to say, that I don't like war movies very much and I hate patriotism, pacifism and stupid heroism. I was a little bit worried before I sat down to watch this movie because of the year of the making (1945). It's just the end of the WWII, so I excepted those characteristics above. Fortunately my expectations weren't right thanks to the directing skills of Raoul Walsh and the the fine cast, Errol Flynn foremost. Raoul Walsh is one of the best directors of the 1940s, I like his works ('They Died with Their Boots On' the other with Errol Flynn, and the 'White Heat' with the superb James Cagney). Errol Flynn is great as always. I have to mention the great editing (Academy Award Nominee) and the photography by James Wong Howe. They used original archive footage for some aerial scenes, but it wasn't as embarrassing as in the 'Memphis Belle'. However it has some flaws. The biggest is that the Japanese are just a big cruel mass, they aren't characterised, they are just killing machines.

All in all it's a good film with great action scenes so I can recommend it to anyone who likes war films.