Spoonatects
Am i the only one who thinks........Average?
ThedevilChoose
When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
Marva
It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
wes-connors
Idealistic young sculptor Richard Dix (as Rex "Rocky" Thorne) decides not to enlist when President Woodrow Wilson calls for US soldiers to enter the Great War (aka World War I). A pacifist, Mr. Dix explains, "I just don't like the idea of killing my fellow man." His pretty Boston fiancée Elizabeth Allan (as Nancy Adams) calls Dix a coward and joins the war effort as a nurse. Suddenly ashamed, Dix enlists as a fighter pilot. On his first day with the squadron, in France, Dix is sent out on a mission. At first he is unable to kill his fellow man. But, when shot at, Dix turns into the Germans' worst nightmare, killing them at breakneck speed. Soon, Dix holds the record for the most kills...During the heat of battle, Dix and Ms. Allan find their views on war have evolved...This is a fine 1930s (anti-) war film, with exciting airborne battle scenes. The photography, by Henry Cronjager and Vernon Walker, is a highlight. In the leading role, Dix seems miscast, however. Many older men enlisted in both World Wars, but he appears too old for the role. The script might have been altered to include some mention of him getting a late start in marriage and claiming to be "too old for war." Even then, the part probably should have been played by a more delicate actor. Best supporting player is Theodore Newton (as Foster 'Frogy' Kelley). His first scene, introducing Dix to the squadron, is so good you can almost hear director J Walter Ruben yell, "Cut, print!" Yes, he nailed it.****** Ace of Aces (1933-10-20) J. Walter Ruben ~ Richard Dix, Elizabeth Allan, Theodore Newton, Ralph Bellamy
MartinHafer
This movie, along with the similar EAGLE AND THE HAWK and ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, is an excellent anti-war film made during the 1930s. It's completely original and unusual enough to merit you watching it. So what's so unusual about it? Well, Richard Dix plays a pacifist who only reluctantly agrees to go to war. However, once he becomes a fighter pilot and gets a taste for blood, his personality changes dramatically. Gone is the decent soul who had once longed to become a famous sculptor and in its place was a man who lived to kill--enjoying every minute of it! While this certainly isn't true of everyone who goes to war, the notion that personalities can dramatically change thanks to the carnage is an excellent point to make indeed.
drednm
I never liked Richard Dix very much. He's just awful in the wonderful film, Cimarron, which earned him an Oscar nomination. Any other film I've seen in him seems to show him off as a hammy, middle-aged actor just going through the paces. But Ace of Aces was a slight surprise. This WW I story about a pacifist artist who joins up and become a bloodthirsty killer under the guise of being a flying "ace" seems like the kind of role he needed. In a way it's similar to the role of Yancy in Cimarron, but minus the "Wahoos" he lets out sporadically in that film. Plus in Cimarron Dix pales in comparison to the great performance turned in by Irene Dunne. In Ace of Aces, Dix is the star. No one else registers very strongly. Elizabeth Allan is the girl friend, Ralph Bellamy the commanding officer, Theodore Newton the best friend, Nella Walker the socialite, and the Stroud twins (Claude and Clarence) play fellow flyers. Not a great film by any means, but a solid story certainly helps. The aerial dogfights are good but not as good as in Hell's Angels. Check it out.
Michael O'Keefe
J. Walter Ruben directs this air combat movie based on Bird Of Prey by John Monk Saunders. Some of the aerial scenes are actually borrowed from Howard Hughes's HELL'S ANGELS(1930). By no means ACE OF ACE'S is no masterpiece, but very worthy of your time. Richard Dix plays Rex Thorne, a sculptor who registers as a conscientious objector at the outbreak of WWI. He thinks nothing more of being shy of taking up arms and going to war. His sweetheart Nancy(Elizabeth Allen)sees him differently. She sees him as a coward and shames him into joining the Army as a fighter pilot. Soon Thorne does an about face and unlikely becomes reckless and ruthless and one of the most prolific flying aces. At the same time, Nancy has joined the Red Cross as a nurse and is appalled at the transformation of her 'Rocky' now a arrogant hero of the skies. The apt list of players includes: Ralph Bellamy, Frank Conroy, Theodore Newton, and James Cagney's look-alike brother William Cagney. Look for this one on Turner Classic Movies.
