THE FLIGHT OF BLACK ANGEL

US, 1991, 102 minutes, Colour.
Peter Strauss, William O'Leary.
Directed by Jonathan Mostow.

The Flight of Black Angel is an exciting aerial thriller. Its action takes place among the trainees pilots in the Nevada and surround desserts. Peter Strauss is the leader and trainer of a young squad. William O'Leary, in a chilling credible performance, is the young air ace. However, he is mentally unbalanced. He sees the fellow pilots as the enemy and manoeuvres with them dangerously. On a weekend for his birthday, he calmly accepts the presents from his family, goes out shooting, watches television with them goes out and gets his gun and kills mother, father and brother. He sees himself as an avenging angel, quoting scripture, seeing himself as purifying the earth. He loads live ammunition including a nuclear device onto his plane for a training exercise, shoots down his opponents, and then kidnaps a couple in the Utah Dessert while he manipulates the bomb to be exploded. There is a final confrontation between himself and Strauss. The aerial sequences are well filmed. The intense religious mania of the young man is chillingly presented. The film doesn't opt out at the end with super human heroics. Interesting and entertaining of its type.

Mostow went on to direct Breakdown, U 571 and the third Terminator film.

1. Impact of the thriller? The American military forces? Aerial photography and skills? The religious theme, the maniac theme? Nuclear danger? Echoes of the thrillers of the 60s and 70s, Fail Safe and Seven Days in May, Twilights Last Gleaming scenario?

2. The film designed for the television audience? The characterisations, action, motivation? The danger with the nuclear threat?

3. The aerial photography, the aerial manoeuvres? The fights in the sky? The scenes at the base, scenes in the ordinary home? In the Utah Desert, authentic atmosphere? Score?

4. The presentation of the training of pilots, Ryan and his skills with the men, the manoeuvres without live ammunition, the young pilots and their being in danger? Eddy and the head-on confrontation with the young pilot and moving him? The comments from Ryan after the class? His explanation of the enemy? Ryan and his misreading the expertise of the young man? Allowing him to go up again? The manoeuvres, the shock of the real killings? His anger and confrontation with Eddy? Trying to talk him own, the religious argument? Plane hit, bailing out? The discussions with authority, persuading them of the danger? His going up again, leading him away from Las Vegas, knowing the risk of being killed, firing at him at dying?

5. Eddy, audience not knowing much of his background but seeing him in action? Black Angel? Avenging Angel? His single mindedness, mania? Discussions with Ryan, the birthday party and his gifts? Treatment by his parents, expectations? Going shooting and his accuracy? The barbeque, his sullenness at the table, watching television, getting the gun and shooting his family? His setting up of the bombs, confronting the officer with the gun, strangling her? Persuading the technicians to load the bombs? Shooting the fellow pilots, Quoting the bible? confrontation with Ryan? In the dessert, taking the Dwyers as hostages, taking the wife into town to buy things? the bomb, the shooting of the couple? Mistreatment with the baby? His success but nuclear contamination? Up in the air, the confrontation with Ryan, goaded by him and shot down?

6. The portrait of his family, their love for their son, his being a mystery? The birthday gifts, the family expectations, watching television and their deaths? The young man finding the bodies and his bewilderment?

7. The young pilots, their enthusiasm, gung-ho attitudes? Clashes with Eddy, the manoeuvres, their deaths?

8. The authorities, handling the situation, the bomb experts, the flight plans? The decisions, especially for the final explosion? The official cover-up about the confrontation and the dropping of the bomb?

9. The Dwyer's, driving in the countryside, to Las Vegas, the baby? Radioing in, taken hostage? Terrorised, tied up, the baby? Going into town, Mrs Dwyer leaving the notes (and the police coming) and their deaths)? The information going in and used by the authorities? The final chase, the shooting, her going to hospital, Ryan seeking her out? Her finally watching television with the news?

10. Themes of the military, deadly technology, religious mania, the possibility of the mad bomber taking over the technology and threatening people? A thriller ? but echoing actual dangers?