Review of Decision Against Time

It's rare in a film like this where I enjoyed the domestic scenes more than the goings-on of the main plot which involves pilot Jack Hawkins stuck up in the sky in a plane with defective landing gear something he was aware of before, and creating a new sensation with the fact that he might have to crash to get the plane out of the sky. Hawkins and Elizabeth Sellars are having issues of whether or not they should buy a house, raising their two boys who provides some amusing moments in the opening scenes of the film. When Hawkins gets to the base where he ends up on the plane, the matter of whether or not his wife should be contacted becomes a major subject of conversation with the tea lady taking it upon herself to call her, having established herself as the worried old biddy sticking her nose into everybody else's business.

An interesting phone conversation with a reporter covering the story gives insight to a ruthless press who doesn't think that it could sell newspapers even though a man's life may be on the line. Then the reporter is confronted by someone who works there who tells them off for their insensitivity of being there in the first place. A few great moments in an otherwise frustrating and often dull film, culminating in a confrontation between husband and wife at the very end. A lot of the problem with the script is that it becomes very technical in regards to Hawkins' profession which will either confused or bore viewers who aren't interested or educated in that line of work.