#TheFlightOfThePhoenix (1965) :

A survival drama with a real sense of urgency, but what was that climax anyway?

Robert Aldrich's survival drama has many people stranded in the middle of the desert together. The only escape is to repair the airplane and fly away. But is it possible when they have no food and very little water to survive for about 12-14 days? The film conveys a true sense of urgency with these scenes, but I don't see the logic in the climax. As expected, they should have flown away in the plane, but the way they did it was, in my opinion, foolish. They all grabbed the rods on the wings, and the pilot sat inside an open cockpit while they managed to fly against the wind. How is this even possible? Nonetheless, the rest of the film was quite good, indeed very good. The entire cast performed well. So many talented actors—James Stewart, Richard Attenborough, Peter Finch, Hardy Kruger, Ernest Borgnine, Ian Bannen, Ronald Fraser, Christian Marquand, Dan Duryea, George Kennedy, Alex Montoya, and Barrie Chase—they were all impressive in their roles. The screenplay was engaging, the cinematography was excellent, and the prosthetics and makeup team did a fantastic job, as you can see in the close-up shots. The production design of the airplane parts and the location looked fabulous. It provides a very authentic experience from both a technical perspective and a storytelling standpoint. Robert Aldrich put forth fine efforts as a director, making the film look realistic while still being a cinematic experience at the same time. The runtime could have been shorter by 10-15 minutes, though. This slightly diminishes the excitement, but overall, it's a fantastic film for the survival genre, which has seen many experimental approaches over the years.

RATING - 7/10*

#RobertAldrich #JamesStewart #RichardAttenborough #PeterFinch #HardyKruger #ErnestBorgnine #IanBannen #RonaldFraser #ChristianMarquand #DanDuryea #GeorgeKennedy #AlexMontoya #BarrieChase #MovieReview #FilmReview #OldHollywood #HollywoodMovie #SurvivalDrama
#TheFlightOfThePhoenix