When charismatic Nick Talbot (second billed Robert Beatty) disappears after flying into a storm after his partner Richard Van Ness (gravel-voiced Zachary Scott) has ordered the plane to be grounded, it seems not unlikely that (a) he's up to no good and (b) that we'll see him again before the movie's over. Made on a shoestring at Riverside Studios, Hammersmith but supposedly mainly set in Guernsey, this is quite a clever thriller with lively dialogue, though Richard's liability to black out when flying is too irrelevant. For nostalgic film buffs it's good to see naughty lady Kay Kendall a year before her breakthrough performance in 'Genevieve', Diane Cilento (at one time Mrs Sean Connery) as Nick's fiancée and camp Harold Lang as a blackmailer, but Naomi Chance is a boring heroine. I'd lost track of the malarkey before the end, but the finale has action and excitement.
21 Reviews
of mild interest
blanche-229 March 2015
Zachary Scott stars with Robert Beatty and Kay Kendall in a 1952 British quota film, "Dead on Course." During the '50s, many American actors went to Britain and made these films: Cesar Romero, Dane Clark, Dennis O'Keefe, and others. Some are better than others, but mostly, like this one, are fairly routine.
Scott plays Richard Van Ness, part of an airline service. His girlfriend's brother, Nick (Beatty) insists on flying in bad weather in order to deliver unimportant cargo. Van Ness tries to ground him, but Nick threatens to tell their boss that Van Ness has intermittent blackouts, which will ground him.
Nick's plane crashes near the Channel Islands under odd circumstances. The police ask Van Ness for help, telling him of a smuggling operation that they've connected with the airline. Van Ness pays a visit to his boss' girlfriend (Kay Kendall) and acts interested in order to find out what he can.
One of the plot points seemed obvious from the beginning; it was just a feeling I had but somehow, it was telegraphed in the script.
The acting is so-so, with Robert Beatty quite charming and Kay Kendall a good femme fatale. Kendall was a rising star who married Rex Harrison after they did a play together in 1955; when he realized she was dying of leukemia, Harrison divorced his current wife, Lili Palmer, and married Kendall. Kendall did not realize she was terminally ill. Their story was the basic plot for a Terence Rattigan play, "In Praise of Love," which Harrison did on Broadway with Julie Harris.
Zachary Scott said all of his lines in a very aggressive manner, absolutely no shading. I always liked him -- he was good as a sleaze, a weak man, a Henry Fonda-ish role in The Southerner - here he just seems hostile all the way through.
Just okay.
Scott plays Richard Van Ness, part of an airline service. His girlfriend's brother, Nick (Beatty) insists on flying in bad weather in order to deliver unimportant cargo. Van Ness tries to ground him, but Nick threatens to tell their boss that Van Ness has intermittent blackouts, which will ground him.
Nick's plane crashes near the Channel Islands under odd circumstances. The police ask Van Ness for help, telling him of a smuggling operation that they've connected with the airline. Van Ness pays a visit to his boss' girlfriend (Kay Kendall) and acts interested in order to find out what he can.
One of the plot points seemed obvious from the beginning; it was just a feeling I had but somehow, it was telegraphed in the script.
The acting is so-so, with Robert Beatty quite charming and Kay Kendall a good femme fatale. Kendall was a rising star who married Rex Harrison after they did a play together in 1955; when he realized she was dying of leukemia, Harrison divorced his current wife, Lili Palmer, and married Kendall. Kendall did not realize she was terminally ill. Their story was the basic plot for a Terence Rattigan play, "In Praise of Love," which Harrison did on Broadway with Julie Harris.
Zachary Scott said all of his lines in a very aggressive manner, absolutely no shading. I always liked him -- he was good as a sleaze, a weak man, a Henry Fonda-ish role in The Southerner - here he just seems hostile all the way through.
Just okay.
Disappointing Hammer Film
claudio_carvalho26 May 2019
"Wings of Danger" is a disappointing Hammer film directed by the cult-director Terence Fisher. The plot of blackmailing and smuggling is messed and weak despite the expectations of the fans. There is nothing to highlight in this forgettable film. My vote is five.
Title (Brazil): "Asas do Perigo" ("Wings of Dnger")
Title (Brazil): "Asas do Perigo" ("Wings of Dnger")
Blackmailing, Counterfeiting, and Smuggling
bkoganbing12 May 2013
Zachary Scott comes over from across the pond to star in this British noir film about a pilot investigating the crash of another pilot whom he supervised that he let go up in a storm over the English Channel. As it turned out Scott was between a rock and a hard place, he has to let Robert Beatty fly because Beatty knows that Scott suffers from occasional blackouts and the Board of Trade wouldn't like that if they heard about it.
Why does Beatty go up. The more Scott digs on his own he uncovers, blackmail, counterfeiting, and smuggling. And a few more surprises before this film ends.
Although Hammer Films before it started doing horror films and became known for same, they turned out some decent low budget noir films that the British call quota quickies. This isn't one of them it drags in many spots and such talented folk as those already mentioned are wasted. Even Kay Kendall who plays the gangster's moll in this and well doesn't spark this film at all.
I think most will be bored with this one.
Why does Beatty go up. The more Scott digs on his own he uncovers, blackmail, counterfeiting, and smuggling. And a few more surprises before this film ends.
Although Hammer Films before it started doing horror films and became known for same, they turned out some decent low budget noir films that the British call quota quickies. This isn't one of them it drags in many spots and such talented folk as those already mentioned are wasted. Even Kay Kendall who plays the gangster's moll in this and well doesn't spark this film at all.
I think most will be bored with this one.
Wings of danger never really soars
FilmFlaneur16 May 2009
Taking advantage of arrangements favoured by the UK's Eady levy (a state film subsidy established after the war) in 1950, American producer Robert Lippert formed a business alliance with Hammer studios. Under the agreement, Lippert would provide American acting talent - frequently shop-worn stars or just supporting actors who fancied a profitable trip out of the country - while Hammer would supply the rest of the cast and the production facilities. Together they would split the profits. Famous for his concern with the bottom line, Lippert produced over 140 films between 1946 and 1955, characteristically genre pieces such as I Shot Jesse James or Rocketship XM. For the British deal, most of the films were noir-ish thrillers - and include WINGS OF DANGER.
Zachary Scott does a professional enough job as a pilot who faces disaster through suffering unpredictable blackouts. To add to his woes, when his girlfriend's brother appears lost in a cargo plane accident, he falls into a police investigation over blackmail, counterfeiting and smuggling. Robert Beatty and Kay Kendall support in a solid tale never less than watchable, even if not ultimately memorable. Light tramlines from the source print are evident at some points - unusual for a set with generally good picture quality. Kendall seems out of place as a minor femme fatale, too nice to communicate the double-crossing her character demands. Scott's most important noir roles previously were probably Ulmer's Ruthless and Mildred Pierce; here the actor is not helped by fairly anonymous art direction and by a story never really bringing out his internal conflicts.
Zachary Scott does a professional enough job as a pilot who faces disaster through suffering unpredictable blackouts. To add to his woes, when his girlfriend's brother appears lost in a cargo plane accident, he falls into a police investigation over blackmail, counterfeiting and smuggling. Robert Beatty and Kay Kendall support in a solid tale never less than watchable, even if not ultimately memorable. Light tramlines from the source print are evident at some points - unusual for a set with generally good picture quality. Kendall seems out of place as a minor femme fatale, too nice to communicate the double-crossing her character demands. Scott's most important noir roles previously were probably Ulmer's Ruthless and Mildred Pierce; here the actor is not helped by fairly anonymous art direction and by a story never really bringing out his internal conflicts.
Crash and Burn
southdavid31 August 2022
Another early Hammer studio film watched for context on the "House of Hammer" podcast. "Wings of Danger" was actually on a classic movies channel in the UK, so I didn't have to use YouTube this time. Unfortunately, it didn't help much with a film that I struggled to follow.
Richard Van Ness (Zachary Scott) loses his friend Nick Talbot (Robert Beatty) to a plane crash, when Talbot insisted on leaving and ignoring a weather warning. Confused as to why Talbot was so keen to leave, Van Ness begins to investigate his friend and discovers his part in smuggling organisation. With the customs officers involved, Van Ness tries to investigate the company he works for and convince them that he's not involved.
So, as I said above, I struggled with this film. Previously I may have struggled because of an issue with the audio recording, or film stock but here both those are decent. The performances are OK too, though I didn't ever feel I got a handle on the actual personality of the lead character Van Ness and that did mean I never really understood the motivations behind the character. For example, Talbot was supposed to be his friend but in their only scene together at the start of the movie, they're very antagonistic towards each other.
But it's the plot that I never actually got to grips with, perhaps on multiple viewings I would do but ultimately, I feel it's a film that suffers with a "show, don't tell" problem. I did get the basics of the plot; I don't put spoilers in my reviews, but I understand the twist and the reasons for it. I understood that the gay coded heavy, Snell, played by Harold Lang was not the brains of the operation but I honestly couldn't tell you how any of the other characters fit into it, or what the smuggling/counter fitting scam actually was.
If it was more interesting, I might be inspired to give it a few more watches to nail down that plot, but it isn't, so I'm not.
Richard Van Ness (Zachary Scott) loses his friend Nick Talbot (Robert Beatty) to a plane crash, when Talbot insisted on leaving and ignoring a weather warning. Confused as to why Talbot was so keen to leave, Van Ness begins to investigate his friend and discovers his part in smuggling organisation. With the customs officers involved, Van Ness tries to investigate the company he works for and convince them that he's not involved.
So, as I said above, I struggled with this film. Previously I may have struggled because of an issue with the audio recording, or film stock but here both those are decent. The performances are OK too, though I didn't ever feel I got a handle on the actual personality of the lead character Van Ness and that did mean I never really understood the motivations behind the character. For example, Talbot was supposed to be his friend but in their only scene together at the start of the movie, they're very antagonistic towards each other.
But it's the plot that I never actually got to grips with, perhaps on multiple viewings I would do but ultimately, I feel it's a film that suffers with a "show, don't tell" problem. I did get the basics of the plot; I don't put spoilers in my reviews, but I understand the twist and the reasons for it. I understood that the gay coded heavy, Snell, played by Harold Lang was not the brains of the operation but I honestly couldn't tell you how any of the other characters fit into it, or what the smuggling/counter fitting scam actually was.
If it was more interesting, I might be inspired to give it a few more watches to nail down that plot, but it isn't, so I'm not.
It's worst will be it's a Noir picture!!!
elo-equipamentos6 May 2019
Maybe it could be a contradiction, but none Noir picture walks under 7 out 10, because this genre is quite unique, enough to be on high level taking account their greatness, in this American-British co-production they took the notable Zachary Scott to leading role, in my opinion Zachary is to Noir as Lee Van Cleef is to Western pictures, such similarity between them, the plot circles around a counterfeit money made somewhere at United Kingdom and smuggling through a small Air Cargo Line, which Van Ness ( Zachary Scott ) was in charge on the ground, after his closest friend a Company's pilot insist to fly under bad weather condition end up disappearing on storm, the police attachs him, track down his footsteps to finds a hint to links him with the his mastermind Boss, low bugde?? Quite sure!! Second class casting?? Perhaps!!! The plot has some flaws?? Very possible!!! Uninteresting ??? Absolutely not!!! even having a poor copy without restoration yet a great pleasure to watch!!
Resume:
First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7
Resume:
First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7
A bit bland
planktonrules29 March 2015
"Dead on Course" is sort of like an American film noir movie but made in the UK. And, like many European films from the 1950s, they lured an American actor (Zachary Scott) to star in the film-- presumably to give the film greater international marketability. Unfortunately, it's still a relatively bland film.
Richard (Zachary Scott) is a pilot working for his small air transport company. His friend, Nick, knows Richard's secret--that he occasionally blacks out due to some old injury! So using this as leverage, Nick takes off in a plane during crappy weather---and the plane crashes. What follows is a dark story involving smugglers and Richard trying to sort out who his real friends are.
The best thing about this film is Zachary Scott and his dialog. It's pure noir--and works very well. But the rest of the cast all seem very dreary--with limp dialog and an almost complete lack of menace. Not terrible...just not all that interesting.
Richard (Zachary Scott) is a pilot working for his small air transport company. His friend, Nick, knows Richard's secret--that he occasionally blacks out due to some old injury! So using this as leverage, Nick takes off in a plane during crappy weather---and the plane crashes. What follows is a dark story involving smugglers and Richard trying to sort out who his real friends are.
The best thing about this film is Zachary Scott and his dialog. It's pure noir--and works very well. But the rest of the cast all seem very dreary--with limp dialog and an almost complete lack of menace. Not terrible...just not all that interesting.
Not great, but at least a decent story
The_Void27 June 2009
The first Hammer noir I saw was the excellent Hell is a City; and it's a good job too because if the first one I saw was one of the ones I saw after Hell is a City, I probably wouldn't have bothered watching any more! Wings of Danger is directed by Hammer veteran Terence Fisher, who also directed the disappointing Hammer noir The Stranger Came Home. This one is actually slightly better, but there's not a lot in it. Wings of Danger focuses on cargo plane pilot Richard Van Ness. He tries to stop another pilot from flying due to the weather, but is blackmailed into allowing it. The plane crashes and this leads the police to begin questioning Richard about his own affairs. The film is very short at only seventy minutes, and I do have to say that's a good thing because any longer and I've have gotten really tired of it. The plot is always at least fairly interesting and the film does manage to present a handful of interesting characters. The dialogue can be a little suspect at times, but that's not such a bad thing as it's often unintentionally comedic. The film holds the audience's interest for the duration and boils down to an interesting and satisfying conclusion. Overall, I really wouldn't recommend this film, though I wouldn't say it's awful either.
Zachary Scott is miscast and the dialogue is just plain bad
Terrell-42 February 2008
Warning: Spoilers
You know there's a problem when half way through a movie that only lasts an hour and thirteen minutes it seems as if two hours have dragged by. Wings of Danger is another of those Brit noirs where a fading Hollywood name was cast in the lead in hopes of getting some play for the film in America. In this case, the problem with the film is the screenplay; there appears to be no motivation for Richard Van Ness' actions. It doesn't help that Zachary Scott as Van Ness is not too believable when he acts as a tough guy.
Van Ness is a pilot working for Boyd Spencer Airlines, a freight-hauling outfit. Nick Talbot (Robert Beatty), a fellow pilot and friend he doesn't seem too friendly with, disappears in a storm over the ocean. Hints of corruption, smuggling, blackmailing and counterfeiting start to show up. But why should we care about any of this? Richard suffers from blackouts and knows at any time he could wind up in the drink or in pieces on the ground. Why does he keep flying? Not only don't we know, the black-out question never turns into a serious plot issue. It just disappears after a big thing is made of it at the start. Why doesn't Richard help the police when they first come to him? There's no reason except to give the screenwriters the chance to show that Richard doesn't take guff from anyone. Why does Richard decide to investigate for himself without telling the police? Who knows?. Since there's no believable motivation, we know we're watching a movie contrived on the assumption that the viewers will be too dull to notice.
A major problem is Zachary Scott. Tough guys to be believable need to seem as comfortable doing violence with their fists as well as with their words. Scott's trademark as an actor, however, wasn't his physical presence. Scott's distinctiveness was his way of delivering lines that came across as either suave and sleazy (in his best roles, such as The Mask of Dimitrios and Mildred Pierce) or off-handedly condescending (in most of his other films). In nearly every role he had, he was a hard man to warm up to.
If you can picture this in Scott's delivery, you'll have an idea of how the picture doesn't work, both in Scott's believability and in the screen writing: "Nick had taken a sock at the gale and it had socked him back and broken his neck. It was as simple as that. And yet there was a lot of loose ends and ideas that jabbed at my brain and fizzled out to the edge of nowhere..."
Van Ness is a pilot working for Boyd Spencer Airlines, a freight-hauling outfit. Nick Talbot (Robert Beatty), a fellow pilot and friend he doesn't seem too friendly with, disappears in a storm over the ocean. Hints of corruption, smuggling, blackmailing and counterfeiting start to show up. But why should we care about any of this? Richard suffers from blackouts and knows at any time he could wind up in the drink or in pieces on the ground. Why does he keep flying? Not only don't we know, the black-out question never turns into a serious plot issue. It just disappears after a big thing is made of it at the start. Why doesn't Richard help the police when they first come to him? There's no reason except to give the screenwriters the chance to show that Richard doesn't take guff from anyone. Why does Richard decide to investigate for himself without telling the police? Who knows?. Since there's no believable motivation, we know we're watching a movie contrived on the assumption that the viewers will be too dull to notice.
A major problem is Zachary Scott. Tough guys to be believable need to seem as comfortable doing violence with their fists as well as with their words. Scott's trademark as an actor, however, wasn't his physical presence. Scott's distinctiveness was his way of delivering lines that came across as either suave and sleazy (in his best roles, such as The Mask of Dimitrios and Mildred Pierce) or off-handedly condescending (in most of his other films). In nearly every role he had, he was a hard man to warm up to.
If you can picture this in Scott's delivery, you'll have an idea of how the picture doesn't work, both in Scott's believability and in the screen writing: "Nick had taken a sock at the gale and it had socked him back and broken his neck. It was as simple as that. And yet there was a lot of loose ends and ideas that jabbed at my brain and fizzled out to the edge of nowhere..."
Hammer Ascending
richardchatten4 August 2022
For the most part drab and talky, it shows evidence, however, of Hammer upgrading their product. This particularly shows in the female contingent with Diane Cilento receiving an 'Introducing' credit and the funniest line going to Kay Kendall: "It's your own fault. You shouldn't go around murdering people!"
The danger isn't the flying. It's falling asleep during the movie.
mark.waltz5 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
A convoluted bit of nonsense involving two pilots, Zachary Scott and Robert Beatty, dealing with The Disappearance of Beatty on a flight and the blackmail of his sister, Naomi Chance by Harold Lang. This is a deadly dull British thriller that is a chore to get through because the characters aren't likable and the situation really isn't that interesting. Scott's character also isn't someone that I'd want piloting a plane if I was flying in it because he has a vile temper that turns dangerous when confronted. A young Kay Kendall and Diane Cilento appear in supporting roles, and that will be of some interest to classic film fans. But the film itself is tedious, and seems much longer than its 73 minutes. This is a film that is going into the bustbin of movies for me, a movie where it was tough to recall anything that I enjoyed about it other than the fact that it finally came to an end.
Never Takes Flight
wes-connors28 March 2015
In England, American air traffic controller Zachary Scott (as Richard Van Ness) orders his playboy pilot pal Robert Beatty (as Nick Talbot) not to fly, due to an approaching storm. The warning is ignored and a mishap occurs. This results in Mr. Scott, who suffers from blackouts, to discover illegal smuggling is suspected at the airport. Scott's blackouts are the reason he won't marry girlfriend Naomi Chance (as Avril Talbot). She is Mr. Beatty's sister and expects Scott to look after the reckless man. None of this is very exciting, as even Terence Fisher's characters seem disinterested. Although it doesn't help much, things pick up with a fight and car crash near the end. Also, beautiful Kay Kendall (as Alexia La Roche) appears, on the verge of fame; she later married actor Rex Harrison and died, way too soon, of leukemia.
**** Wings of Danger (4/1/52) Terence Fisher ~ Zachary Scott, Robert Beatty, Naomi Chance, Kay Kendall
**** Wings of Danger (4/1/52) Terence Fisher ~ Zachary Scott, Robert Beatty, Naomi Chance, Kay Kendall
Make that 7.5!
JohnHowardReid17 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I guess the main reason most people will watch "Wings of Danger" (1952) is to catch Diane Cilento in her feature film debut. As she is given the very last spot on the cast list, I was afraid at first that her role would be small and insignificant. But actually, although she makes a late entrance, her role is of some importance – and she not only makes a good fist of it, but looks radiantly lovely to boot. In fact, she steals the movie's feminine honors from the movie's nominal star, Naomi Chance, and runs the female villain, Kay Kendall, close to the winning line as well.
As for the actual first-billed star, Zachary Scott, making a rare appearance in a British film, he's okay, but his role is not what you would call colorful, and even his personal charisma is easily undermined by Robert Beatty.
By Hammer's somewhat mediocre standards, production values are not bad at all. And director Terence Fisher even puts the action scenes across with a fair amount of excitement.
You can find this movie coupled with "Terror Street" on an excellent VCI DVD.
As for the actual first-billed star, Zachary Scott, making a rare appearance in a British film, he's okay, but his role is not what you would call colorful, and even his personal charisma is easily undermined by Robert Beatty.
By Hammer's somewhat mediocre standards, production values are not bad at all. And director Terence Fisher even puts the action scenes across with a fair amount of excitement.
You can find this movie coupled with "Terror Street" on an excellent VCI DVD.
Padded, but good at times
Leofwine_draca24 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
WINGS OF DANGER is one of the many black-and-white thrillers that Hammer Films made in the 1950s before turning to full-colour horror. This one stars the slightly slimy American import Zachary Scott - more convincing as a bad guy, I feel - who investigates when his pilot brother goes missing on a job. He soon uncovers a smuggling plot and finds his life in danger. Terence Fisher's direction makes this a little better than it would have been otherwise, although there's plenty of padding here which slows things down a bit. The highlights come in the form of set-pieces, such as a battle of wits with a foe in a room, or an exciting car chase which brings to mind the classic carriage chase climax of Fisher's DRACULA.
Danger of wings.
DoorsofDylan28 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Previously finding the likes of Face The Music (1954-also reviewed) on the site, I decided to check Talking Pictures free catch-up service for Terence Fisher titles, and found one that was to soon leave the site, leaving to me flying to a viewing.
View on the film:
Revealed in the great book Terence Fisher Master Of Gothic Cinema by Tony Dalton that this movie was the first of a two film contract the director had with Hammer, and that the three week production had to move to shooting in Hammersmith, due to the new sound studio at Bray (where it was meant to be filmed) not being completed in time.
For his first contract with Hammer, directing auteur Terence Fisher & who was to become his regular cinematographer of this era Walter J. Harvey, start to give tantalizing glimpses of Hammer's move away from Film Noir, into their signature Gothic Horror, via Fisher and Harvey being joined by Fisher's future regular scriptwriter Jimmy Sangster working here as a assistant director, and all teaming up to cast an eerie atmosphere over Noir loner Van Ness, (played with dashing, broad strokes by Zachary Scott) suffocating from blackouts under the great icy score from The Heroes of Telemark (1965-also reviewed) composer Malcolm Arnold, tapping at the window with stylish, reflective shots, which Fisher spirals out into fiery doom-laden wide-shots, as all Van Ness's hopes sink into blackout.
Following Fisher in becoming a major director at Hammer with the likes of the proto-Slasher The Mummy's Shroud (1967-also reviewed), the screenplay by John Gilling sadly shows few signs of his future colourful creations, instead getting into an abrupt stop/start cycle, which along with taking misjudged pauses, just as things are starting to build in Van Ness's blackouts, also lands with a terribly flat ending that clips the wings.
View on the film:
Revealed in the great book Terence Fisher Master Of Gothic Cinema by Tony Dalton that this movie was the first of a two film contract the director had with Hammer, and that the three week production had to move to shooting in Hammersmith, due to the new sound studio at Bray (where it was meant to be filmed) not being completed in time.
For his first contract with Hammer, directing auteur Terence Fisher & who was to become his regular cinematographer of this era Walter J. Harvey, start to give tantalizing glimpses of Hammer's move away from Film Noir, into their signature Gothic Horror, via Fisher and Harvey being joined by Fisher's future regular scriptwriter Jimmy Sangster working here as a assistant director, and all teaming up to cast an eerie atmosphere over Noir loner Van Ness, (played with dashing, broad strokes by Zachary Scott) suffocating from blackouts under the great icy score from The Heroes of Telemark (1965-also reviewed) composer Malcolm Arnold, tapping at the window with stylish, reflective shots, which Fisher spirals out into fiery doom-laden wide-shots, as all Van Ness's hopes sink into blackout.
Following Fisher in becoming a major director at Hammer with the likes of the proto-Slasher The Mummy's Shroud (1967-also reviewed), the screenplay by John Gilling sadly shows few signs of his future colourful creations, instead getting into an abrupt stop/start cycle, which along with taking misjudged pauses, just as things are starting to build in Van Ness's blackouts, also lands with a terribly flat ending that clips the wings.
Fans of Terence Fisher and Hammer should prepare to be disappointed.
jamesraeburn200314 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
An airline pilot called Nick Talbot (Robert Beatty) is presumed dead after his plane, destined for Guernsey, seemingly crashed into the English Channel as a result of severe weather conditions. Nick's best friend and fellow pilot Van (Zachary Scott) discovers his girlfriend, Nick's sister, Avril (Naomi Chance), is being blackmailed by a guy called Snell (Harold Lang) and he learns that during the war Nick had ran a smuggling ring. Snell got Nick his job with the airline and he tells Van that its owner Boyd Spencer (Arthur Lang) runs an outfit smuggling gold and forged currency. Van visits Alexia (Kay Kendall), a former girlfriend of Nick's, on the pretext of buying some counterfeit dollar bills on someone else's behalf and he discovers that Boyd Spencer keeps an incriminating code book locked away in his office. When he breaks in, Van is ambushed and knocked down by another intruder who escapes on a motorcycle. Van chases him in his car but suffers a blackout and crashes. He awakes to find himself in a remote country cottage attended upon by - guess who? - Nick and his girlfriend Jeannette (Diane Cilento). Nick explains that he faked his death because Boyd Spencer had blackmailed him into smuggling forged currency and gold in his plane. He is a wanted man in France and Boyd Spencer used that to his advantage. Van encounters Boyd Spencer and his gang at their hideout in a martello tower and endangers his life in the process...
An early offering from the legendary Hammer studio and celebrated director Terence Fisher made a few years before they shot to international fame with gothic horrors such as The Curse Of Frankenstein, Dracula and The Mummy. The screenplay is by John Gilling whose own career would peak at that studio in the 60's when he co-wrote The Gorgon and directed notable chillers like The Shadow Of The Cat, The Plague Of The Zombies and The Reptile.
Alas, fans of Hammer should prepare to be disappointed, as although some of their pre-horror stuff is excellent, this is a hackneyed little crime thriller in which its tale of smuggling and an implicated pilot faking his death has all be done before. Gilling, who could be a versatile writer and director, simply rehashes tired situations from the b-pic playbook here. Terence Fisher's direction is unsurprisingly lifeless here since it gives him very little to do. People wanting better examples of his early work at Hammer should check out Stolen Face and Four Sided Triangle, which both have strong links to his subsequent greatest works for them like the Frankenstein movies. It has to be said that what little action there is here is both slackly and clumsily executed.
Zachary Scott, the obligatory imported American leading man, is competent in his role as the hero and something of a heavy too, but his relationship with his on screen girlfriend, Naomi Chance, herself a very competent performer, isn't sufficiently developed in the script so as to have that much of an emotional impact upon the audience. He is hesitant to marry her since he suffers from blackouts as a result of a war injury, which could wreck his career as a pilot if it came out and he fears that he is not good enough for her as a result of that. In addition, Robert Beatty's character, the disappearing airline pilot, simply wants to escape the country with Diane Cilento in order to both to escape Arthur Lang's gang and to keep his father from ever finding out the truth. He has always believed his son to be a great war hero and if he ever found out about his smuggling activities it would destroy him.
All in all, Wings Of Danger (USA: Dead On Course) will be a disappointment to fans of Fisher and Hammer who are seeking out their frustratingly obscure early works due to the routine plot, its predictable development and indifferent direction. Funnily enough, this film is only very briefly mentioned in Wheeler Winston Dixon's marvellous book The Charm Of Evil: The Life And Films Of Terence Fisher who clearly felt that it did not warrant detailed analysis.
An early offering from the legendary Hammer studio and celebrated director Terence Fisher made a few years before they shot to international fame with gothic horrors such as The Curse Of Frankenstein, Dracula and The Mummy. The screenplay is by John Gilling whose own career would peak at that studio in the 60's when he co-wrote The Gorgon and directed notable chillers like The Shadow Of The Cat, The Plague Of The Zombies and The Reptile.
Alas, fans of Hammer should prepare to be disappointed, as although some of their pre-horror stuff is excellent, this is a hackneyed little crime thriller in which its tale of smuggling and an implicated pilot faking his death has all be done before. Gilling, who could be a versatile writer and director, simply rehashes tired situations from the b-pic playbook here. Terence Fisher's direction is unsurprisingly lifeless here since it gives him very little to do. People wanting better examples of his early work at Hammer should check out Stolen Face and Four Sided Triangle, which both have strong links to his subsequent greatest works for them like the Frankenstein movies. It has to be said that what little action there is here is both slackly and clumsily executed.
Zachary Scott, the obligatory imported American leading man, is competent in his role as the hero and something of a heavy too, but his relationship with his on screen girlfriend, Naomi Chance, herself a very competent performer, isn't sufficiently developed in the script so as to have that much of an emotional impact upon the audience. He is hesitant to marry her since he suffers from blackouts as a result of a war injury, which could wreck his career as a pilot if it came out and he fears that he is not good enough for her as a result of that. In addition, Robert Beatty's character, the disappearing airline pilot, simply wants to escape the country with Diane Cilento in order to both to escape Arthur Lang's gang and to keep his father from ever finding out the truth. He has always believed his son to be a great war hero and if he ever found out about his smuggling activities it would destroy him.
All in all, Wings Of Danger (USA: Dead On Course) will be a disappointment to fans of Fisher and Hammer who are seeking out their frustratingly obscure early works due to the routine plot, its predictable development and indifferent direction. Funnily enough, this film is only very briefly mentioned in Wheeler Winston Dixon's marvellous book The Charm Of Evil: The Life And Films Of Terence Fisher who clearly felt that it did not warrant detailed analysis.
HAMMER & FISCHER...BEFORE THE BEGINNING...OK BUT UNREMARKABLE...ZACHARY SCOTT STARS
LeonLouisRicci28 March 2024
AKA ..."Dead On Course" or "Wings of Danger"
File this Movie Under "Pre-Horror-Hammer", with Ingredients...Directed by Terence Fisher...Written by John Gilling...The File is Filled with Hammer-Studios Exploits before Discovering Classic-Horror-Monsters...Dracula...Frankenstein...The Mummy...The Wolf Man...Phantom of the Opera.
Their Contribution in Resurrecting the Universal Studios Icons of Print and Screen...is the Embellishment of Color and Sex (cleavage)...Providing and Matching the Previous Top-Notch Productions at Universal.
But Before the Soon to be World-Worshipped Studio, the Movie-Making "Hammer" was, well, Making Movies.
A Lot of Norish Styled Crime Thrillers with Occasional Trips Exploring other Genres.
A Word of Warning...Newbies to "Hammer" and "Film Noir"...
While the Ever-Elusive Agreed Upon and Otherwise Defining Characteristics of the Film Noir are Present (as they were in non-Hammer Movies that Capitalized on the Noir-Zeitgeist) are...
Often Sub-Par, Mediocre, and Basically Basic Quick and Easy Movies made for Quick and Easy Bucks. Lacking Determination and Heart for the "Art".
Director Terence Fisher "Cutting His Teeth", by 1952 when "Wings of Danger"...American Title "Dead on Course"...is a Foreshadowing of "Better Things to Come"...
Hammer and Fisher Saw the Light and the Light would be Very Bright in just a Few Years. The Rest is Solid-Gold "Cinema History".
Zachory Scott, Plays a Good-Guy, where a "Lee Van Cleef" Semi-Devilish Scowl Permanently Etched, Accompanied by a Voice as Sharp as Any Weapon, was always More Successful Playing Villains, or a Least a Character with "Something Up His Sleeve', here is OK but seems Miss-Cast.
The Story with its Noir Tropes such as Returning-Vet (almost always with a PTSD problem), Scott a Pilot Suffering Black-Outs, and a Sort-Of Femme-Fatale, is Here, Neither to Interesting or Explored for that Matter.
It's Over-Complicated but the 73 Min Run-Time is Over Before it has a Chance to be Really Intolerable.
Terence Fisher on Auto-Pilot is Still Terence Fischer, whose Latent Greatness has Yet to Be Fully-Born.
The Movie, with All its Mediocrity and Pedestrianism is "Hammer-Before-Horror" and if it's a Hammer Film, it's...Worth a Watch.
File this Movie Under "Pre-Horror-Hammer", with Ingredients...Directed by Terence Fisher...Written by John Gilling...The File is Filled with Hammer-Studios Exploits before Discovering Classic-Horror-Monsters...Dracula...Frankenstein...The Mummy...The Wolf Man...Phantom of the Opera.
Their Contribution in Resurrecting the Universal Studios Icons of Print and Screen...is the Embellishment of Color and Sex (cleavage)...Providing and Matching the Previous Top-Notch Productions at Universal.
But Before the Soon to be World-Worshipped Studio, the Movie-Making "Hammer" was, well, Making Movies.
A Lot of Norish Styled Crime Thrillers with Occasional Trips Exploring other Genres.
A Word of Warning...Newbies to "Hammer" and "Film Noir"...
While the Ever-Elusive Agreed Upon and Otherwise Defining Characteristics of the Film Noir are Present (as they were in non-Hammer Movies that Capitalized on the Noir-Zeitgeist) are...
Often Sub-Par, Mediocre, and Basically Basic Quick and Easy Movies made for Quick and Easy Bucks. Lacking Determination and Heart for the "Art".
Director Terence Fisher "Cutting His Teeth", by 1952 when "Wings of Danger"...American Title "Dead on Course"...is a Foreshadowing of "Better Things to Come"...
Hammer and Fisher Saw the Light and the Light would be Very Bright in just a Few Years. The Rest is Solid-Gold "Cinema History".
Zachory Scott, Plays a Good-Guy, where a "Lee Van Cleef" Semi-Devilish Scowl Permanently Etched, Accompanied by a Voice as Sharp as Any Weapon, was always More Successful Playing Villains, or a Least a Character with "Something Up His Sleeve', here is OK but seems Miss-Cast.
The Story with its Noir Tropes such as Returning-Vet (almost always with a PTSD problem), Scott a Pilot Suffering Black-Outs, and a Sort-Of Femme-Fatale, is Here, Neither to Interesting or Explored for that Matter.
It's Over-Complicated but the 73 Min Run-Time is Over Before it has a Chance to be Really Intolerable.
Terence Fisher on Auto-Pilot is Still Terence Fischer, whose Latent Greatness has Yet to Be Fully-Born.
The Movie, with All its Mediocrity and Pedestrianism is "Hammer-Before-Horror" and if it's a Hammer Film, it's...Worth a Watch.
Wings of Danger
CinemaSerf9 August 2023
After a bit of counter-play with "Van Ness" (Zachary Scott) - the brother of his girlfriend, "Nick" (Robert Beatty) sets off on a routine flight in horrid weather near the Channel Islands. The plane crashes and the ensuing police investigation starts to uncover evidence of a network of criminal activities and it falls to "Van Ness" to schmooze "Alexia" (Kay Kendall) and try to find out just who is pulling whose strings. It's all rather pedestrian, this. Scott and Kendall deliver well enough with the rather clunky script but Beatty is as wooden as his aircraft and the sense of menace that we get a hint of at the start, peters out quickly leaving us with a rather ordinary afternoon feature from Terence Fisher that just about fills seventy minutes with little jeopardy or story of note and a rather stage-bound look to it.
Never gets airborne
malcolmgsw31 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Zachary Scott was mainly noted for his smooth sinister types. He famously got shot by Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce.
Here however he is more of a good guy trying to unfathom and almost unfathomable plot.
The problem with this type of film is that the plot is so complex and a moments lack of concentration leaves you wondering what exactly is happening.
One thing you know for sure is that top billed Robert Beatty is not going to be lost forever. The trouble is that by the time he comes back into the plot you start to loose interest in what has happened.
So definately one of Hammers lesser productions.
Here however he is more of a good guy trying to unfathom and almost unfathomable plot.
The problem with this type of film is that the plot is so complex and a moments lack of concentration leaves you wondering what exactly is happening.
One thing you know for sure is that top billed Robert Beatty is not going to be lost forever. The trouble is that by the time he comes back into the plot you start to loose interest in what has happened.
So definately one of Hammers lesser productions.
It's a luck for all of us that Terence Fisher did not continue in this genre
searchanddestroy-13 November 2023
Oh, I won't say this film is a crap, not at all, on the contrary. It is tense, sharp, gritty, with good directing skills to admit on screen, but I am happy that Terence Fisher did not proceed on this kind of films but on something else; you know what folks...The big, big surprise here for me, as QUANTRILL'S RAIDERS with a Steve Cochran as the good hero, here, - oh my God, I can't believe what I see, am I dreaming? - Zachary Scott is the good guy too !!!! ZACHARY SCOTT the good guy.... It is so incredible for me, and I guess for many of you too. Especially in this kind of movie. Zach Scott has played in comedies or light hearted dramas, and in this kind of movies, there is no need of a bad guy, so I don't care. But in an adventure, crime or western movie, where there must be a villain at all cost, Zach as the good guy is absolutely exceptional.
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