Ceiling Zero (1936) - Howard Hawks

Howard Hawks' Ceiling Zero is an ode to the bravery and courage of aeronautical pilots during the early days of air transport.  The film centers around two old war veteran buddies who work for the U.S. Mail.  James Cagney plays Dizzy Davis, a cocky pilot whose love of the sky can only be rivaled by his love of women.  Dizzy can back up his trash talk as he is one of, if not the best pilot they have.  Pat O Brien plays Jake Lee, the sober, hard-working ground commander who does his best to keep Dizzy out of trouble.  The story centers around Dizzy latest potential price, the beautiful Tommy Thomas, who Dizzy pursues heavily after arriving home from his latest mission.  On thin ice with the higher ups already, except for Pat, Dizzy ditches his latest dangerous mission in order to take Tommy out for a night on the town.  Another pilot takes Dizzy's place, leading to a catastrophe that alters Dizzy's destiny.  Ceiling Zero is a terribly underrated film in Howard Hawk's catalog, an engrossing drama that shows a man coming to terms with his shortcomings.  Dizzy is a character whose intentions are almost entirely selfish and the way that Hawk's and Cagney develop this character makes the finale of the film that much more powerful.  The job these brave men and woman did everyday is Hawk's number one priority, constantly reminding the viewer of the courage these people showed in the face of danger everyday.  One way he does this is in the character Mike, a former pilot, whose sole responsibility now is to clean the office.  Mike is referenced as being one of the best pilots around but a plane crash left him mentally and physically altered, unable to contribute as a pilot. This is just an example of the heroism and danger associated with air travel during the time period that Hawk's explores.  Howard Hawk's Ceiling Zero deserves a lot of credit for just being able to jam that much dialogue and heart into the narrative with Hawk's creating a film about responsibility that rings incredibly true. 

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