Brink of Hell

USAF Major Lincoln Bond (William Holden) was captured during the Korean War and subjected to torture, finally cracking after 14 months and signing a confession used for propaganda. Upon his release, he took a year to recover from the ordeal before showing up at the Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, hoping to return to work as a test pilot. On his arrival a plane crash lands nearby on the dry lake bed; he races to offer assistance, braving flames and explosion to attempt to pry the canopy free and save the pilot. His old buddy, Colonel McKee (Charles McGraw), tries his best for him, but in spite of recognizing him as the stranger who attempted to save his life notoriously strong-willed base commander Brigadier General Banner (Lloyd Nolan) turns him down because he does not trust him to be stable. A complication is that the general's secretary and love interest, Connie Mitchell (Virginia Leith), is an old flame of Bond's with strongly conflicted feelings toward him. Bond presses for any job and accepts the general's offer of routine flying in support. Banner is a hands-on leader, taking the most dangerous assignments himself. When Bond flies the new Gilbert XF-120 fighter he finds dangerous structural problems that threaten its imminent acceptance by the Air Force. He claims he did not press the aircraft beyond its design specifications, but no one believes him, especially H. G. Gilbert (Ralph Moody), the head of the company that built the fighter. When the general tries to duplicate Bond's maneuvers, nothing untoward happens. Afterward, Bond sees Banner nearly collapse in the locker room, but Banner tries to deflect the incident. When Banner is endangered in a test flight Bond calmly and expertly comes to the rescue, helping to build a bond of trust between the pair. Bond's rehabilitation is endangered when a drunk Major "Bromo" Lee (Murray Hamilton), Banner's top test pilot, tries to pick a fight with him at the officers club. Bond reacts badly to being held by a bystander, invoking memories of his Korean War imprisonment, and punches Bromo twice. Then Major Joe Craven (James Garner), another close friend of Bond's, is killed when a wing of his XF-120 tears away, confirming Bond's warning. With an appreciation that both pilot were to blame for the altercation, Banner eschews punishment and instead gives Bond the assignment he craves: the rocket-powered X-2, which is designed to fly to the edge of outer space. The general insists, however, on piloting the first full power test himself, despite strong pressure from his superior, Lieutenant General Bryan Shelby (Paul Fix), McKee, and Bond --- who calls him on his locker room collapse to no avail --- to let a younger man take on the dangerous job. When Bond is assigned to fly the last half-power test before the main flight, he goes to full power without authorization and barely survives a high-altitude bailout when the aircraft goes out of control. The base flight surgeon tells Banner that only a young, fit person could have survived, leading the general to accept a promotion and transfer, and cover Bond's trail by claiming he had given him verbal authorization to go to full power if he saw fit, sparing Bond censure in return for saving his life. He recommends Colonel McKee as his successor. Although Banner offers to take Connie with him to his new assignment, she decides to stay with Bond.