Chain Lightning

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Eleanor Parker, Raymond Massey, Richard Whorf, James Brown, Roy Roberts, Morris Ankrum, Fay Baker, Fred Sherman
Directed by: Stuart Heisler
Rating: Approved
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
1950

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A former WW2 pilot (Humphrey Bogart) takes a job as a test pilot for the air force's latest craft and runs into a former flame (Eleanor Parker).

Review:

Tim: It feels obvious fairly early on that Chain Lightning will be a lesser Humphrey Bogart film. It doesn't seem bad, just run-of-the-mill. However, as the film goes on, it proves to be more engaging than I first thought. It certainly has its flaws and isn't a top tier film, but I still enjoyed the movie and consider it a fairly good film. I had fun watching it, I was invested in the characters, and my attention was held throughout. It's a movie I would recommend.

I felt like the story here was an interesting one. Matt Brennan is the protagonist and the movie does a fairly good job of establishing who he is. We get a prolonged flashback scene to World War II, where we see him in his element. We learn of his relationship with Jo and how he approaches flying. It's all essential context, but it's a story we've seen before. When the movie returns to present day, it starts to feel more unique. Brennan has rejoined the air force as a test pilot. He puts his skills to the ultimate test, as he flies prototype airplanes higher and faster than ever dream imaginable. These scenes are so compelling. While this story is fiction, real pilots did routinely risk their lives to give the U.S. air force a technological advantage in the skies. There's something so amazingly compelling about watching heroes fly unproven planes further, higher, faster, in an environment humankind has barely touched and trying to stay alive in the process. Those scenes are so interesting, the film's runtime is eaten up while we watch these engaging and exciting sequences.

The highlight is the incredible attempt to fly from Nome, Alaska, over the North Pole, down to Washington D.C. in a prototype plane at speeds and heights that were nearly unimaginable at the time. The film spends a lot of its runtime on this and our attention is rapt as we watch Brennan's potentially suicidal mission. Director Stuart Heisler does an impressive job of crafting these scenes- inside the craft, the plane's exterior, and those on the ground. These scenes are well done and it's hard to look away as we watch this brave pilot take his life into his own hands and pray that his aircraft doesn't let him down. It's an interesting blend of modern technology and human courage, this melding of man and machine that holds our attention. I really enjoyed those scenes and they're a big reason why this movie is so worth watching.

The dramatic scenes never quite live up to the adventure ones, but they are serviceable. Humphrey Bogart is such a terrific actor and playing these tough, brave characters with a bigger heart than they would admit was firmly in his wheelhouse. Brennan isn't as strong as Bogart's best characters, but he's interesting and likeable and we find ourselves easily rooting for him. Eleanor Parker was solid as Jo. I've seen Parker a few times now and it seems like she always gives good performances. She's consistent, even though she hasn't really blew me away with any of her performances. I don't have any faults with her here. Her character is relegated too much to the sidelines, but her acting was without fault. Raymond Massey gives a memorable supporting performance. Richard Whorf is quite memorable in a supporting role that proves to be more memorable and emotional than you'd expect. His character is never in the limelight, but he becomes increasingly important to us as the film progresses. The cast here isn't filled with A-listers, but they all give worthwhile performances.

While Chain Lightning is never as powerful as Bogart's best films, I feel like it's an underrated movie. It's entertaining, exciting, and it holds our attention. Heisler's film is a tight 1 hour 34 minutes, it never threatens to overstay its welcome. The movie is also better than another Heisler-Bogart collaboration, Tokyo Joe. This one is absolutely better constructed. It tells a compelling story about American pilots that isn't just a war retread. I found the movie engrossing and while the drama falls a bit flat, the more action-oriented scenes work well. I found this to be a better movie than I first expected.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Across the Pacific, Action in the North Atlantic, The Man With the Golden Arm, Tokyo Joe