Highest rating with Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker giving phenomenal performances, perhaps the best ever in both of their careers.After he has been chosen to test pilot the B-29 bomber, Taylor is so affected by his work in the preparation of dropping the atomic bomb on Japan, that he becomes intolerable to live with and is extremely harsh with all those under his command. He had no choice as the objective of his work obviously had to remain top secret.This is definitely a superior story of the human spirit in triumph.Taylor is aided by an excellent supporting cast headed by Larry Gates, Larry Keating and the recently departed James Whitmore.The emotional pain of Taylor is sincerely etched in his face in an unforgettable performance.

This movie is the best production of the first A-bomb attack. Though Hollywood produce another shortly after the war and despite the cast, Brian Donlevy, as General Groves, and Robert Walker it was highly fictional.My late uncle served with Colonel Tibbits in the 509th and he said that Robert Taylor captured the colonel exactly. James Witmore is very effective as the security officer whose task is as difficult as Taylor's. The film captures the enormity of the task of developing the A-Bomb in almost total secrecy from the public and the enemy.The grimness of this is clearly shown throughout the movie. There is very little flag-waving in this picture and one does not fail to realize that the bombing was necessary to prevent a greater loss of life if the Japanese homeland was invaded.

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 He becomes sullen, withdrawn, and unable to give any affection to her, and in the pursuit of duty almost loses everything that means anything to him.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.

Real good work. Its straight ahead, no frills film-making had me in its grip every step of the way. Just a good old-fashioned major studio A picture; it's like tooling around in a luxury car. And I don't care what anybody says - Robert Taylor was a fine actor. I've seen a number of his films now and he hasn't given a bad performance yet. It is a tad disconcerting to have Mr. McGoo playing General Curtis LeMay, but it's a small part and I let it slide.