Movie Review: The Bloody Hundredth

Movie rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Having recently reviewed Masters of the Air, the new nine-episode mini-series streaming on Apple TV+, I welcomed the opportunity to lend a critical eye to the World War II documentary – The Bloody Hundredth.

I found this hour-long documentary that pays tribute to the real-life heroes of the 100th Bomb Group, sobering and eye-opening. It really helped me fully appreciate what a Masterpiece the Movie Drama series Masters of the Air is.

Tom Hanks is the “perfect” narrator for this documentary of war from the air in WWII. He set exactly the right tone and temperament while highlighting the harsh realities and tremendously high cost in lives associated with eventually gaining air supremacy towards the end of the war.

As was the case with Masters of the Air, The Bloody Hundredth highlighted the extraordinary flying skills demonstrated by black fighter pilots that flew during the war, better known as the “Red Tails” of the 332^nd Fighter Group.

I was really moved by the time spent addressing the life and death realities associated with  pilot/airmen combat fatigue, along with the fact that POW camps were integrated with black fighter pilots that had been shot down at a time when segregation was a part of the American landscape back home.

I was surprised at how well this documentary of one unit’s bloody and costly air combat exploits, was able to also successfully convey the overall Allied Air Campaign executed in winning the “war to end all wars.”

Click HERE for Official Movie Documentary Trailer.

EM Movie Critic: Leon Jenkins is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, University of Dayton Distinguished Military Graduate, Airborne / Ranger, and Desert Storm War Veteran with 22 ½ year of meritorious military service.

Movie Review: The Bloody Hundredth