This time, Carradine's not racing cars, he's flying planes in a breathtaking show of aerobatics. It's a darn Pity there wasn't more of a story or a plot. But all the aerobatic, especially at the start makes up for it. Carradine, turns in a good performance as a man driven by what he does best, if that means subjecting himself to a couple of nose bleeds. He falls in love too, his older retarted brother not wanting him to fly, fearing for him. This is a movie for the whole family, drama, and a bit of action off the airstrip. Wannabe younger pilot Bottoms forms a friendship with Carradine, who takes him under his wing so to speak. Bottoms, brings a bit of trouble down on him, getting into a bit of mischief from some bad guys. We too have a somewhat dramatic end, where may'be Carradine has pushed himself way too far. Cloud Dancer is a must of entertainment, if only watching for all the different sort of air stunts, where there's no denying it's an impressive display. Your eyes will be be absolutely riveted to the screen. Being a Disney film, back in the eighties, they charged me a dollar more for this, but it was worth it, let me tell you.

I was an aerobatic instructor in the late 80's and this was my favourite film. That sounds like an inane statement - but when a pilot can tell you they like a film about flying, then you have some idea that the life of flying and the flying itself has been captured with a sympathy which is very rare in flying movies.The drug-running side plot is a shame, as it detracts from the main plot - when it would have been so easy to script enough drama to fill the movie. Filming is without blue screen, many of the pilots are depicted by serious aerobatic flyers of the time, and David Carradine does a very good job.I even like the music.

it is rare, that a film that shows the life of a extreme sport competitor, also has a side story and some side action. In cloud dancer you will see how the aerobatic circus is run and you will also see the best maneuvers in 1980, before the monoplane revolution, when performing an uncoordinated maneuver with a 180HP biplane was a real RISK. Many of todays top pilots started by dreaming with Carradine and his Pitts. Most tech aspects of the film are accurate and the filming is fairly good for a series B production, much better that many top dollar Hollywood products. An entertaining film that is a MUST HAVE for every aviation enthusiast. ED

I remember seeing parts of this movie back in the 80's on Showtime or HBO or The Movie Channel or something like that, and being somewhat taken aback that they were showing aerobatics in prop-driven airplanes in a movie that wasn't a period piece!I had a very difficult time tracking this down to rent, and had to pay a $150.00 deposit when I finally did.The first 10 minutes alone were worth the price of the rental: excellent shots from inside and outside of the cockpit, fairly well edited. Anyone who is remotely interested in aerobatic flying will love this film.As for the rest, the acting was poor and the plot was worse. But the flying made it all worthwhile!PS They did an excellent job of making it look like David Carradine was actually flying the airplane. I assume that they used a two-place Pitts for the inside-cockpit shots, and Mr. Carradine really made it look like he was flying, rather than just being along for the ride! Fung-Ku pilot! It would have been better if they'd had him pack all his belongings in a tiny bedroll and head for the next airport on foot or something else more in the spirit of his old TV show.