Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo Blu-ray Review: Just Over Two Hours on Your Television Screen

Just over four months after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, 15 American B-25 bombers took off from aircraft carriers in the Pacific Ocean and bombed four Japanese military sites in Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, and Kobe. It was the first American operation to strike Japan, and while it ultimately did very little damage, it was a huge boost in morale for the Americans, proving the island was vulnerable to air attacks. Three years later, MGM made a big movie of that raid, the training it took for it to happen, and the immediate aftermath for some of these soldiers. It was written by Dalton Trumbo and was based on a book by Ted W. Lawson, one of the soldiers who flew on the mission.

Shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle (Spencer Tracy, who gets special billing and is more of a guest star than anything) assembles volunteer crews for two dozen B-25 bombers in Florida. Due to the secretive nature of this mission, he is unable to tell the men much of anything, but has them train to lift off their planes at a shorter distance than they’ve ever done before. The film follows the men’s training in Florida, then their flight to California where they board the aircraft carrier and sail toward Japan. The title is apt as the actual bombing raid takes no time at all. The rest of the film finds our heroes crash-landed in China, trying desperately to get home.

The focus is on Captain Lawson (Van Johnson), pilot of the Ruptured Duck. He’s recently married to the pregnant Ellen (Phyllis Thaxter), and large chunks of the film are dedicated to their relationship and their fears over what this mission will cost them. Honestly, I found most of this film rather dull. There isn’t much excitement with the training. We see some planes take off and cheer when the wheels hit the air before the mark; that’s about it. There is a lot of talking – Doolittle giving them a little information, the men wondering what the actual mission is, and Lawson and his wife whispering sweet nothings. It isn’t much more interesting when they get to California. Mostly, it is more talking, with the bonus of now the army guys get to talk to the navy folks.

The actual raid is pretty good. There are some very good effects sequences (it won the Oscar for special effects). The plane flies low over the ground, giving us some terrific views, and the bombing itself is exciting. But even these scenes go on for too long. It takes them what feels like forever to actually get to Tokyo.

The film is at its best when Lawson and his crew crash just off the Chinese coast. Nearly all of them are badly injured, and they are a long way from the rendezvous point in Chungking. They have no idea how they will find safety or medical support, or who they will meet along the way. Thankfully, they are found by some Chinese villagers, who take them to some friendly Chinese soldiers. An arduous journey later, they find the medical attention they need.

I will say there are some moments there at the end, when the Chinese people are thanking the Americans for their help in the war, and the Americans are thanking the Chinese for their help that I teared up. I’m a sucker for moments of genuine kindness. This isn’t a bad movie by any means. It is overlong, and it spends too much time trying to create drama from the relationships. But the acting is good (some of the soldiers are played by guys like Robert Walker, Don DeFore, and Robert Mitchum in his film debut). Direction by Mervyn LeRoy is solid, and the film has been praised for its accurate depiction of the raid. They used a lot of stock footage of the ships and planes, giving it an authentic look. It is definitely a film worth watching, just lower your expectations of this being an action-packed war film.

Warner Archive presents Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo with a new 4K transfer from the best-preserved film elements. It looks good. Extras include the Tom and Jerry Cartoon short “Mouse Trouble” and the MGM shorts “Ode to Victory” and “A Lady Fights Back.”