Only Angels Have Wings

Only Angels Have Wings is a film that sneaks on you a bit as it begins as one might expect a screwball comedy to with two buddies attempting to impress a woman they chance upon. What develops is rather different as it examines the harsh life of pilots who put their lives on the line with every trip since sometimes they don't come back. This is well realized in the opening scene as one of the two friends dies on a late trip, and to mourn every pretends the man did not exist. The opening minutes are particularly effective. Now the rest of the film does not quite live up to the opening, though not for lack of trying, as it does still maintain a slight screwball edge with what is essentially a dramatic story. The film though manages to work with this mixture of tones though, in large part due to Cary Grant's leading performance. It meanders a bit in the middle, not in a bad way, but it does build to a rather memorable conclusion.
4.5/5