Aces High

1976 PG-13 1h 54m

5.9 / 10 81

RATING

5.9/10

YOUR RATING

The first World War is in its third year and aerial combat above the Western Front is consuming the nation's favored children at an appalling rate. By early 1917, the average life-span of a British pilot is less than a fortnight. Such losses place a fearsome strain on Gresham, commanding officer of the squadron. Aces High recreates the early days of the Royal Flying Corps with some magnificently staged aerial battles, and sensitive direction presents a moving portrayal of the futilities of war.

Director Jack Gold

Writers

Howard Barker

Stars

Malcolm McDowell Christopher Plummer Simon Ward

Malcolm McDowell

Maj. John Gresham

Christopher Plummer

Capt. 'Uncle' Sinclair

Lieutenant Colonel Silkin

Richard Johnson

Major Lyle

Ray Milland

Brigadier General Whale

Croft's French Girlfriend

Corporal - Dressing Station

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User Reviews 2

Geronimo1967 26 Oct 2022

7/10

Perhaps because many of the cast here all look so very young, this film has an extra potency as a depiction of some of the inexperienced fliers who fought in the Great War. It all centres around the young "Crawford" (Simon Ward) who joins a squadron commanded by "Gresham" (Malcolm McDowell) and his adjutant "Sinclair" (Christopher Plummer). Green in the extreme, he finds himself fighting for his l...

Wuchak 28 Nov 2019

7/10

***What was it like to be a fighter pilot in WW1?*** An inexperienced young Brit straight from the academy (Peter Firth) arrives on the Western front in northern France to assist in the air war against the Germans during WW1. One week in the lives of the pilots of a Royal Flying Corps squadron is chronicled as they struggle with the stresses & risks intrinsic to their profession. Malcolm McDo...