Ace of Aces (1933)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

hyped garbage

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

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

Potential SPOILER.OK, so it's not a great movie. For it's time, it was probably considered pretty damn good but some movies, and this is just my humble opinion, just don't hold up over time. Albert Fin....sorry, Richard Dix was a pretty OK actor, as one other reviewer put it, a bit hammy, but over all, for the 30s, not bad but I have to admit, his maniacal killer stuff was the stuff that modern film considers parody. His obsession with the kill (a guy who was very much a pacifist) was maybe a tad overdone. However, from a psychological standpoint, what a very interesting character study. I'd LOVE to see this movie remade with a more gradual change in the character instead of almost immediately, though you can see how getting MAD can change a person's outlook.I'm not sure if that was really a spoiler, but I'll click the box to be on the safe side.Mr. Finney...DAMMNIT, Mr. Dix plays crazy well, I'll give him that, campy, hammy, but well and as I said, almost funny. I fully enjoyed him. I find it sad that almost every war movie made up until the 1960s seemed to find a need for a love story. Blech! This one had one and maybe it was needed to help show his transformation, but, ah, whatever. I enjoyed it and would never tell anyone not to see it. 'Nuff said.

Rocky and Nancy, couple in love, when War is declared (WWI, in spite of their early 30s clothing). Rocky (played by Richard Dix) compares soldiers to lemmings "trying to reach a goal that doesn't exist" - Nancy (Elizabeth Allan) thinks her man is "yellow" as she pushes him into going to battle. Next thing you know, Rocky has joined an Aero Squadron and is encamped in a barracks full of nicknamed comrades and a menagerie of "mascots" not limited to a goat, pig, chimp, parrot, and Rocky's personal mascot, a cute little lion cub (actually, he looked sort of like a leopard to me). Rocky starts out fighting his morals against shooting another man - but not for long, it seems, as Rocky gets pretty darn aggressive amazingly quickly - the war has completely gone to his head as Rocky turns into the fighting ace of all aces!This film is a bit hit or miss - parts of it are good, other parts are quite slow-moving and boring. Richard Dix gives a somewhat hammy performance and there are some pretty fake looking kisses between the two leads, a real lack of chemistry there, I would say. BUT - there is some interesting photography in the air battle scenes, and a few other interesting scenes here and there, especially notable is a scene where Dix is confronted by one of the German soldiers he shot down, now on his death bed. Okay film.

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.