Up and Down

Rating: 7/10 (3 October 2003)

This movie reminds me of an old nursery rhyme: "There was a little girl, who had a little curl / right in the middle of her forehead. When she was good, she was very, very good. And when she was bad she was horrid." You can also sum up this story by saying in the main that the parts in the air are terrific, and the bits on the ground are rather bad.
A good example or this is the romance segment between Josh Hartnett and Kate Beckinsale's characters. When they're flying in the air, it is really touching and effective. When they get back on the ground, it all gets tacky and clichéd. Again with Ben Affleck in Britain. The scenes in the air are breathtaking; while the shenanigans on the ground are pretty awful.
Exceptions are the guy with the stutter, who I thought was very good; and the draft examination sequence, which I thought worked rather well. Also, despite the strong criticism, I thought Alec Baldwin was terrific as Doolittle; and the famed raid on Tokyo was a good climactic coda. But again; while the characters are in the air or around the aircraft; it goes brilliantly. Once they crash onto the ground, the film literally drops away into schmaltz.
I have to say that I still prefer TORA TORA TORA as the better dramatization of this story, especially Jason Robards and Martin Balsam's characters. (My Dad totally loves this version however.) The best way to sum up this film is to say that, while it's not the great masterpiece it's obvious trying to be, it isn't nearly as bad as the critics who savaged it reckoned. It's just a moderately entertaining little story:- but that's something Hollywood doesn't ever seem to want to admit to now, is it?