Review of High Road to China

Despite some serious reality flaws, this still is one of my favorite films. Bushy-faced, brooding, drunkard ex- WWI ace Tom Selleck, and wide-eyed, pixie-like, heiress Bess Armstrong are perfect as an unlikely reluctant buddy pair, who alternatively fight, cooperate, and occasionally show some caring for the other, in a roaring '20s epic flight in 2 WWI fighter biplanes, from England to several exotic locations across Asia, hoping to find Bess's wanderlust father, to prove that he is still alive, so that his business partner: Bentik(Robert Morley) wouldn't declare him legally dead, and usurp his half of their business partnership. In the end, Bess's father is found in a remote Xinjiang village, helping to fend off a rapacious war lord army. Although they are victorious, both planes are destroyed or crippled, leaving the 3 eccentrics with no apparent means of returning to show that Bess's father is indeed alive, before Bentik's stated deadline: a strange ending for the heros! But, the father explains why he and Bess shouldn't be worried. Nonetheless, Selleck is worried about the 100,000 British lbs. that Bess has promised him: that is, unless they decide to hook up as man and wife...........Besides the war lord, they had battled a previous Asian enemy in the Afghan Suleman Khan, played in an over-the-top performance by the larger-than-life Brian Blessed. Their hair-raising battle and escape from his followers is one of the highlights. By the way, how did 3 people fit in the 2 seats of their escaping plane? During flight, we see Jack Weston(as Struts: Selleck's mechanic) with Bess. But upon landing, we see Nepalese Alessa emerge from Strut's seat!? Alessa is crucial in directing them to Bess's father's probable present location. Also, the flight over the Himalayas is presented as a cake walk. In reality, in an open plane, oxygen would have been limiting. Also, it would have been frigid and very windy, possibly blowing the light plane into a peak. In fact, all the flying and other activities took place in Yugoslavia, which also has some rugged mountain scenery.........Bess tellsSelleck that the Nepalese are Buddhists. However, the great majority are Hindus(I've been there). Nonetheless, I did see a few distinctive hats of Buddhists from Ladakh..........The evil Mr. Bentik, Bess's father's business partner, dispatched hit men on several occasions, to kill Bess. One instead destroys one of Selleck's planes, before Selleck can recover and get his other plane airborne, for a dog fight. The machine gun on his plane is housed on the upper wings so that the bullets don't shoot off his propeller. Later in the war, planes were equipped with a synchronizer that timed bullets so that they went between the propeller blades, allowing the machine gun to be housed directly in front of the pilot, for better aim........ Some reviewers claim that there are too many boring stretches. But, I only found one: when the 2 planes landed at a British camp in England. I don't know why, but it gave Selleck a chance to drink with some buddies and tell some war stories, while Bess fumed..........I don't understand the significance of the first scene in the film, where a would-be assassin is creeping into a room, gun in hand, but is, instead, shot by an unseen person..........I should mention that I love the theme music!