I have just watched the 2004 version of this film, although entertaining and by no means a bad film, it lacks the realism and grittiness of this 1965 original. I found the 2004 film to be a sanitised version, it failed to convey to the viewer the intolerable heat of the desert and the desperate fatigue and water and food deprivation suffered by the crash victims. This original version also has minor sub plots and the characters are more complex and dare I say, better acted? This film was made at the tail end of when Hollywood still produced class films and used talented actors, who were masters of their craft and not just 'celebrities'.
Review of The Flight of the Phoenix
