JohnHowardReid Copyright 1956 by Toluca (William Holden) Productions. Released through Warner Bros. New York opening at the Paramount: 27 September 1956. U.S. release: 20 October 1956. U.K. release: 6 January 1957. Australian release: 1 August 1957. 10,314 feet. 114 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Major Lincoln Bond (William Holden), who after months of torture signed a germ warfare confession in Korea, arrives at the Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California, commanded by Brigadier General Banner (Lloyd Nolan). He hopes to be reassigned as a test pilot and enlists the aid of his friend, Colonel McKee (Charles McGraw). McKee is informed by Banner that Bond's record established him as undependable for further test pilot work. Outside the office, Bond has a somewhat awkward reunion with Banner's secretary, Connie Mitchell (Virginia Leith). Though they had been sweethearts, Bond has been too ashamed to write her since his crack- up in the prisoner-of-war camp. Bond confides to Connie how eager he is to regain the confidence of the people who used to rely on him. TNOTES: Location scenes filmed at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The needle-nosed X-2 plane shown in the movie was actually flown by test pilot Pete Everest. VIEWERS' GUIDE: Boring enough for all, if you don't mind excessive xenophobia.COMMENT: I don't share the general mild enthusiasm for "Brink of Hell". I found it dull. I agree that airplane nuts will undoubtedly get a thrill or two from the widescreen vistas of planes looping the flight fantastic, but the downstairs drama of job-jockeying and rekindled romance is strictly time-twiddling, utterly routine, cornball fluff. Heavily jingoistic sludge like this with its obligatory pats on the back for the U.S. Air Force, would tax the vitality and imagination of a really enthusiastic director. To a tired old Hollywood figure like Mervyn LeRoy, however, "Brink of Hell" doubtless represented just another paycheck.That's the way it seemed to me too. Just another airplane picture. Predictably plotted, garrulously acted, listlessly directed, this picture takes us well beyond the "Brink of Hell" into the abyss of boredom.

kapelusznik18 ***SPOILERS*** Trying to prove to himself and the US Air Force that he still got it, guts and a pair of you know what, washed out air flight commander Maj. Lincoln "Link" Bond, William Holden, wants a chance to get back in the cockpit and test pilot the newest and fastest jet planes that the US military has in it's arsenal. The trouble for Link is that he lost his nerve while being held as a POW in North Korean where he was forced, under extreme torture, to sign a confession that he used chemical and biological weapons against North Korean civilians.Given a chance by the boss of Edwards Air Force Base and good friend Brig. Gen. Bill Banner, Lloyd Noland, Link while trying to screw his head back on later gets involved in an altercation with fellow flier Maj. Bromo Lee, Murray Hamilton, at the base officers club that almost has him grounded for life. It was Maj. Lee who felt that he was to fly the new and improved X-2 jet plane that Link was assigned to pilot in it's maiden flight. The fact that Link wanted to walk away from the confrontation, in that Lee was so drunk that he couldn't stand on his feet, was soon discovered through dozens of eye witnesses to the event has Gen. Banner reinstated Link to fly the plane. Link of course was looking after his friend Gen. Banner, who in suffering fainting spells, was in no shape to fly the plane himself as he at first planned to do. Ther's also link's old flame Gen. Banner's secretary Connie Mitchell, Virginia Leith, who feels that Link is not the at his best, due to his alcohol or drinking problems, to fly the plane either. ***SPOILERS*** Link finally gets his wish to fly the X-2 only to have it brake up in mid-air some 10 mile above the earth with him losing consciousness as he was bailing out. But as things turned out Link's parachute opened up just in time thus preventing him to crash land, on his head, and get killed as he finally hit the ground breaking both his legs in the process. As the movie ends Link out of the base hospital, against orders, embraces Gen. Banner who's to leave for a higher position, Let.General?,in a desk job in Baltimore and rides or flies into the sunset with Connie Mitchell who's now, after breaking up with him, back as his once ex and now study girlfriend.P.S Check the fun loving and lovable without a care in the world James Garner as USAF pilot Let. Col. Joe Craven. Garner is so cool and untouched by the dangers he faces flying jet planes in the movie that when he end up falling to his death from his out of control plane at 4,000 feet after his parachute failed to open that for a while you don't even realize that that it was him who was killed! Maybe by Garner wearing an oxygen mask at the time of his fatal crash you didn't recognize who he was!

moonspinner55 Solid if unexceptional aerial melodrama with William Holden playing a troubled Air Force Major hoping to get into the test pilot program at Edwards Air Force Base, but finding his recent past (which includes a suicide attempt) causing doubt and concern among his superiors. Holden's crack-up is left relatively ambiguous, yet all the harping from his fellow officers seems to equate a mental breakdown (or depression) with psychotic behavior. Ditto General Lloyd Nolan's 'advanced' age, which is brought up so often it's no wonder the man is having dizzy spells! Holden's Toluca Films (the company's one and only offering) ensured a quality production (with minimal rear projection and stock footage), however the aerial action is far more exciting than anything happening on the ground. Paul Baron's emotive score and Hal Rosson's cinematography are both first-rate, while Holden's effortless star appeal helps to override the military and romantic clichés. ** from ****

txgmajor I saw this film the year it came out in theaters and again two years later at my school. It has always been dear to me. Two years ago, I bought a video of it (in the original box)from a friend. We are about the same age and have been crazy about airplanes most of our lives. What to say about this film: 1/The cinematography is great and 2/the music is enjoyable. 3/Bill Holden is really good in this film, but 4/sexy Virginia Leith takes your breath away in several scenes, especially if you're a 100% guy. If you are interested in this film, it will probably have something to do with a consuming interest in aviation in the 1950's. If that is true, then there are several things to watch for: 1/ The airplane in which Lloyd Nolan survives a desert crash, is the hulk of the only Convair XF-91 ever built to completion. The XF-91 interceptor would have been "something else" with a more power. It was buikt as a light ewight aircraft and with enough power, it would have been a precursor of the Mirage. All of the research from the XF-91 it was incorporated in the development of the later F-102 Delta Dagger and F-106 Delta Dart interceptors. 2/ The large three-engined jet aircraft (called the Gilbert ?) was actually the prototype of the Martin XB-51 Jet Bomber/Attack aircraft. The XB-51 was tragically underpowered. With that imopediment, the aircraft still met or exceeded almost all of the requirements set for it by USAF. But our Government, and several other contractors, was against it. Years later, in Tulsa in the 1960's, I heard that North American Aviation (in Los Angeles) spent big bucks with Lobbyists in Washington to have the plane, and its production, cancelled. So, instead of buying the "B-51", the US Government incredibly chose the British "Canberra" aircraft, which served the USAF well as the "B-57" throughout the fifties and through Vietnam. However, with more powerful engines, the B-51 would have been the better plane. 3/ The Convair T-29 transport was a workhorse for USAF and was flown into the 1970's. A friend who served in USAF at the time to me that, in 1968, two of these aircraft were modified by USAF as "Special Projects" aircraft for use over Vietnam and Laos "in foul weather". If you like this film, you need to see 1/ Strategic Air Command, 2/Men of the Fighting Lady, 3/ Sabre Jet, 4/ Dragonfly Squadron (evidently not available on video) and 5/ The Bridges at Toko-Ri. Happy Contrails.....