To understand what it felt like to be a fighter pilot during World War One, this film attempts an answer. A young British officer fresh out of training (played by Peter Firth) is sent to the Western Front in France to join the aerial battle against Germany. The movie follows one week in the lives of these Royal Flying Corps pilots as they deal with the dangers and pressures inherent in their jobs. Malcolm McDowell portrays the Major, Christopher Plummer plays the Captain, and Simon Ward takes on the role of a pilot struggling with worry. “Aces High,” released in 1976, appeared ten years after “The Blue Max” from 1966. While "The Blue Max" is generally better and more sweeping in scope, this one isn't bad at all. It does a good job of transporting the viewer to experience what it was like for men entering the new field of fighter piloting. You could describe it as a “man’s movie,” similar to something like “Lawrence of Arabia.” Though mostly male characters are present, some women appear later in the story. The film's length is 1 hour and 54 minutes; filming took place in England—Buckinghamshire, Essex, and Eton College—with studio work done in Hertfordshire. GRADE: B/B-

Source on TMDB