Review of Only Angels Have Wings (1939) by Jeff B — 04 Aug 2010

More drama and action than romance which might be surprising to some Cary Grant fans. If you've seen a lot of Howard Hawks films, you'll see some similar elements - Rio Bravo comes to mind. Essentially, this is the story of a tough group of men who do what they have to in order to get the job done.

Grant's character is the leader of the group: a man's man. He wouldn't ask his men to do anything he wouldn't. Jean Arthur's character comes into this group and falls for Grant. She struggles to deal with the dangerous life he leads and it's clear - either she needs to toughen up or move on.

While Grant and Arthur are the stars - you'll get to know several of the other characters quite well. It does have some comedic moments but mostly, this is a dramatic film. Highly recommended to Jean Arthur and Cary Grant fans.

For the Grant fans - this was a darker character than he usually played so it's interesting for that in itself. As a film - it's a Hollywood classic. I won't say it's the greatest but it's definitely good and certainly worth checking out if you like films of the period.

It would probably be better remembered had it not been released in the same year as Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Stagecoach and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.