Bombardier

There is no question as to who is in command of the training of cadets in this film: Major Chick Davis (Pat O'Brien). O'Brien plays an officer who adheres to military discipline in the creation of a new kind of soldier from his cadets--the bombardier. But he is not so rigid as to be unfair or unfriendly. In fact, he even changes his opinion as to the value of women working in the military. He's tough when he has to be, yet at other times he is a clear mix of coach and pastor, roles he perfected in other films. His character is the foundation of the action around which everything revolves. O'Brien seems natural in the role, and plays it in fine fashion. Two things help this movie: O'Brien's performance and the spectacular special effects ending.

This is a typical Hollywood movie made to contribute to the war effort during WWII, using all available means, in this case, cinema. It's a blend of war propaganda to raise awareness of the country's war effort and promote the sale of war bonds, while also serving as a call for new recruits.

For fans of WWII war films, especially those set in the world of aviation, it's undoubtedly an interesting movie. It showcases the training required to become a bombardier, with a focus on precision bombing training, a perspective rarely seen before and not replicated in later films. It can provide a complementary view for fans of the celebrated "12 O'Clock High" series, which omits this training aspect in its production.

The narrative is straightforward and linear, with the actors delivering decent performances without any particular standout.

As always, it's intriguing to watch a movie made during the same period as the events it portrays, as it usually features accurate uniforms and vehicles. However, in this case, it's worth noting that the final mission over Nagoya, depicted in the film, couldn't have been carried out by the B-17 bombers shown because it was beyond the reach of Allied bases in the Pacific. This aspect detracts from the film's credibility in portraying the events. In reality, these planes were later deployed in the Mediterranean theater, where they were used extensively.

One surprising aspect of the film is the clear portrayal of the effort to conceal the Norden bomb sight, a targeting system. In reality, the crews were instructed to destroy it in case of bailout. Yet, the film shows it, which might have been seen by enemies. However, the film doesn't reveal the exact workings of the system, so it might have served as a warning to demoralize the enemy. Lastly, when the pilot orders the crew to bail out due to a control failure, in reality, the manual procedure included attempting to restart the engines as a last resort, something not depicted in the film but done by a crew member who chose not to bail out.

Overall, it's a fairly decent movie with good shots for its time, although it doesn't particularly stand out in terms of cinematic quality.

I wasn't sure at first if I was watching a documentary, propaganda film or dramatic presentation. I guess given the time of production it was a mix of all three.

Admittedly the dramatic plot was somewhat predictable. But you had a sense that there would be some interesting scenes as the movie went on. We were able to witness what appeared to be realistic training regimens and equipment.

Where this movie came together for me was closer to the end. The scenes had a realism (at least as I perceived it) that I haven't encountered often before. You could place yourself in the action and imagine the thoughts of the young combatants. This was mixed in with the usual problems of portraying passable Japanese soldiers at a time when you might think real Japanese actors would be somewhat scarce.

The movie is excellent as a source of the state of the American mindset in 1943 as the war waged with Japan. Also of interest was a dig at the Japanese with respect to the help the USA gave Japan in past years.

There were a lot of films made by Hollywood during the war years that were designed to drum up support for our troops from the public. Seen today, some might dismiss them or just see them as propaganda--which they technically are, but of a positive sort and meant to unify the nation. This film is a pretty effective and entertaining example of the genre--having a pretty realistic script and good production values. Pat O'Brien plays pretty much the same character he played in MANY other films (you know, the tough-talking, hard-driven but "swell guy"). Randolph Scott is, as always, competent and entertaining and the rest of the extras are excellent (look for a young Robert Ryan as one of the bombardiers in training). While the story is reminiscent of several other movies about our pilots and crews, the film is well-crafted enough to make it interesting and not too far-fetched. That it, perhaps, except for the very end--where the film is a bit over-the-top but also VERY satisfying. About the only serious negative, and this is mostly for nitpickers, is that some of the stock footage is somewhat sloppily integrated in the film and "nuts" like me who are both history teachers and airplane lovers will probably notice this--all others probably won't notice.

Pat O'Brien takes his Knute Rockne character and joins the Army Air Corps in Bombardier and he and Randolph Scott have a disagreement as far as air tactics go. Scott wants to do things as they do in the RAF where he's been an observer. Fly in low and drop bombs and avoid being shot at.

O'Brien is more interested in technology. Develop and learn how to use an accurate bombsight so you can be up around 20,000 feet and only have to worry about enemy planes which presumably your fighter escort has to deal with.

But since these guys are friends it's a good natured fight as both are in the business of training bombardiers. Among the familiar faces they train are Eddie Albert and Robert Ryan before both went in the service themselves.

Bombardier is so very dated now, but still entertaining. The advances in technology are light years beyond what O'Brien and Scott are dealing with. Film buffs who are air historians might like it though.