It can be hard to find a movie that is clean and inspirational. Maybe you’re like me. You’re always keeping your eyes open for good films. I’ve found that, usually, it’s a good movie if I end up watching it again. And, if that happens, it’s because there’s some good illustrations that can be drawn from the film.
Discretion is something that I practice when watching war films. I’ve always believed that watching these kinds of movies is important for appreciating the danger and chaos that soldiers had to brave through in past generations. Some scenes should be skipped, but not entire movies, and not all the time. It seems there’s a healthy balance. I believe that viewers should understand the kind of events that took place, but also cannot let themselves become unfeeling to the sight of death and destruction. As believers, we have a responsibility to steward what we allow our eyes to see.
I recently watched a film called Midway. If you haven’t seen the picture, you undoubtedly have read about this event. I honestly couldn’t tell you much about the battle from the top of my head, so I won’t. History books or Google would do a better (a shorter) job. But what I will share is that the Battle of Midway took place soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Everyone knows about Pearl Harbor. The Japanese carried out a strategic surprise attack on the American naval fleet which killed hundreds of American sailors. A lot of things went down that day: bombs…buildings… ships…men. The U.S. warships quickly became floating incendiaries—a living Hell for every sailor onboard a vessel.
This attack on the U.S. navy was an instant declaration of war. America would retaliate and bomb the Japanese fleet with a fierceness.
This is where Midway really takes off—well, the pilots do anyway. We see the American fighter pilots go on various missions to hit the Japanese fleet. The mission is black and white: there’s only one way to make sure these massive aircraft carriers sink to the bottom of the ocean, and that is getting close enough to drop a bomb on the deck. Meanwhile, thousands of anti-aircraft shells are exploding all around the plane. Twenty-eight guns on every carrier…and they are pointing at you.
Every mission is a suicide mission for the pilots. Plane after plane gets blown out of the sky or crashes into the waves beneath. The pilots who do manage to reach 1300 feet get so barraged with rounds that it nearly blinds their sight.
After much sacrifice, the Americans manage to sink numerous Japanese ships and return to their carrier. So…mission accomplished?
One of the main characters of the film—Richard Best—is the squadron commander. He walks into the locker room where all the bomber pilots are sitting, literally shell shocked and spent. Scanning around, he tells them, “Look, I know you all just got back from [ ] but we gotta go back out there. There’s still one more carrier to hit.”
Throughout the movie, we see how skilled of a pilot Richard Best is. He lives up to his last name. He very much is the best bomber pilot, fearless and having nerves of steel. Death doesn’t frighten him. The mission gets done or die trying. To some, it seems cruel, but it lets other Americans live to see another day.
Exhausted, the pilots make their way back to their planes and take off again. Sinking the Akagi is utmost priority. If they don’t, the Japanese will still be able to launch planes.
Richard and his squadron dive one last time. Thousands of gunship rounds explode black and orange around every inch of the planes. Some of the aircraft explode, others miraculously stay intact. Richard and his gunner are leading the way down. Their altimeter drops rapidly.
1600 feet... 1500 feet...1400 feet... But it’s not close enough. They can’t afford to miss this shot. Even if their plane gets shot down, the carrier must sink.
1300 feet... 1200 feet...1100 feet... Rounds once again blind their view of the carrier and the plane rattles violently.
900 feet...800 feet...700 feet
“This is for Pearl!” Rich yells. At five hundred feet, he releases the bomb and grimaces as he struggles to pull up the plane. Behind them, the Akagi’s deck explodes and sends fragments in all directions.
Midway had been won.
Sometimes we are a lot like the pilots who thought the battle was over. We come back to the ship, exhausted and shell-shocked. But then the Holy Spirit reminds us that there’s still work to do. There’s still a mission to accomplish. Enemy rounds are going to blind our vision at times. Fighting the mission can be perilous. And that’s why we need hearts of courage. God gives believers courage to do the impossible. He gives us the instruments that we need. We have spiritual armor and spiritual weapons to use in this spiritual war. The task before us may seem impossible, but we know that faith can move what seems unmovable. God gives us everything we need to accomplish the mission
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