It’s not often that a movie achieves a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, but when it comes to the WWII action classic Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, that rating is more than justified. Released in 1944 while the war was still raging, the film is a grounded look at the emotional toll battle takes on a person, while at the same time delivering all the tension one would expect from a propaganda-era movie. Now, more than 80 years after its release, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo is available to stream on HBO Max.
Starring the likes of Spencer Tracy, Robert Mitchum, Phyllis Thaxter, and Robert Walker, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo focuses on America’s first retaliatory air strike against mainland Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbor (also known as the Doolittle Raid). Penned by Dalton Trumbo, the film is based on the 1943 memoir of the same name written by Captain Ted Lawson, who is portrayed by Van Johnson in the film.
‘Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo’ Features Intense Aerial Training
While it’s not your typical war movie filled with intense action and huge aerial battles, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo ramps up the suspense by showcasing the training that the pilots have to go through after being recruited by Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle (Tracy). The stakes are high as they learn to do something that’s never been done before: launch B-25 bombers from the cramped deck of the USS Hornet.
By using real B-25 bombers and actual wartime footage, there’s a certain authenticity to Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo that isn’t present in a lot of early war dramas. Director Mervyn LeRoy went to great lengths to make sure the film felt real in every way possible. For his efforts, the movie was awarded the Oscar for Best Special Effects in 1945, beating out the likes of The Adventures of Mark Twain, Days of Glory, and Secret Command.
‘Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo’ Is a Beloved Classic
Airmen giving a salute in ‘Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo’Loew’s Inc.
If its 100% rating from critics isn’t enough to convince you that Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo is worth your time, it also holds a solid audience score of 75% from more than 500 users on Rotten Tomatoes. Called everything from a “gripping drama” to “an amazing war film,” Jack Karr from the Toronto Star adds:
“It’s a rare and satisfying occasion when a motion picture of the war combines sound drama, reasonable authenticity and good taste. Such, we’re glad to report, is the case with Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.”
Added to HBO Max on Feb. 1, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo might fly under the radar in favor of more modern movies, but don’t sleep on what is arguably one of the greatest war movies ever made. Considering it was produced in 1944, it’s a phenomenal time capsule of where Hollywood was at the time in terms of what it could do visually. If you enjoy movies like Dunkirk and Memphis Belle, and TV shows like Masters of the Air, then Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo is definitely one you’re going to want to check out.
AloJapan.com