Watch Devil Dogs of the Air For Free

Why so much hype?

Good concept, poorly executed.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Devil Dogs of the Air is a typical Warner Brothers film with a typical Warner Brothers cast, not that that's a bad thing at all. The movie stars Jimmy Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Margaret Lindsay, and Frank McHugh.Cagney plays a cocky flier, Tommy, whose friend Brannigan (O'Brien) encourages him to enlist in Marine flying school.The first thing he does is fall for Brannigan's girlfriend Betty (Lindsay) who can't stand him. We all know what that means. It turns out that Tommy is a remarkable flier and, though the friendship between the two men seems to suffer, everybody has to admit that Tommy knows what he's doing. And he keeps going after Betty.Predictable, but the good cast brings it up a level as do the flying sequences. The planes look like what the Wright Brothers invented, and they do some amazing things.If you're an airplane fan, you will enjoy this, though you might mix it up with some of Warners other flying films. But it has the US Navy dirigible, the early planes as I mentioned, and some fabulous stunts. I have to one day count up how many films Cagney, O'Brien and McHugh made together. I know McHugh and Cagney made 11, and that all three were friends. They worked together very well.

DEVIL DOGS OF THE AIR has all the ingredients for a delectable dish, but the ineptitude of the chefs produced an unpalatable, unsavory stew. The story idea came from John Monk Saunders—who, in such films as WINGS, ACE OF ACES, THE DAWN PATROL, and THE LAST FLIGHT, created complex, interesting characters and compelling, dramatic situations. In DEVIL DOGS OF THE AIR, the characters are uniformly one-dimensional and unlikeable, the plot completely lacking in drama and credibility.I'm huge fan of James Cagney and the brash, cocky, vital energy he brought to the screen. In this film, though, he's completely obnoxious, with no trace of any redeeming qualities underneath the outsized ego. I found myself rooting for stalwart Pat O'Brien to smack that arrogant smirk off his face and also win the girl at the end of the picture. Too bad it didn't happen that way. The reconciliation between O'Brien and Cagney in the penultimate scene feels unprepared and unconvincing.The more I see of Margaret Lindsay, the less I think of her as an actor. (Check out her incredibly amateurish and hammy turn in BABY FACE and you'll see what I mean.) Here she's stiff and charmless; so much so that it's hard to fathom why Cagney would pursue her so ardently and why she would choose him over O'Brien in the end. She seems much better suited to the dull, dependable guy.As others have commented, the usually delightful Frank McHugh is given one not very amusing routine that he repeats ad nauseam. Another waste of talent in a film that could have, should have been a lot better.The plot is riddled with non-sequiturs and illogic. For example, when Lindsay gets her mother's check back from Cagney, why do they go through the elaborate business of endorsing it and countersigning it, when all she needed to do was tear it up? And would Lindsay really have been given free rein to roam around the military base, even riding around the airfield during operations? In the scene where O'Brien proposes to her, it's amazing how long it takes her to figure out where the conversation is heading ("I have something important to ask you." "I've been talking to real-estate agents, and we could rent an apartment really cheaply... furnished even.") And she still looks totally shocked when he finally pops the question.The aviation sequences are probably of great interest to enthusiasts, but for this lay viewer they went on a bit too long and quickly became repetitious. The big finale, featuring the simulated air and sea attack, was completely devoid of dramatic tension.I wish I could send this dish back to the kitchen and tell the chefs to re-think the way they combined their ingredients. Maybe they'd produce something more satisfying.

Standard service triangle film centered around the United States Marine Corp (U.S.M.C.) and its Aviator training program, circa 1935. Warner Brothers (WB) standby director Lloyd Bacon provides his usual workmen like effort in another air oriented screenplay by John Monk Saunders. If it is in the 'air' either Saunders or Frank 'Spig' Wead was going to have a hand in it. Their plots are so similar as to be interchangeable.The Nuts; Lieut. Bill Brannigan (Pat O'Brien) invites friend and hotshot pilot Tommy O'Toole (James Cagney) to join the U.S.M.C. Reserve Aviator training program. O'Toole arrives and promptly starts to move in on Brannigans main squeeze, Betty Roberts (Margaret Lindsay) and get under everybody else's skin. Usual competition in the air and for the attentions of Betty with a predictable conclusion.The film featured the usual complement of the WBs contract players all who do a competent job. Except, Frank McHugh, who normally provides light comedy relief. In this film though he was way over the top and irritating, so bad that you wanted him to walk into a propeller (rotating). O'Brien also seemed too earnest, shouting most of his lines while Cagney was a little to coy. Margaret Lindsay a attractive and competent actress made the most her role. Ms. Lindsay by her own admission only took her career as seriously as it needed to be without the drive of Crawford, Davis, De Havilland or Stanwyck.The best part of the film had little to do with the principals, but actual maneuvers (wargames) by the United States Navy (U.S.N.) and the U.S.M.C. In the film the U.S.N. represented the BLUE Force (true) while the enemy was BROWN Force (misnomer). Those familiar with WAR PLAN ORANGE know that the BROWN Force was actual ORANGE, Imperial Japan. The ORANGE (and other) war plans were a series of studies initiated by Theodore Roosevelt when he was Under Secretary of the Navy. They were continuously gamed and updated to reflect changing requirements and technology, up to their absorption by RAINBOW FIVE, war on a global scale. Watching the filmed maneuvers you can easily pick up on what the U.S.N. was doing and how it applies even today. For more detailed knowledge consult WAR PLAN ORANGE: The U.S. Strategy to Defeat Japan 1897-1945 by Edward S. Miller.

So far, I have to agree with what each of the four previous reviewers said, meaning some good, some bad.THE BAD - Not much of a story.....supporting actor Frank McHugh in an annoying role (annoying with his singing the same stupid song after every sentence)......James Cagney with a laugh that gets annoying after awhile.....a weak romantic angle....showing "training exercises" as part of the climactic scene was somewhat interesting but provided no drama if these fliers were facing an enemy at war......Pat O'Brien an unrealistically too good a sport at the end. (He proposes to Lindsay who turns him down and then incredulously asks, "I didn't hurt your feelings did I?" duh... And he answers something like, "No, it''s okay." Yeah, right!THE GOOD - The same cocky Cagney character who is always entertaining, always elevating a film...Some wonderful aerial shots and stunt flying in some terrific-looking bi-planes......... Margaret Lindsay's wisecracks and pretty face....Two dramatic scenes with Cagney trying to land a damaged plane.Summary; So-so entertainment, more if you are an airplane enthusiast or a Cagney fan (which I am) but certainly on the lower of echelon of his films.