Metacritic reviews

With Mr. Wayne, Mr. Ryan and their charges in the cockpits against the crackling magnificence of Mr. Ray's battletorn sky, the picture is all it should be.

Terrific aerial footage and fine performances. [24 Dec 1998, p.F12]

Conventional, highly efficient patriotic war drama, made during the Korean War but set in the Pacific during the Second World War. John Wayne as a martinet US Marine Crops squadron leader is confronted by Robert Ryan as a compassionate second-in-command, and the flying sequences are as outstanding as one might expect from a movie produced by ace aviator Howard Hughes. [08 Dec 2002, p.8]

Actual color footage of battle action in the Pacific has been smartly blended with studio shots to strike a note of realism.

Thanks to the solid performances and fine camerawork, the film is not bad, merely professional.

Although a passable war film, Flying Leathernecks must be considered something of a disappointment for fans of Wayne, Ryan, and director Nick Ray.