On H List of Movie Reviews

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The Hunters (1958)

Rate: 8
Viewed: 7/24

HuntersMi
7/24: After the critical success of The Enemy Below, Dick Powell and Robert Mitchum decided to do another military picture, and this time, it's called The Hunters.

This is Top Gun before there was Top Gun almost three decades later. Remember that The Blue Max hadn't yet come around. The use of Air Force jets and its counterparts is certainly nice which includes a video footage of one actually crash landing on the runway. Nothing seems to have been faked. At least this time, there's a real war going on: the Korean War.

Looking handsome as ever, Robert Mitchum turns in a solid performance. May Britt is a bonus, and the romance between their characters is convincing. Carl Abbott (Lee Philips) is stupid not to want her. Robert Wagner is better than usual and says the funniest slangs while Richard Egan makes a strong showing as Colonel Dutch Imil. I'm surprised at the act of heroism shown by Major Cleve "Iceman" Saville when he didn't have to.

All in all, if you liked Top Gun and The Blue Max, The Hunters won't disappoint.