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Twelve O'Clock High (1949)

Rate: 6
Viewed: 5/24

5/24: Twelve O'Clock High is an okay war picture.

People have said Gregory Peck gave the best performance of his career. He's merely fine with nice display of leadership. Some viewers had pointed out he was too cold-hearted, but I didn't have an issue with him and loved it when he said during a speech that his men should consider themselves already dead. In reality, they needed their asses kicked by going to work which is something that's sorely missing nowadays.

Dean Jagger won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. If you really don't know who that is and I don't blame you there, he plays Harvey Stovall. And if you still don't know who that is, he's Gregory Peck's secretary/adjutant. And if you still don't know who that is, he's the bald guy who started off the film and ended it riding on a bicycle. Hence, it's hard to believe the Academy thought he was so good to merit the award over Ralph Richardson of The Heiress.

The strange part is there's a lot of dialogue but little action which appears in the final half-hour. When it does, it's just bland actual war footage. That being said, I prefer Memphis Belle for striking a perfect balance while showing how it is for a bomber crew during WWII. However, many who served back then found Twelve O'Clock High very accurate, so I'll have to defer to them.

All in all, Twelve O'Clock High is watchable but doesn't stand out for the most part.

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