JohnHowardReid Copyright 30 September 1964 by Arcola Pictures. An Aaron Rosenberg Production, released through 20th Century-Fox. New York opening at the Palace and local cinemas: 9 December 1964. U.S. release: 30 September 1964. U.K. release: November 1964. Sydney opening at the Regent. 9,506 feet. 105 minutes.SYNOPSIS: One night on a lonely beach near the Los Angeles Airport, Consolidated Airlines flight 22 piloted by Captain Jack Savage (Rod Taylor) crashes and burns. All passengers and crew are killed, with the exception of a stewardess, Martha Webster (played by Suzanne Pleshette). Sam McBane (Glenn Ford) Director of Flight Operations for the Airline, rushes to the scene of the accident. He is told by airport personnel that Savage reported his right engine on fire shortly after takeoff and requested permission to land. Savage was told to maintain altitude on his left engine until a flight path was cleared. Minutes later, the plane crashed. McBane is baffled by the accident. It is his assignment to determine the accident's cause, but he can find no logical reason. Surely the plane could have maintained altitude on one engine. What else could have gone wrong? COMMENT: Flashbacks, that's the problem. Much as I enjoyed Jane Russell's guest spot, all the re-enactments really do is to flesh out the part played by Rod Taylor. As Mr. Taylor is not an actor over-loaded with charisma, I can do without these unnecessary scenes. Otherwise it's not a bad little film, with some good suspense — even if the solution is somewhat too pat and thus unsatisfying. Glenn Ford is his usual reliable self, and the support cast is loaded with interest.

fyrpilot "Fate is the Hunter" is my favorite book (I'm an avid reader who has read thousands). It is a compilation of the events that Ernest Gann experienced throughout his career as a Commercial Airline Pilot. The studio and or the Producer bought the title and had Harold Medford write the screenplay. Mr. Gann considered suing the production company because the film doesn't even resemble the story in the book.Being both a pilot and a film buff, I was extremely disappointed with this movie. The people who made it had zero knowledge of aircraft or aviation making that part of the film difficult to watch. However, Glenn Ford turns in his usual good performance. Nancy Kwan and Suzanne Pleshette are stunning, and Rod Taylor turned in a believable characterization of a flawed yet admirable man.Gann was not just a good aviation author, he was a great one along with Stephen Coonts and Richard Bach. He wrote "The High and the Mighty" which was a very good film that closely resembled the book. My advice is to read the book and enjoy Gann's extraordinary ability to relate an interesting story. Then, if you have two hours when there is not anything else that interests you on TV, watch the film with a jaundiced eye and enjoy some good performances by a venerable cast.

dglink Movies that depict air travel in the 1950's and 60's, such as "The High and the Mighty," "The Crowded Sky," and Ralph Nelson's 1964 adaptation of Ernest K. Gann's bestselling novel, "Fate is the Hunter," comprise a mini-genre that must evoke nostalgia among those who flew the friendly skies, when they were really friendly. Passengers dressed for the flight, friends and relatives came aboard to bid farewell, overhead bins were open and filled only with jackets and hats that the smiling stewardesses folded and placed there. Of course, those early days of air travel were also more dangerous, and crashes far more common than they are today. Prior to the film's titles, "Fate is the Hunter" opens with the fatal crash of an airliner only minutes after take-off. The ensuing story revolves around an investigation into the mystery of what caused the accident.Using hearsay and circumstantial evidence, the airline management and the Civil Aeronautics Board rush to blame the crash on pilot error; well played by Rod Taylor, the aptly named Captain Jack Savage and his reputation become the target. Savage is a womanizer and boozer, an irresponsible guy who makes an easy target for blame. However, Savage's old army buddy, Sam McBane, works for the same airline company and is assigned to investigate the cause of the crash. The always dependable and likable Glenn Ford plays McBane, and he subsequently interviews a number of people who interacted or knew Savage prior to the fatal flight. Suzanne Pleshette, Wally Cox, Nancy Kwan, and Dorothy Malone are among those who paint a more complex portrait of Savage that eventually leads to resolution.Despite the quaintness of flights without security checks, "Fate is the Hunter" is often engaging and holds viewer interest throughout. The leads are strong, the supporting cast is solid, and Jane Russell offers a cameo song, although her delivery outshines the lackluster tune. The velvety Oscar-nominated black-and-white cinematography by Milton Krasner and a score by Jerry Fielding further enhance the film, although today's CGI makes the film's special effects antiquated and obvious. While not quite a classic, "Fate is the Hunter" is a fine example of a Hollywood adaptation of a best-selling novel from the mid-1960's.

WarnersBrother To repeat what an earlier reviewer has said "It's better if you aren't a pilot". That sums up the matter quite succinctly. It also has nothing whatever to do with Gann's masterpiece auto-biographical novel of the same name.FITH fairly quickly made it's way to TV in the mid-sixty's, panned and scanned to death. Still, as a kid in love with all things airplanes, I watched it many times and it became a favorite along with such great and small films dealing with aviation, pilots and airlines. Since then the kid read the book, learned to fly, served in the Air Force and then spent years in the Airlines.Got to see this again and the first time in it's widescreen "glory" on TCM after 40 years, and while it is laughable in some ways technically ( I won't bore you...i try to be mindful that flyers are good at that), I still enjoyed it's somber tone and character study of the Captain of the doomed airliner. It's flashback based structure is no less distracting than "The Crowded Sky" of four years earlier, and the cast of mostly second string players does a workmanlike job of it. Kudos go to Mark Stevens as a dipso ex-pilot in a very nice turn, one I think may be his best performance. Thumbs down to Nancy Kwann, miscast, and only here because it was made during her 15 minutes. Dorothy Malone has a nice cameo.Do I still like it? Well, yeah...I do. If you get the chance, see it.