i saw this movie on tv a a kid and enjoy it thoroughly fly tiger . i saw it again on tv tonight for the second time and and find it to be a howler from begin to end . it easy enough to find effective and cheaply make flag wave propaganda movie make during the war year that have redeem quality and property that make them worth watch . they may be no more than suspenseful actioners and like destination tokyo and or may have more thoughtful narrative embed in the framework and like hawk air force . god be my co pilot hasn not get much of anything except a few minute of good aerial photography . in the air and a usual and a kind of war time trainer call the texan substitute for the japanese zero sen and a it do in tora . tora . tora . the p 40 be attractive airplane and with clean line and although they appear to be model e rather than the c the avg use . a small matter . in any case and you can only admire the airplane for so long before the story line and dialog begin to intrude into your consciousness . scott book be a simple and straightforward autobiography . the movie be pile high with extraneous material base on two theme represent ( 1 ) a vicious and unrelenting racism that must have be offensive to some american over the age of ten even in 1945 and and ( 2 ) something to do with whether scott believe in god or not or be it the other way around . the dialog stretch desperately to reach upward to the level of banality but doesn not quite make it . i think i should give a few example and leave it at that . japanese pilot { play by hawaiian bear chinese american richard loo } call tokyo joe radio to a p 40 he have line up in his sight represent just hold it right there and yank . p 40 pilot radio back represent don not call me yank while i be from georgia . american pilot radio to a japanese pilot he shoot down represent don not look now and but your zero showing . american pilot to another japanese go down in flames represent now youre a good jap . general chennault watch from the ground with a big smile a his pilot slaughter the japanese represent the boy must be in a good mood today . the real life epilogue . chennault be a pretty clever guy and forsooth and train his avg mercenary very effectively and and warn everyone back in the western hemisphere that the japanese zero be a remarkably maneuverable fighter and good than anything we have . ( his warning be ignore while the zero come a a big surprise after pearl harbor . ) there be no room in the u. s. army air force for a hero like chennault and who have carve out a reputation in some other air force and namely the chinese and and he be promptly disappear . the original avg pilot be give the choice of become just another couple of guy in the army air force or be kick out and send back to the state . avg disband . end of fly tiger and except in our national mythology .