Review of Only Angels Have Wings (1939) by Corey N — 07 Feb 2011

A highly entertaining Howard Hawks film...there's action, adventure, romance and of course Cary Grant ;) It's all about the characters and their interactions with one another. I found the love story in particular very endearing, Cary Grant and Jean Arthur make a good couple.

The story is just about OK, I felt like there really wasn't much of a story..the film centered around a group of characters. I think the film was meant to be a slice of adventure and I wasn't expecting it to be as serious as it was, not a bad thing just didn't expect that though we do get some great one liners that made me laugh quite a bit.

I liked Cary Grant playing a something slightly different character from his usual suave, charming characters. Here, he plays a man completely consumed by his work and death that surrounds him and the other pilots.

He doesn't believe in love anymore and doesn't want a woman waiting for him while he's up there in danger, it gives the film a good tension that we see between his character and Jean Arthur, who btw is absolutely wonderful in this film.

She's amazing in all her films though, so natural and she had the most unique way of expressing emotions. Another highlight of the film were the aerial sequences which were very impressive and thrilling to watch.

Overall, a fun, atmospheric adventure of a film that I would love to revisit.