Watch The Great Waldo Pepper

In 1920s America, aviation was a young and exciting industry. Barnstorming pilots took to the skies, performing daring stunts and thrilling crowds with aerobatics and death-defying feats. For Waldo Pepper (Robert Redford), a former World War I fighter pilot, barnstorming was a chance to relive the glory days of aerial combat and escape the monotony of his everyday life.

When we first meet Waldo, he's working as a stunt pilot for a traveling circus. Along with his fellow pilots, including the hulking Axel Olsson (Bo Svenson) and the suave Ernst Kessler (Bo Brundin), Waldo performs death dives, loop-the-loops, and other jaw-dropping maneuvers for rapt audiences across the country.

But Waldo is never satisfied with the status quo. Despite his fame and success, he yearns for something greater. When he hears about a German pilot named Ernst Kessler who claims to have shot down more planes than any other ace in the war, Waldo sees an opportunity to prove himself once again.

As Waldo sets out to challenge Kessler in a series of increasingly dangerous feats, he must also confront his own past and the ghosts of the men he fought alongside in the war. Along the way, he meets a plucky young woman named Mary Beth (Susan Sarandon), who shares his love of flying but challenges his preconceptions about gender roles in aviation.

The Great Waldo Pepper is a thrilling adventure story that captures the spirit of early aviation with breathtaking aerial sequences and a strong sense of historical authenticity. Robert Redford gives a charismatic performance as Waldo, a man driven to achieve greatness at any cost, while Bo Svenson and Bo Brundin provide excellent supporting turns as his fellow pilots.

Director George Roy Hill, who previously worked with Redford on the Oscar-winning films Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting, brings his trademark wit and style to the film, creating a vivid and immersive world of barnstorming pilots and their wild, adrenaline-fueled exploits.

While the film's focus on aerial stunts and daring feats may seem somewhat antiquated by today's standards, it remains a thrilling and entertaining adventure that offers a fascinating glimpse into a bygone era of aviation history. Whether you're a fan of Robert Redford or simply love old-fashioned adventure stories, The Great Waldo Pepper is a must-see film that will leave you breathless and inspired.

The Great Waldo Pepper is a 1975 adventure movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 47 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.7.