I used to love watching this movie when I was a kid. It is real Boys' Own stuff, just like those British booklet-sized war comics that Baby Boomers loved to read as boys. That's why it may not stand up well to audiences today: stereotypical stiff-upper-lipped characters not to mention pretty basic special effects. As other reviewers have said, it takes a few historical liberties. It doesn't pretend to be a docudrama like Dambusters. Despite all that, it's still good enough to keep you awake on a rainy Sunday afternoon. I don't think it deserves the really poor reviews given by some contributors and aviation purists.
I was crazy about flying way back when, and the sight of all those magnificent de Haviland Mosquitoes flying flat out in formation at tree top level dodging fjords etc was quite thrilling. The theme music was very exciting too, and still is. When I hear it, I still see those Mosquitoes roaring along. It's so evocative, full of movement and aerial daring-do. It remains a classic movie theme, just like the ones from The Magnificent Seven or A Big Country. Maybe a case of a movie theme that is much more memorable than the movie it was written for. At the very least, check it out on Youtube.
The lead actors do an uninspired but workmanlike job though the young "Norwegian" pilot looks about as Scandinavian as Victor Mature. He was more convincing as a Greek member of Gregory Peck's raiding party in The Guns of Navarone. If you're looking for deep characterization and Shakespearean insights, you'll be disappointed. And being made for the American market too, there's the obligatory romantic complication shoehorned into the plot.
The only really silly thing about the movie is the ending. Air Vice Marshal Davis, played by Harry Andrews, waits for 633 Squadron to return from its near suicidal mission. Waiting in his staff car at the airfield, one of his underlings announces the terrible truth, that the entire squadron has been shot down with all crews probably dead. (Incidentally, did this EVER happen to an RAF squadron anywhere?) He pontificates with, "You can't kill a squadron." The viewer is tempted to shout, "Well, they bloody well have!" Then he is chauffeured off, with exaggerated gravitas, presumably to attend a "please explain" meeting with his superiors that may end in early forced retirement. Or maybe he's wondering where the dickens he's going to find twelve new Mosquitoes and crews. Don't you know there's a war on, Air Vice Marshal!
If you've never seen this movie and you feel like a bit of uncomplicated, old-fashioned entertainment with some thrilling aerial photography and great theme music, you won't be disappointed. Just don't expect a winged Lukas or Spielberg production.
I was crazy about flying way back when, and the sight of all those magnificent de Haviland Mosquitoes flying flat out in formation at tree top level dodging fjords etc was quite thrilling. The theme music was very exciting too, and still is. When I hear it, I still see those Mosquitoes roaring along. It's so evocative, full of movement and aerial daring-do. It remains a classic movie theme, just like the ones from The Magnificent Seven or A Big Country. Maybe a case of a movie theme that is much more memorable than the movie it was written for. At the very least, check it out on Youtube.
The lead actors do an uninspired but workmanlike job though the young "Norwegian" pilot looks about as Scandinavian as Victor Mature. He was more convincing as a Greek member of Gregory Peck's raiding party in The Guns of Navarone. If you're looking for deep characterization and Shakespearean insights, you'll be disappointed. And being made for the American market too, there's the obligatory romantic complication shoehorned into the plot.
The only really silly thing about the movie is the ending. Air Vice Marshal Davis, played by Harry Andrews, waits for 633 Squadron to return from its near suicidal mission. Waiting in his staff car at the airfield, one of his underlings announces the terrible truth, that the entire squadron has been shot down with all crews probably dead. (Incidentally, did this EVER happen to an RAF squadron anywhere?) He pontificates with, "You can't kill a squadron." The viewer is tempted to shout, "Well, they bloody well have!" Then he is chauffeured off, with exaggerated gravitas, presumably to attend a "please explain" meeting with his superiors that may end in early forced retirement. Or maybe he's wondering where the dickens he's going to find twelve new Mosquitoes and crews. Don't you know there's a war on, Air Vice Marshal!
If you've never seen this movie and you feel like a bit of uncomplicated, old-fashioned entertainment with some thrilling aerial photography and great theme music, you won't be disappointed. Just don't expect a winged Lukas or Spielberg production.