(1957)
4
Craig Butler
Not quite as effective as it was when originally released in 1957, Bombers B-52 is still an exciting aviation love story. Its main failing is that Bombers doesn't really know what kind of story it wants to be: A thrilling air adventure? A romantic love story? A drama about a father learning to let go of his daughter? As a result, there's a lack of focus and because director Gordon M. Douglas seems more comfortable with the aircraft sequences, the love story and relationship between father and daughter come off as less involving. Bombers also suffers from its mixture of comedy and drama, which director Douglas fails to handle as deftly as he might, as well as from the "coming together" of Karl Malden and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. that is too baldly manipulative to convince modern audiences. But when Bombers is in its element, offering stunning aerial visuals (especially when capturing the glory of the Egyptian pyramids) or exploring the minutiae that are involved in air force life, it is a vivid and absorbing picture. Zimbalist is merely okay in a role that needs more, but Malden does quite well, despite a tendency to overdo in some of his dramatic scenes. Best performance comes from Natalie Wood, who makes the material seem much more dramatic than it actually is.
cast-crew for Bombers B-52 on AllMovie
Bombers B-52 (1957)
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