The well-directed film, originally titledPilot Number 4, was based upon and recalled Hawks"" previous aviation films -The Dawn Patrol (1930),Ceiling Zero (1936), and other films of the 30s: John Ford""sAirmail (1932),Night Flight (1933),Flight From Glory (1937)and director Edmund Goulding""s remakeThe Dawn Patrol (1938)with Errol Flynn.[Note: Although the eight fight scenes seem to occupy much of the film, their screen time totals only ten minutes, but hey took about six weeks to film.Just before he is cut loose of the ropes to sink below the surface to his death, he delivers a memorable, sentimental, and tearful goodbye to Harvey:Now listen to me, leetle feesh.You and me, we don""t even have a choice.See, we""re born with a killer instinct that you can""t just turn off and on like some radio.We have to be right in the middle of the action ""cause we""re the warriors.And without some challenge, without some damn war to fight, then the warrior may as well be dead, Stallion.