I Watch Films: Midway

Midway

A film about the battle of Midway. It opens in 1937 with an American naval attaché, Lieutenant Commander Leyton, discussing the situation with his Japanese counterpart. We then cut to December 1941 and the attack on Pearl Harbour. In the aftermath we learn that Admiral Kimmel had ignored the warnings of his intelligence officer, who was Leyton. We’re also introduced to a number of other characters aboard the Carrier Enterprise, which was absent from the attack and failed to find the Japanese fleet in the aftermath.

The war continues and Admiral Nimitz, now in command in the Pacific, and Leyton come to the conclusion that the Japanese will attack Midway Island. They conspire to release forces from the fighting in the Coral Sea that Washington believes is the important point, and lay a trap for the Japanese fleet.

There’s a lot of airplanes attacking each other and ships.

The film is slightly old-fashioned, trying to combine historical accuracy with a dramatic plot-line, teasing out strands of meaning and cause and effect from the maelstrom of war. It’s an exciting war film, filled with heroism and doubt, and even a few female characters pushing themselves into the action. In the end it comes down to men flying planes and trying to kill each other.

Watch This: A cool-looking war film that manages to stick close to the historical record
Don’t Watch This: Lots of shooting at and by planes is boring