Twelve O’Clock High is often praised for its accurate, no-nonsense depiction of what it was like for B-17 bomber crews who flew high-risk missions over Germany during World War II. It was one of the first WWII films to eschew the usual upbeat messaging and address the constant pressures of these missions, the terrible losses suffered, and the need for empathy when the walls started closing in. Insightfully written by WWII Air Force vets Sy Bartlett and Beirne Lay Jr., the film is told in flashback as one particularly hard-hit bomber group takes on new leadership. Brigadier General Frank Savage (a stern, stoic Gregory Peck) is hard on the men, thinking all they need is discipline. He changes his tune after his own return to the cockpit. — Doug Pullen
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