Review of Above and Beyond

I just finished watching "Above and Beyond" and could not believe what a wonderful overlooked film this is. Robert Taylor as Col. Paul Tibbets is amazing. What a horrible job he had to do, to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima ending World War Two. His life was nearly destroyed by this call to duty. Eleanor Parker is great as his wife, Lucey. She loves him, they have two children, and there life seems idyllic, until he is given this horrible task. Top secret, no talking, no telling, and certainly no way out. Duty comes before anything even the love of his wife and his children. He becomes sullen, withdrawn, and unable to give any affection to her, and in the pursuit of duty almost loses everything that means anything to him. James Whitmore is the aide that has to keep all together and his performance is one of restraint and conviction. I don't get why Taylor was always overlooked by the Academy, first for "Johnny Eager" then for "Waterloo Bridge" and then at the height of his maturity, "Above and Beyond." What a insult to this remarkable performer to never get his due as an excellent actor. This film gives us a look at the personal devastation of the private Paul Tibbets, and somehow we can understand that if the bomb had not been dropped, many more lives would have been lost. A great film, with insight and daring.