Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

swjg A documentary about the formation of the Israeli Air Force in time to defend the fledgling nation as it declared independence.Starting with two Piper Cubs flown in across the Mediterranean on overload fuel tanks for 11 hours to create supply aircraft.In California C-46 and Constellations were purchased and smuggled out of America across the Atlantic by a circuitous route to create a transport command.Luftwaffe Me 109's were cobbled together with parts obtained through Czechoslovakia and assembled in Tel Aviv and flown straight into combat without any flight testing. The irony of flying in Luftwaffe equipment was not lost on many of the volunteer Jewish American pilots many who had less than 30 mins cockpit familiarization before flying into combat.The first combat ground attack by just four Me 109's stopped the Egyptian Army in its tracks as it started its invasion of Israel.3 smuggled B-17's were used to bomb Cairo with the US commercial pilots bluffing their way into Egypt pretending to be TWA flights.Ultimately the Israelis obtained Spitfires which led to the only known Spitfre/Spitfire combats with the Egyptian Air Force Spits.With commentary by pilots who flew and with contemporary footage and photography. An interesting testament to the pilots who turned the tide in Israel's favor.

Red-125 Above and Beyond (2014) is a documentary film directed by Roberta Grossman. It tells the story of a group of young American WWII veterans who brought planes and their combat skills to Israel in 1948, during the Israeli War of Independence.I thought this was a wonderful film for what it was--a documentary about ordinary people who risked their lives to fight for a cause in which they believed. In 1948, Israel didn't have an air force. By a combination of boldness, determination, and ingenuity, these young men managed to bring the planes to Israel, and use them in the war.The film has been criticized for not putting the efforts of these men into a historical context, not talking about the justice--or injustice--of the 1948 war, and not pointing out the long-term consequences of Israel winning the war. All of those criticisms are accurate, but I believe they aren't relevant.Director Grossman and producer Nancy Spielberg weren't making a documentary series about the 1948 war. They were making a documentary about a particular, specific aspect of the war. These U.S. volunteers survived WWII, and yet they were willing to go back into combat to fight as volunteers for Israel. As far as I could tell, none of them were profoundly philosophical types of men. They did what they thought was right, based on their own Jewishness, their belief in the Israeli cause, and large amounts of testosterone. (As one of them tells the interviewer.)The survivors are old men now. This documentary had to been made quickly, because, in a few years, it would have been too late to get first-hand interviews with the pilots involved. Now, their stories are recorded forever. I enjoyed this movie, which was shown in Rochester's Dryden Theatre as the opening night film of the superb Rochester International Jewish Film Festival. My compliments to the RIJFF for choosing this movie, and for inviting producer Nancy Spielberg to the event. Ms. Spielberg didn't so much speak about the movie itself, but rather about the difficulties of getting it produced. Yes, it helped that she was Steven Spielberg's sister, but that alone would not have been sufficient to get this movie completed. It took talent and determination, and that's what she had.I doubt that this film will go into general distribution, so you'll have to see it at a film festival to view it on a large screen. The good news is that it will work very well on a small screen. I recommend it.

jgtcpt An amazing story of yet another example of the world greatest generation. Well done documentary with the right touches and details so difficult to uncover due to the secretive nature of the effort in the 1940's. Laced with real footage and interviews or those that were there, it doesn't get any better. I highly recommend the film. You have to ask yourself how would it feel to have the choices these people had. And what would you do? It is historically correct and therefore not iced over with drama. It's just the way it was. I am so glad someone captured this noble effort in history. You will enjoy this film. I recommend it to all.

emprof Essentially, after the UN created the original two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian situation, the Arabs rejected it and claimed they would obliterate the Jews. This documentary tells the story of how mainly Jewish American World War II pilots volunteered to fight on behalf of the newly created state of Israel in 1948 and 1949. Using ragtag airplanes they helped defeat the attacking armies from Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq. It was a miracle.This documentary interviews the surviving American pilots and has footage from the war. It shows how difficult it was for the Israelis to acquire weapons to fight for their survival. At the time the United States had an arms embargo against Israel and the other Middle Eastern countries. An American, Al Schwimmer, was instrumental in acquiring the needed weapons and planes. He was indicted in 1950 for violating the US Neutrality Act, but emigrated to Israel. He was pardoned by President Clinton many years later even though he never requested it.