The Great Waldo Pepper
Director: George Roy Hill
Year Released: 1975
Rating: 3.0
An exceptionally skilled pilot (Robert Redford) missed his opportunity in wartime to fight against a German flying ace (Bo Brundlin) so he actively seeks out his rival while playing stunt pilot with his newfound buddy (Bo Svenson). Though the treatment of women is basically inconsequential - Margot Kidder and Susan Sarandon are ultimately regarded as irrelevant (Sarandon's death is treated as a minor plot point and almost an afterthought) - this is really about the perils of Machismo and idol-worship: sure, Redford's character is able to stage his own confrontation with Brundlin, which concludes with (presumably) both of their deaths. Time moved past them, they were obsolete and with no viable future for either, they took each other out: masculinity as tragedy.
