Very Cool!!!

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Even in the middle of war, politics can gum up the works. Military people are told to fight a war, and then are second-guessed by the very same people who told them to fight. That is not fair. This movies dramatizes how politics directly influences command decisions. The movie portrays the top brass as being sycophants who are terrified of disappointing those who fund their projects and career, and what happens if one of the generals refuse to kowtow. This has nothing to do with legitimate civilian oversight of military operations. Rather, it is about how the military is rendered subordinate to politicians who are more interested in making political points at the expense of the military than actually winning the war. Edward Arnold gives a command performance as a US senator who uses his position to try to bully the military to the point that it poses a direct threat to military operations already decided upon at the highest levels. Clark Gable gives one his stronger performances as the general who maintains his integrity and belief in the mission. To commission soldiers to fight a war and then rag them for doing exactly what they have been ordered to do is the height of hypocrisy. Yet, sadly, it is all too true.

In times of war, duty and commitment are called upon first and this 1948 film is no exception to that rule.Clark Gable stars as the hard-nosed general who must decide to bomb 3 German cities that are manufacturing German planes. Part of the bombing goes awry when a torpedo factory is hit at first.In a brief supporting performance, Edward Arnold steals the show as a Congressman who doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut.In a dramatic sense, Sgt. Van Johnson lends some sort of comic relief in his role.How many difficult decisions had to be made due to the war effort is the central theme to this fine film.

It's a shame this film has been overlooked by viewers and critics for so long. Based on a stage play, it was released at approximately the same time as the also-excellent "12 O-Clock High", with which it has been compared ever since. In a sense the two are comparable in that they both deal with the U.S. Army's strategic bombing campaign against Germany. However, 12 O-Clock High is concerned with the problems of a Bomber Group, while Command Decision, as the title implies, is concerned with a much higher level of administration. While the decisions taken by the protagonists in 12 O-Clock High affect the day-to-day survival of individuals, the characters in Command Decision are concerned with decisions that have far-reaching strategic and political ramifications. As a result, Command Decision includes a great deal less action than 12 O-Clock High because most of the protagonists of the former are senior officers of the sort who plan campaigns. They are far above the level of those who actually have to fight. This is not to imply that the story isn't equally dramatic, it's simply drama set at a higher level of war, that of strategic planning. Highly recommended.

Brig. General K.C. "Casey" Dennis, played by Clark Cable, is faced with a seemingly impossible task. Establish Daylight Precision Bombing by the 8th Air Force in the skies over Germany and France to make a significant impact on shortening the war by destroying Germany's ability to produce arms. The problem is that heavy losses of planes and aircrews are threatening to put an end to his mission. Gable agonizes over these losses of men and planes, and is under constant pressure by his superior, Gen. Kane, played by Walter Pidgeon, to limit his losses while making the strategy work. Gable's performance is excellent. He plays Gen. Casey as man driven by what he must do, with an iron will and seeming coldness, and yet underneath it all, he shows a very human side of a man tormented by the thought of the men he orders to their deaths every day, including men of which he is personally fond. The movie is very well supported by actors like Van Johnson, Brian Donlevy, Edward Arnold as the Congressman critical of Dennis' command, and other great actors of the period like Charles Bickford and John Hodiak. Dennis' description of how Hitler conquered Europe with the air power of the Luftwaffe is one of the most well-written and tersely delivered speeches in the movie. It is one of Gable's finest performances, supported by an all-star cast. It is also historically accurate, portraying the desperate need of the Allies to bomb factories deep inside Germany that are trying to mass produce the first jet fighter in modern air combat, the Messerschmitt Me 262. This movie shows all of the human conflict of war without battle scenes or special effects. It is a moving tribute to the men who fought in the air war over Europe in World War 2.