X
  • 2015
  • Not Rated
  • International Film Circuit
  • 1 h 30 m
  • 2015
  • Not Rated
  • International Film Circuit
  • 1 h 30 m

Summary In 1948, just three years after the liberation of Nazi death camps, a group of Jewish American pilots answered a call for help. In secret and at great personal risk, they smuggled planes out of the U.S., trained behind the Iron Curtain in Czechoslovakia and flew for Israel in its War of Independence. As members of Machal - "volunteers fr...

Directed By: Roberta Grossman

Written By: Sophie Sartain

  • 2015
  • Not Rated
  • International Film Circuit
  • 1 h 30 m
  • 2015
  • Not Rated
  • International Film Circuit
  • 1 h 30 m

Above and Beyond

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 9 Critic Reviews
69
User Score Generally Unfavorable Based on 10 User Ratings
3.8
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary In 1948, just three years after the liberation of Nazi death camps, a group of Jewish American pilots answered a call for help. In secret and at great personal risk, they smuggled planes out of the U.S., trained behind the Iron Curtain in Czechoslovakia and flew for Israel in its War of Independence. As members of Machal - "volunteers fr...

Directed By: Roberta Grossman

Written By: Sophie Sartain

Where to Watch

Top Cast

View All
View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 9 Critic Reviews
69
78% Positive
7 Reviews
22% Mixed
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 9 Critic Reviews
69
78% Positive
7 Reviews
22% Mixed
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
80
Feb 5, 2015
Grossman doesn't step back for a broader, contextualizing view of the Middle East; the film contains a single comment on the 1948 war's ramifications for displaced Palestinians. But as an oral history of the pilots' experiences, it's indispensable.
By Sheri Linden FULL REVIEW
80
Jan 30, 2015
It will only be criticized — rightfully — for its skirting over the resulting plight of Palestinian refugees, but Grossman is surely capable of making an equally absorbing, entertaining film on that subject.
By Sam Weisberg FULL REVIEW
75
Jan 28, 2015
A moving and entertaining documentary about the young international volunteers who dashed to Israel in 1948 to create an Israeli Air Force.
By Roger Moore FULL REVIEW
70
Mar 12, 2015
Above and Beyond is a straightforward, rah-rah documentary.
By Randy Cordova FULL REVIEW
70
Jan 29, 2015
Above and Beyond pays well-deserved homage to these men who helped create the Israeli Air Force and ensured the survival of the burgeoning nation. It's a wonder that it took nearly seven decades for the story to be recounted in feature documentary form.
By Frank Scheck FULL REVIEW
60
Jan 31, 2015
Above and Beyond reps an uneasy combo of two very different kinds of documentary, one of them personalizing the past and the other “objectifying” political advocacy.
By Ronnie Scheib FULL REVIEW
60
Jan 29, 2015
These fond recollections of derring-do hail from a different era, and the movie’s one-sided view of history is bound to start arguments. The film is best appreciated as a straightforward testimonial: old war buddies’ hurrah against anti-Semitism.
By Ben Kenigsberg FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Unfavorable Based on 10 User Ratings
3.8
30% Positive
3 Ratings
10% Mixed
1 Rating
60% Negative
6 Ratings

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Unfavorable Based on 10 User Ratings
3.8
30% Positive
3 Ratings
10% Mixed
1 Rating
60% Negative
6 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

 View All
Production Company Playmount Productions
Release Date Jan 30, 2015
Duration 1 h 30 m
Rating Not Rated
Genres
Tagline It wasn't their country, but they made it their war.
Website http://www.playmountproductions.com/
View All Details

Awards

Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Berkshire International Film Festival (BIFF)
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination

Related Movies

Hoop Dreams

98
Universal Acclaim

Man with a Movie Camera

96
Universal Acclaim

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

96
Universal Acclaim

I Am Not Your Negro

95
Universal Acclaim

Woodstock

95
Universal Acclaim

Collective

95
Universal Acclaim

Amazing Grace

94
Universal Acclaim

Stop Making Sense

94
Universal Acclaim

We Were Here

94
Universal Acclaim

Faces Places

94
Universal Acclaim

David Byrne’s American Utopia

93
Universal Acclaim

Shoah: Four Sisters

93
Universal Acclaim

Our Body

93
Universal Acclaim

Sherpa

93
Universal Acclaim

The Decline of Western Civilization

93
Universal Acclaim

Brother's Keeper

93
Universal Acclaim

Crumb

93
Universal Acclaim

One More Time with Feeling

92
Universal Acclaim

Sugarcane

92
Universal Acclaim

The Act of Killing

92
Universal Acclaim

De Humani Corporis Fabrica

92
Universal Acclaim

Menus Plaisirs - Les Troisgros

92
Universal Acclaim

Related News

2024 Movie Release Calendar

2024 Movie Release Calendar

Jason Dietz

Find release dates for every movie coming to theaters, VOD, and streaming throughout 2024 and beyond, updated weekly.

  • movie
Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

Nick Hyman

With the arrival of Zack Snyder's latest Rebel Moon chapter on Netflix, we rank every one of the director's films—from bad to, well, less bad—by Metascore.

  • movie
Every Guy Ritchie Movie, Ranked

Every Guy Ritchie Movie, Ranked

Nick Hyman

We rank every one of the British director's movies by Metascore, from his debut Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels to his brand new film, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

  • movie
April Movie Preview (2024)

April Movie Preview (2024)

Keith Kimbell

The month ahead will bring new films from Alex Garland, Luca Guadagnino, Dev Patel, and more. To help you plan your moviegoing options, our editors have selected the most notable films releasing in April 2024, listed in alphabetical order.

  • movie
DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

Jason Dietz

Find a list of new movie and TV releases on DVD and Blu-ray (updated weekly) as well as a calendar of upcoming releases on home video.

  • movie