Old Dude, Old Movies - "The War Lover"

This is one of the strangest World War II movies I've ever seen, and it was an interesting take.It was surprisingly entertaining.

Steve McQueen stars at "Buzz", a B-17 pilot flying for the fabled 8th Air Force in the European theater. Buzz has "good hands", he's "a good stick". He's the best pilot in his squadron, by far. However, he's the most obnoxious sonofagun you'd ever want to meet. The guys on his crew would go anywhere with him, since they know he'll get them back to home base in one piece.

(Aside: I've been in squadrons like that, and it's amazing how that type of pilot takes on an almost mythic status among his fellow aviators You can be the biggest dirtbag in town, as long as you can "fly the jet".)

Buzz is so good, he can scrape right up against the line of regulations, standards, etc. He may break the spirit of a regulation, but he's just enough inside the letter of the law where he can get away with his reckless behavior. Even his superiors, when they want to discipline him, tend to give him a latitude others never get. The more Buzz gets away with flaunting the rules, the more emboldened he gets. That's what makes this movie strange for its' time. Normally, the lead role would be more stable, more admirable. Hollywood needed to sell heroes in its' World War II movies. Buzz definitely isn't a hero.

Robert Wagner is "Bo", Buzz's co-pilot. Bo is experienced in his position, almost ready to upgrade to aircraft commander in his own right. He respects Buzz's skill in-flight, but Bo is learning how much of a jerk Buzz is to every person he encounters. Bo sees how he wants to be a different type of leader when his turn comes.

As with most war movies in this era, there has to be a love interest. Shirley Anne Field is "Shirley", a war widow who encounters the two pilots. So of course she has to choose. Her new American aviator provides comfort, but that leaves one man out. She's gorgeous and alluring, but she has a fatalistic streak. She's not necessarily waiting for a fairy-tale ending in the U.S. She's just trying to stay alive during wartime.

For the scenes in the squadron briefing rooms and cockpits, there is the necessary tension and crew coordination. Of course there is a wide spectrum of personalities in the squadron (the city slicker, the country boy, the devout family man, the new immigrant eager to prove his love of America). I always enjoy watching flight crews in these pictures divide required duties to get the mission done.

Of course, there are deaths. If you pay any attention, you can predict early on who will live and who dies. There is the necessary peril in the flying scenes. The ending is somewhat hackneyed, but it was fitting.

No, it's not the greatest war movie ever made. It does, however, provide a fascinating glimpse of how "crew dogs" relate to one another, in the skies and on the ground. I liked it, DVR'd it, and will watch it again.