Flight Of The Phoenix Review

The failure of 2005's tired remake — inert pacing and a weedy script that did not elicit enough narrative tension — only serves to highlight the success of this sterling original. It’s a tight, suspenseful drama that eschews the thriller aspects of the crash and the bid to rebuild the plane, instead focusing on the relationship between the survivors, a marooned bunch of motley degenerates led by the inimitable Jimmy Stewart as the grouchy pilot, Frank Towns, who is haunted by demons from World War II. He and Attenborough are the pick of an attractive ensemble cast, that also includes such dependable stalwarts as Ernest Borgnine, Peter Finch, Ian Bannen and George Kennedy.