--- title: "Only Angels Have Wings: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/only-angels-have-wings/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/only-angels-have-wings" critics_score: 85 critics_reviews: 13 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Only Angels Have Wings (1939): what the critics said Critics' score 85 from 13 reviews: 12 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews lean strongly positive, with praise clustering around Howard Hawks’s direction, the ensemble and the feeling beneath the pilots’ professional stoicism. Critics repeatedly find the camaraderie convincing and the mixture of adventure, comedy and melancholy effective. Cary Grant and Jean Arthur attract particular attention for their performances and romantic chemistry. The aerial sequences provide excitement, while several reviews find just as much tension in the confined spaces where the characters work and gather. The differences are mostly matters of enthusiasm rather than fundamental objections. Little White Lies finds the film less purely entertaining than some of Hawks’s other work, but especially moving. The Guardian is warmly appreciative without placing it among its favourite Hawks films. Empire supplies a more specific reservation, identifying Richard Barthelmess as the ensemble’s weak link. Across the available assessments, those qualifications sit within broad admiration for the film’s craft and emotional restraint. ## Radio Times — Tony Sloman Rating 5/5. The critic gives the film a strongly positive assessment, calling it one of Howard Hawks's finest works. They single out the superb cast and the palpable tension created by the confined sets. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-m679m6/only-angels-have-wings/) ## Slant Magazine — Zach Campbell Rating 4/4. 2 October 2003. Campbell treats the film as a gorgeous masterwork that examines stoicism and grief within a professional group. He praises Hawks’s carefully composed spaces and the way their visual patterns express characters’ changing emotional states. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/only-angels-have-wings/) ## The AV Club — Mike D'Angelo Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 9 April 2016. D'Angelo argues that the film is a strong contender for Hollywood's greatest and praises its unusual blend of pragmatism and deep feeling. He especially singles out how the final scene makes an emotionally restrained romantic gesture achingly moving. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/could-only-angels-have-wings-be-the-greatest-hollywood-1798187308) ## The Independent — Geoffrey Macnab Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 2015. Macnab warmly praises this re-release as a quintessential Howard Hawks film. He singles out its spectacular aerial sequences and the pilots’ fatalistic machismo. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/only-angels-have-wings-film-review-spectacular-aerial-sequences-and-fatalistic-machismo-10251419.html) ## The New Yorker Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). The capsule presents the film as a stirring, highly effective workplace drama. It especially praises Cary Grant and Jean Arthur’s chemistry, while also highlighting the supporting ensemble. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/angels-wings) ## Little White Lies — Adam Cook Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). Cook praises the film as Hawks’ most moving work, despite finding it less purely entertaining than some of his other films. He singles out its vivid camaraderie and melancholy portrayal of life among daredevil pilots. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/home-ents/only-angels-have-wings-criterion-collection) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1938. The critic praises the film as an inspiringly well-told story. They single out Jean Arthur’s performance and the high standard of Grant and Arthur’s cynical romanticism. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1938/film/reviews/only-angels-have-wings-1200412011/) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). The piece regards the film as one of Howard Hawks’s most enjoyable explorations of his recurring themes. It singles out Jean Arthur’s spirited performance and Rita Hayworth’s striking early role. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/film/243343f5-eb42-5e49-8dcb-90a585033bb8/only-angels-have-wings) ## Time Out — Tom Huddleston Rating 4/5. 10 May 2015. The available description presents the film favorably as a punchy classic. It highlights the glittering restoration as a reason to revisit it. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/only-angels-have-wings) ## Empire — David Parkinson Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic finds the film a thrilling, humane adventure that turns familiar material into a compelling study of courage. They particularly praise Hawks’s direction and the ensemble, while singling out Richard Barthelmess’s performance as the weak link. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/angels-wings-review/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 2015. Bradshaw finds the film entertaining and very likable, though it is not his favourite Hawks picture. He praises its garrulous, effervescent blend of drama, intrigue, laughter and thrills. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/may/14/only-angels-have-wings-review-cary-grant-howard-hawks) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 12 May 1939. The page is identified as a review of the film, but its text is unavailable. No critical verdict or specific praise or complaint can be verified. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1939/05/12/archives/the-screen-in-review-howard-hawkss-only-angels-have-wings-reaches.html) ## Eye for Film — Luke Shaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 2015. Shaw gives the film a strongly positive verdict, calling it a brilliant blend of plotting, drama, comedy and action. He particularly praises the sharp dialogue and charismatic performances, especially Cary Grant’s. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/only-angels-have-wings-1939-film-review-by-luke-shaw) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/only-angels-have-wings.md