Bombardier

After Pearl Harbor, America prepared to fight for its life. In mere weeks, millions of civilians from farmers to bellhops were turned into battle-ready gunners, commandos, Seabees, pilots and bombardiers. A cast of man's men, including Pat O'Brien, Randolph Scott and Robert Ryan, headline this prime example of World War II filmmaking that works on many levels: as a flag waver, an action picture and most memorably, a taut procedural (featuring actual training camp filming) that follows would-be bombardiers through the perils, camaraderie and conflict of training. Equipment fails, controls jam, men plunge to their deaths and the bombardiers soar on to face explosive, soul-testing action in the Pacific.

• action
• adventure
• drama
• war