Twelve O'Clock High

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

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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
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.

Read all 14 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

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

  • 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

  • Barry L


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

Cast

See full cast

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