Air Force

One of the finest American propaganda films produced during WWII, AIR FORCE fits perfectly into the canon of its director, Howard Hawks. A filmmaker who excels at portraying group action, Hawks tells the story of the "Mary Ann," a B-17 bomber, and its crew. While there is much here the viewer may find offensive (notably the predictable anti-"Jap" rhetoric), Hawks's mesmerizing direction and the assured and emotional performances of the cast, especially Garfield and Carey, draw the viewer in. Though by now beginning to date, Nichols's screenplay is powerful, with dialogue that is both meaningful and believable. The film earned Academy Award nominations for its scrip...