This was filmed in 1950, and not released until 1957 due to producer Howard Hughes dissatisfaction with the finished film. He tinkered with various scenes for seven years, until the new aircraft he had wanted to showcase in 1950 was outdated by the time of the film's release. Scripted by Jules Furthman, it plays like a airborne remake of "Ninotchka" (1939) and 1950 anti-Communist philosophizing.

John Wayne plays Col. Jim Shannon of the Air Force. He and his squadron spot a Russian plane, flown by Olga (Janet Leigh). After getting her plane to land at the Air Force base, and questioning her, he falls in love with her. After courting her at the Pentagon's behest, so she will let information about Russia slip, he finds out she's a spy. The plot then goes into comic book territory, and loses all credibility and interest.

The script is the main problem. It changes tone from scene to scene, veering from far-fetched melodrama to crude comedy and back. Wayne plays his persona, not his character. Leigh goes from being brainy to being a "dumb blonde", with no explanation. The two do the best they can to be amusing.

I can barely tell von Sternberg directed the movie. The only sign of him is the many loving closeups Leigh is given. Winton C. Hoch directed the beautiful cinematography. Bronislau Kaper's score is much more amusing than the script.

This may be of interest to aviation buffs, and Wayne/Leigh/von Sternberg completists. All others beware.

Unless you're willing to concede that the the movie was made as a farce, which I don't happen to believe, then the plot and acting are one cringeworthy moment after another, starting with Janet Leigh's improbably striptease after landing her Soviet fighter at a US airbase, not that there's anything wrong with her stripping, of course. The improbabilities pile on higher and deeper to the point that being probable is no longer even the point and you just don't care anymore.

That said, the true star of this movie is the period hardware, some of it seldom seen anywhere else. The scene of the night interception of the Convair B-36 showed an early model in flight in such detail that if you look closely you can see that the retractable weapons, usually seen retracted on this rather rare machine, are extended. Also other fighters of the era are portrayed including the Bell X-1 that fills in for the Soviet parasite fighter that is actually the rocket plane that Chuck Yeager flew on the world's first supersonic flight. If you are an aviation enthusiast I highly recommend this movie. If you are fan of The Duke or are looking for action adventure or suspense entertainment, pass this one by, it's not for you.