That was an excellent one.

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

"Captains of the Clouds" was the first technicolour film James Cagney made and it is a pretty good one. The photography showing the airplanes is the main attraction here but Cagney's performance is good. He, along with four other pilots based in Canada, specialise in transporting various goods across the country. Being typically cocky and slightly arrogant, Cagney rubs his fellow pilots up the wrong way by stealing their business. Events take a more serious turn as Cagney sustains a serious head injury. Dennis Morgan has to fly a surgeon to where Cagney is holed up in the middle of a fierce storm. Those scenes are well done. Eventually, the five pilots are drafted into the Canadian Air Force. Cagney fooling around lands him in serious trouble and he finally begins to mature, assuming some responsibility for his actions. I think Cagney's performance got better after he is officially disciplined by his superiors. He begins to realise the trouble he had caused and this is highlighted in the way he delivers his lines more slowly. The scene where he has a private chat with Dennis Morgan is well done. A pretty good film.

James Cagney's first color film is a formulaic but entertaining effort about a bush pilot who joins the Royal Canadian Air Force during WWII. The Technicolor is beautiful -- rich, luscious, vibrant colors that just pop out at you. It really brings the photography of the Canadian wilderness to life. This was also the first Hollywood movie shot on location in Canada. The cast is made up of solid WB contract stars. In addition to Cagney, there's Dennis Morgan, Alan Hale, Brenda Marshall, and the annoying George Tobias.I'll admit, as much as I like Cagney, in some of his pictures I just can't stand his characters. The plot here is very similar to previous Cagney films. He plays a cocksure jerk who "steals" friend Dennis Morgan's girl (Brenda Marshall). The movie does mix things up a bit by having him do this to HELP Morgan, if you can believe that! At least the altered formula allows Morgan to keep some dignity, unlike poor Pat O'Brien who played runner-up to Jimmy in several earlier films like this. Of course, this alteration to the formula is at the expense of Brenda Marshall's character. So if you're looking for a strong female character, look elsewhere. All in all, it's an enjoyable picture that's really nice to look at. Watch it for the fine cast and stunning Technicolor.

Captains of the Clouds (1943) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Extremely exciting actioneer from Warner about a bush pilot (James Cagney) who pisses everyone off and then joins the Canadian Air Force to train pilots for battle in WW2. Top-notch acting, incredibly flight sequences and an all around good story makes this a wonderful little gem that really sticks out from the various war films produced in this era. I've had the chance to see this movie countless times over the years but kept pushing it back and I'm really kicking myself for doing that. The love triangle between Cagney, Dennis Morgan and Brenda Marshall is very well handled and doesn't come off simply as formula melodrama. This mixes in well when we hit the action stuff and the reasoning behind the constant battle between Cagney and Morgan. The entire cast does a great job in their roles and this includes the three leads as well as Alan Hale and George Tobias. The flight sequences are incredibly impressive and the ending is packed with intense action. The Technicolor (Cagney's first) also benefits the film greatly with all the beautiful locations and it really brings the blues out of the skies. The film was certainly made to be patriotic and it pulls that off extremely well with the ending.

This is one of my favorite films, but not because of Cagney or Morgan. Brenda Marshall is the jewel in this picture's crown. She provides the blue-jean wearing, North Country beauty in the film and drives the fly-boys crazy. Marshall, who bears a resemblance to Madolyn Smith Osborne, wants to get to the big city regardless of how she gets there. The resulting competition among pilots keeps the story line from being completely aviation oriented. This is a good look at Canadian bush aviation in the 1930's and the cast is excellent. As with all films of this period, airplanes are shown doing things that are aerodynamically impossible, but it doesn't take away from the picture. There are even early aeromedical ideas about how G-forces affect the human body. Filmed entirely on location in Canada, much of the scenery is stunningly beautiful. Canadian politics are even slipped in during graduation ceremony when Air Marshal Bishop refers to pilots from "loyal Quebec." All in all a fun film.