Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Edwin The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

BasicLogic Lots of small talks, smiles, no ranking comrade crap, bad acting and most of all, horrible laughable childish screenplay with annoying unnecessary dialog between and among these air force guys. this is the film shot in 1942 or 1943, a very unrealistic WWII propaganda film, but I do not share the least blind and/or patriotic praises that most of the viewer contributed in IMDb, yet I completely agreed with those few reviewers who gave the lowest and the least ratings on this lousy film. There's nothing worth praising for this childish film, it's a big laugh if compares it to those real serious WWII films. I kept shaking my head during watching this pathetic film. An Oscar? What a joke! It only made the Oscar itself like a joke and completely lost its authenticity of awarding the best films for any category. What a lousy film, one of the worst WWII B/W war films.

evanston_dad I imagine "Air Force" will more likely be enjoyed by World War II and/or aviation enthusiasts than it will be by casual moviegoers. There's a lot of shop talk in the film about bombers, and it's almost as much about the impressive power of warplanes specifically as it is the United States Air Force in general. A sort of day in the life of Air Force soldiers, it chronicles the adventures of a bomber crew who show up in Hawaii just after it has been bombed by the Japanese and then are sent on to various missions by military brass. It's a propaganda film like so many of the films that came out during WWII, but it's an uncharacteristically dark one and its predominant mood is one of weariness and exhaustion, which makes sense given its year of release (1943).In addition to its nomination for Best Original Screenplay, "Air Force" won the 1943 Oscar for Film Editing, probably for a couple of impressive dog fights that had to have influenced George Lucas when filming the Tie Fighter vs. Millennium Falcon space battle in "Star Wars." It also was nominated for its black and white aerial cinematography and its special effects.I mostly found "Air Force" to be unengaging, but I did appreciate its subdued tone and its depiction of the men serving in WWII as strung out, sleep deprived and riddled with personal anxiety. It's a nice contrast to the rah-rah patriotism of so many other war films of the time period.Grade: B

MovieMan66 The emotional content of the subject matter--WW2 post-bombing of Pearl Harbor seems to be the major reason for high ratings for 'Air Force'. A very slow moving and boring movie with some excellent technical and special effects and photography. The story line is very sparse and the actors seem to be groping around for depth in their rather one-dimensional characters. Oddly, it was nominated for, but didn't get, an Oscar for Best Writing and Original Screenplay. This aberration can be understood as being a tip of the hat to the spirit of the times.Air Force won an Oscar for best editing in 1944 beating other nominees Casablanca, Five Graves to Cairo, For Whom the Bell Tolls and the Song of Bernadette. This was a consolation prize for a movie that could not be ignored but didn't quite make the grade. Excluding Five Graves to Cairo, the 3 other nominees in the best editing category got Oscars in other categories. Other films nominated for Oscars in 1944 are in an entirely different class. Casablanca got the best film Oscar, and others in the running for Best Picture were Heaven Can't Wait, For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Ox-Bow Incident, Phantom of the Opera, Madam Curie. These are giants of the screen. No matter how high it flies in the ratings, Air Force doesn't quite measure up either in the company of these other films or on a comparative or stand-alone basis.

wes-connors On December 6, 1941, a group of nine Air Force men assemble for a what is hinted to be a secret mission; they board a B-17 named "Mary-Ann" in San Francisco, and take off for Honolulu. Pilot John Ridgely (as "Irish"), co-pilot Gig Young (as Bill), bombardier Arthur Kennedy (as Tommy), navigator Charles Drake (as "Monk"), crew chief Harry Carey (as Robbie), assistant crew chief George Tobias (as Weinberg), radio operator Robert Wood (as Peterson), assistant radio operator Ray Montgomery (as Chester), and aerial gunner John Garfield (as Joe Winocki) hear "Japs" on their radio, while flying over the Pacific Ocean. Yes, they are headed to Hawaii as the treacherous Japanese are attacking Pearl Harbor! Upon landing, the crew tour the demolished United States base. After hearing the cries of a blinded child, they visit a wounded woman who is both Mr. Kennedy's sister and Mr. Young's girlfriend. The men listen to president Franklin D. Roosevelt ask Congress to declare WAR as they, joined by James Brown (as Tex Rader), head for action in Manila, Philippines. Howard Hawks' "Air Force" is a mostly exciting, well-produced World War II propaganda film; director Hawks effectively inserts actual wartime footage. The characters do not turn out to be as interesting or diverse as you're led to believe; but, they serve their purpose well. With guys like these, those Japanese invaders never stood a chance!****** Air Force (2/3/43) Howard Hawks ~ John Garfield, Gig Young, Arthur Kennedy