Review on ✈️ Exploiting Altitude: The High and the Mighty Unveiled by Richard Payne

A bit bumpy, three things save this film: John Wayne's great acting, majestic music and a dramatic ending. The role is atypical, reserved, requiring a certain restraint and subtlety. He responds with utmost effort, and the film gives you a chance to see what an actor the Duke would have been if his career had gone in that direction rather than the pompous, scandalous, overbearing roles he's known for. His character here is even touched by a deep personal and professional tragedy. Wayne plays right. In this film, he becomes one of the most insightful characters in film history and by far the most likeable version of John Wayne of all time. The film's escalating soundtrack is one of the most beautiful and touching film themes ever created. The film begins and ends with him, weaving his magic into fragmentary and selective fragments. the tension and emotion that wraps it all saves the film from its melodramatic flaws and creates one of the most memorable scenes in cinematic history. And finally there is the Duke, still haunted, still tragic, but somehow redeemed in the end.