Zero Hour! 1957

SUSPENSE LIKE YOU'VE NEVER FELT BEFORE!

6.8 / 10   37 vote(s)
NR
Drama Thriller

In 1950s Canada, during a commercial flight, the pilots and some passengers suffer food poisoning, thus forcing an ex-WW2 fighter pilot to try to land the airliner in heavy fog.

Release Date 1957-11-13
Runtime 1h 21m
Directors Hall Bartlett, John F. Warren
Producer John C. Champion
Writers Hall Bartlett, John C. Champion, Arthur Hailey

Tension and Terror in the Skies!

Famously parodied as Airplane in 1980, it gets forgotten just what a rollicking good thriller Zero Hour! is. Dana Andrews is the airman scarred by an incident during the war who has to battle his demons when the crew and passengers of the jumbo jet he is aboard fall victim to food poisoning. Sterling Hayden is down on the ground smoking loads of ciggies and having no faith in trying to talk Andrews down safely.

One of the first disaster aeroplane movies, it follows what we now regard as the staples of the genre. Troubled protagonist, family strife, calm characters, panic characters, lovely ladies, square jawed men, raging weather conditions and an aeroplane in serious danger of plummeting from the sky and killing all on board. It's sometimes hokey and one dimensional in terms of plot developments, but it commits to the drama and grinds out a suspenseful last half hour that can have you edging towards the edge of your seat.

A must see for fans of such fare. It's ok to love Airplane! and prefer its comedy smartness, but it's also ok to doff a respectful pilot cap towards Zero Hour! as well. 7.5/10

John Chard