Men of the Fighting Lady

The tale of Ensign Ken Shechter, based on "The Case of the Blind Pilot," is knuckle-biting to say the least. Far more captivating and emotionally taxing than "Top Gun," "Men of the Fighting Lady" must surely be ranked among the great war films. It is guaranteed to please. Don't forget to chcukle at "Ski," the absolute embodiment of the typical airplane maintenance chief.


A View of the Korean War Through Naval Aviation   February 9, 2003
Donald Almeida
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

This is a spectators view of how the Korean War was fought by carrier aircraft and about the pilots who flew round-trip sorties to their assigned targets. The "spectator" is the ship's flight surgeon who starts to tell the story to a visiting friend (and the audience) while on board the aircraft carrier.

Aircraft transported their pilots who "commuted" to the war with hope for a safe return to a warm bed, a hot meal and needed rest until their next assignment. A far cry from the previous bloody war within which many of the pilots were veterans.

Home and family seemed so far away, a vivid memory beyond reach. War was somewhere near, yet at a safe distance as the carrier sailed on in safe waters. Some of the men were questioning why they were there, and why this war was called a "police action".

Squadron assignments required low-level attack of ground targets exposing the pilots to heavy return fire. This led to the inevitable yet unexpected and sudden loss of a fellow pilot and friend. However, they were not challenged by enemy aircraft throughout the movie. The frequent flying scenes were impressively displayed with technical continuity and logical sequences.

Detailed shots of the flight deck crew rigging catapult launches and assisting in the recovery of aircraft were smoothly spliced in with realism. Acting was acceptably believable as the actors seemed to play themselves. Overall, great flying scenes with a simple plot that keeps the audience (and the pilots) wondering who will survive.


Gripping Story   June 20, 2004
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

When I first started watching this film, I thought it was about WWII. Hence, I was disappointed when I found that it was about Korea, but I soon lost all disillusionment. The story caught and held me very quickly. The dialogue is well written as it shows the feelings of the pilots about the futility of their continuing mission. The scene when one pilot has to guide his blinded friend back to the carrier is definitely a literal "knuckle-biter", as mentioned by another reviewer. I highly recommend this story to anyone. Period.