Twelve O'Clock High (1949)

95% of critics liked it
(21 reviews)
81% of users liked it
(5,572 ratings)

How much can a man give? When the U.S. 8th Army Air Force 918th Bombardment group is ordered on their fourth harrowing mission in four hard days, Brigadier General Frank Savage (Gregory Peck) demands "maximum effort." The bombers are forced to fly lower, to fly farther, and to test themselves --… More How much can a man give? When the U.S. 8th Army Air Force 918th Bombardment group is ordered on their fourth harrowing mission in four hard days, Brigadier General Frank Savage (Gregory Peck) demands "maximum effort." The bombers are forced to fly lower, to fly farther, and to test themselves -- overspent and fatigued -- right up until death's door. When their dedicated colonel speaks out in their defense, Savage mercilessly takes over command -- an officer should not sympathize with his men. The Brigadier General will compel the 918th to stop pitying itself and to hone its morale in the face of danger. Yet, as the men grow colder due to Savage's orders and the missions bring them closer to their crucial German targets, the officer learns the practical impossibility of raising the confidence of young men while also sending them to their deaths. He begins to understand that it is the burden of command that makes even the toughest leader sympathetic. Eventually caring for his men above all else, it is Savage who is forced to carry the hardships of "maximum effort" -- asking himself, how much can a man take? ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 12 min.
Directed By: Henry King
Written By: Sy Bartlett, Beirne Lay
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Classics

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1949 Wide
On DVD: Nov 6, 2001
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Sincere, square, and interminable.
Variety Staff, Variety
As a drama, High deals soundly and interestingly with its situations.
Bosley Crowther, New York Times
Wisely, the writers and director, Mr. King, have husbanded the potential of an illustrated mission for one big concentrated punch, and they have got into this major sequence great excitement and reality.
, Film4
Peck is superb as the man out of his depth, while King's solid direction and some fine camerawork make Twelve O'Clock High one of the most compelling examples of the genre.
, Empire Magazine
A truly remarkable film, that manages to excite and enthrall as well as offer deep, rounded characters.
Christopher Lloyd, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
It's a rather uncharacteristic role for Gregory Peck, in that there's not a trace of cuddliness or Atticus Finch-esque nobility to Frank Savage. He's a man with a job that needs to get done, and everything in his existence is subservient to that goal.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Henry King's WWII drama is one of Hollywood's first and most honestly probing chronicles of the psychological anxieties and emotional pressures caused by high-command positions.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Solid WWII drama.
Sean Axmaker, Turner Classic Movies Online
... one of the first and arguably the greatest of the Hollywood films to examine the pressures of command and psychological toll of making life and death decision...
Tom Milne, Time Out
One of Peck's best performances.
Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan
One of the best post-WWII films; Peck is great.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
Some stellar performances make this a minor war classic.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
In addition to the fine acting, Twelve O'Clock High features some gorgeous camerawork by Leon Shamroy and one of the most horrifying aerial attack sequences ever put on film.
Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies
Exciting, large-scale, and patriotic.

Read all 14 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Daniel P

Overall, I liked this film. It was slow and stagy and speechy and borderline joyless, but Gregory Peck's charisma is enough to keep you watching, and the speeches are quite good. A fine tale of what it takes to be a leader, and maybe one of the earliest war movies told in the… More
Overall, I liked this film. It was slow and stagy and speechy and borderline joyless, but Gregory Peck's charisma is enough to keep you watching, and the speeches are quite good. A fine tale of what it takes to be a leader, and maybe one of the earliest war movies told in the flashback mode we now associate with Saving Private Ryan.
Randy T

One of the all-time great war films. High marks for drama, technical accuracy and, best of all, Gregory freakin-Peck!
Mike T

A rugged, intriguing character drama characterized by an avoidance of heroic propaganda and endless battle sequences. Gregory Peck is terrific in the lead role, and the story is consistently gripping. Worth a look for all lovers of great war films.
MJS M

Part of a wave of war movies to get made after WW2 ended. This one has the distinction of not focusing too heavily on combat and instead focusing on what life was like on the airbase between bombing runs, as well as the politics of command. The film is fairly cheesy at times, but not… More
Part of a wave of war movies to get made after WW2 ended. This one has the distinction of not focusing too heavily on combat and instead focusing on what life was like on the airbase between bombing runs, as well as the politics of command. The film is fairly cheesy at times, but not too often. The actual arial sequences are good if a little dated, and the story is interesting enough to make it worth watching, and Gregory Peck?s performance more or less brigns everything together.
Barry L

Cool movie....loads of planes and burning Germans......

Cast

            Gregory Peck as Gen. Frank Savage

            Hugh Marlowe as Lt. Col. Ben Gately

            Gary Merrill as Col. Keith Davenport

            Millard Mitchell as General Pritchard

            Dean Jagger as Major Harvey Stovall

            Paul Stewart as Major "Doc" Kaiser

            Robert Arthur as Sergeant McIllhenny

            John Kellogg as Major Cobb

            Joyce Mackenzie as Nurse

            Lee MacGregor as Lieutenant Zimmerman

            Sam Edwards as Birdwell

            Roger Anderson as Interrogation Officer

            John Zilly as Sergeant Ernie

            William Short as Lieutenant Pettinghill

            Richard Anderson as Lieutenant McKessen

            Lawrence Dobkin as Captain Twombley

            Kenneth Tobey as Sentry

            Campbell Copelin as Mr. Britton

            Peter Ortiz as Weather Observer

            Steve Clark as Clerk in Antique Shop

            Patrick Whyte as Clerk

            Russ Conway as Operations Officer

            Don Hicks as Lieutenant Wilson

            Robert Patten as Lieutenant Bishop

            John R. McKee as Operations Officer

            Barry Jones
            
            Leslie Denison
            
            Gary Mitchell
            
See full cast