Rating: Summary: When the soup hits the fan? Review: Ok, it pretty hokey & is one of John Wayne lesser efforts. But the aerial shots are superior. Janet Leigh is a luscious Ruskie spy. John Wayne is a leering Air Force pilot. She gets naked for him, but you'll have to use your imagination.
Dumb plot. Apparently the word "sex" hadn't been invented in 1950. It's Howard Hughes week & this is his movie. Great pilot & once again the shots of the F-86's in the air are excellent. A great movie maker? Not.
Rating: Summary: bi-polar rating Review: As noted by others, the wonderful aerial scenes, including a sequence with actual flying footage of the Bell X-1, plus all the shots of Korean War-vintage aircraft, make this movie more than worthwhile for aviation buffs (especially knowing that Chuck Yeager participated in the flying). Most of this is original footage shot for 'Jet Pilot' -- with the cooperation of the USAF; no grainy stock shots, minimal fake process shots. If one can overcome the ludicrous story and dramatics, its jaw-dropping badness can become entertaining (consider the 'atomic-powered' fighter jets which can fly all over the northern hemisphere without refueling!).
Of interest to military buffs in this 1950 movie (having a delayed 1957 theatrical release) is the mix of brown and blue uniforms for Air Force personnel, the brown uniforms being a hold-over from AAF days. As an independent service the Air Force probably was less than three years old when 'Jet Pilot' was filmed.
For cinema/home theatre buffs, note that because 'Jet Pilot' was made in 1950, it was NOT filmed NOR framed for widescreen, so for its 1957 release it would have been illegitimately cropped at the top and bottom to achieve a widescreen effect during theatrical projection. The DVD letterbox bands simulate this effect, but the authentic video framing should be 1.33:1, which corresponds to the full 1.37:1 Academy frame used in production.
Paul Frees has an amazingly energetic bit part.
Five stars for aerial sequences, four stars for historical interest, zero stars for cinema/dramatics, three stars for entertainment value.
Rating: Summary: 5 Stars for the Magnificent Flying Scenes....ONLY! Review: I have to agree with the previous reviews, if you love the F-86 and other airplanes from that era, you will truly enjoy the flying scenes in this film. They alone, make it worth owning. It is true that Howard Hughs' passion for flight comes through loud and clear. This film makes you want to run out to the nearest airport and take off on your own. The story line makes no sense at all, but for the pure love of flight...it's worth adding to your library!
Rating: Summary: 5 Stars for the Magnificent Flying Scenes....ONLY! Review: I have to agree with the previous reviews, if you love the F-86 and other airplanes from that era, you will truly enjoy the flying scenes in this film. They alone, make it worth owning. It is true that Howard Hughs' passion for flight comes through loud and clear. This film makes you want to run out to the nearest airport and take off on your own. The story line makes no sense at all, but for the pure love of flight...it's worth adding to your library!
Rating: Summary: Good movie, not-so-good DVD Review: Jet Pilot is a good John Wayne film, co-starring Janet Leigh (Psycho) You can tell Wayne is comfortable in his role as Col. James Shannon. Leigh is as beautiful as ever as a Russian pilot, she and Wayne fall in love, but later on General Black reveals shes a spy. Sounds like a good movie... ...BUT, this DVD is jumpy, and has a pink circle pop up in the left corner about every 15 seconds. It doenst supprise me though, Goodtimes home video (who released this DVD) has never released a high quility movie. They are recorded in LP mode and have a high pitched squeal in them. I give this movie 4/5 stars, but the DVD is a 3/5 If you want this movie I sugest you buy the VHS it is also Goodtimes video, but it doesnt bother you as much.
Rating: Summary: Jet Pilot is A-OK Review: Plot not so hot, but it is John Wayne as you'd expect it. The price of admission is worthwhile just for the '50s airplanes including the x-1 being liftted by a B-29
Rating: Summary: Fantastic flying scenes Review: The F-86, IMHO, is the best looking airplane to ever leave the ground. The flying scenes in this movie, of which there are many, with F-86s are fantastic. Knowing that one of them is actually piloted by Chuck Yeager just adds to the enjoyment. Howard Hughes produced this movie and his love of flying comes though loud and clear. I never buy full-screen DVDs unless the movie is a must-have, as this one is, and it's specs showed it to be full-screen. I was pleasantly supprised to find that it is actually widescreen (1.85:1), as clearly marked on the holder and label, so the wingtips of the F-86s don't get clipped off. This is my kind of show. I rate it 5 stars (as high as Amazon will allow!).
Rating: Summary: Fantastic flying scenes Review: The F-86, IMHO, is the best looking airplane to ever leave the ground. The flying scenes in this movie, of which there are many, with F-86s are fantastic. Knowing that one of them is actually piloted by Chuck Yeager just adds to the enjoyment. Howard Hughes produced this movie and his love of flying comes though loud and clear. I never buy full-screen DVDs unless the movie is a must-have, as this one is, and it's specs showed it to be full-screen. I was pleasantly supprised to find that it is actually widescreen (1.85:1), as clearly marked on the holder and label, so the wingtips of the F-86s don't get clipped off. This is my kind of show. I rate it 5 stars (as high as Amazon will allow!).
Rating: Summary: Great flying scenes, awful movie Review: The flying scenes in this movie are wonderful. The F-86 was an awsome plane and this movie has plenty of F-86 action. But it barely makes up for the pathetic story line. It's unbelievable and gets down right stupid, definitely NOT one of John Wayne's better movies. I would recommend this movie only to those who really like watching '50's era planes, make sure you have your remote handy.
Rating: Summary: Great flying scenes, awful movie Review: The flying scenes in this movie are wonderful. The F-86 was an awsome plane and this movie has plenty of F-86 action. But it barely makes up for the pathetic story line. It's unbelievable and gets down right stupid, definitely NOT one of John Wayne's better movies. I would recommend this movie only to those who really like watching '50's era planes, make sure you have your remote handy.
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