utgard14 After World War II is over, bomber pilot Humphrey Bogart becomes a test pilot who flies the jet planes Raymond Massey's company builds. There's also a bland romance with Eleanor Parker. It's Bogart's first movie released in the 1950s, a decade he sadly would not survive. Bogie does fine but, truth be told, he's too old for the part. Richard Whorf plays his romantic rival. You'll forget him as soon as the movie ends. Eleanor Parker does what she can with her part as "the prize." Raymond Massey is solid as always. James Brown is the clichéd country bumpkin pilot. The plane stuff is interesting, even exciting in spots, but the story is so dull and put together in as workmanlike a manner as possible. When you chip away the advanced technology, you're basically left with one of those 1930s movies about the perils of flight. Only those were usually more fun than this. Not something I'd recommend unless you're an aviation buff or a Bogart completist.

jotix100 The story begins at the height of WWII, where a group of Air Force pilots are seen battling the Germans in a show of air supremacy. Matt Brennan, and his crew, are amazed when they spot a German plane that flies so fast, they consider it a rival that will challenge them in the air. Alas, the idea of a new prototype of fighting plane ends just as WWII is over.Matt Brennan, in love with the lovely Jo Holloway, figures he wants to marry her. His only problem, the general that is supposed to do the ceremony is not to be found. Fate intervenes and the two lovers drift apart. After the war is over, Matt has to resort to start his own flying academy, a short lived attempt to make a go of his flying knowledge.Always at odds with Max Troxell, Matt is brought over to the Willis manufacturing company, where a new plane with brand new technology is being developed by Max and other friends from his Air Force days. Matt, an experienced pilot is engaged to put the plane through different tests. He feels he can fly it in record time, while Max is working in a detachable cockpit that will be separated from the jet in case of trouble. Matt surprises when he does the feat in record time."Chain Lightning" directed by Stuart Heisler, is almost a documentary, that chronicles the advent of technology that revolutionized the aerospace industry. The jet age followed as a result of these pioneer men that were instrumental in the changes. Humphrey Bogart appears as Matthew Brennan, the man with a mission. Eleanor Parker plays Jo, his love interest. Richard Whorf is Troxell, Brennan's rival. Raymond Massey, and the supporting cast, do their best to make the film work.

tek3 Chain Lightning is pretty clearly riding the early '50's interest which arose from the disclosure of Yeager's shattering of the sound barrier in '46. The plane Bogie flies is visually a cross between the Bell X1 and X2. (Paned flush windscreen, but swept wings.) "This is the JA-3, position 300 miles to the north of you...Oops! Just passed you." It's not really a Bogie movie, it's one of the first hot-plane movies. I liked it a lot, since I was a hot-plane fan as a little kid. Bogie does OK, certainly. Little details like the perforations in the bottom of his faceplate (in a "pressure suit"!) rather hint that some members of the crew didn't quite understand what they were creating, but I'd rather watch him trying to shake off that stuck rocket booster or land dead stick than sit through another run down some Death Star trench:). It fits into the genre occupied by The Dam Busters and 663 Squadron, fast flying, but none of their "combat" content. The people support the hardware adequately:).

Nazi_Fighter_David In 1950, jet planes were a relatively recent phenomenon and their emergence offered new possibilities for the long-defunct test-pilot genre of film… In "Chain Lightning," Bogart is a World War H bomber pilot hired as a test-pilot who, after the death of his designer friend (Richard Whorf), successfully tries out a newly designed ejection cockpit… However, there is as little value in a film in which a line like "JA-3 to Fort George. I am fifty miles North of you—ooooops, I just passed you!" is fairly commonplace… Eleanor Parker offers the only creative acting in the role of Raymond Massey's secretary and Bogart's love interest