633 Squadron (1964) Review
Posted by
Paul H Walton
on 5/14/2012
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Labels:
action,
adventure,
aviation,
classics,
cliff robertson,
flying,
movies military,
raf,
united artists,
world war ii
Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)World War II adventure film about a Royal Air Force fighter-bomber squadron assigned to destroy a Nazi nuclear weapons research facility in Norway. Cliff Robertson headlines the movie as a former Eagle Squadron pilot in command of 633 Squadron with a colorful assembly of international pilots. They embark on the hazardous assignment with the target located inside a Norwegian fjord, guarded by an immense array of anti-aircraft artillery. Worth noting is the story was probably inspired by the real-life exploits of RAF Mosquito squadrons that conducted such dangerous missions, hunting down Nazi ship convoys along Norway's rugged coastline.
The real attraction of this film is abundant footage of authentic World War II-era De Havilland Mosquito bombers used for the movie production. The scenes of these rare aircraft in flight are a delight, especially since there the are no airworthy examples left in the entire world today (the last one was lost with its crew in a tragic crash in 1996). The model airplane special effects are too obvious, especially when compared to the quality of "The Bridges of Toko Ri" starring William Holden. Nonetheless, it's still pretty exciting and viewers can't help but compare the squadron's climatic attack in the treacherous fjord with "Star War's" Jedi attack on the Empire's Death Star.
The script and several scenes could have been better, but the authentic aircraft are worth watching. Overall a decent adventure, dated, but enjoyable if you're a fan of the famous De Havilland Mosquito fighter-bomber built of wood, and flown by pilots in daring missions that helped win World War II.
For those interested, there's a nice De Havilland aircraft museum north of London, England, on the actual grounds where these impressive aircraft were built. The original prototype Mosquito airplane, and another production model used in the later movie "Mosquito," are on display.
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Based on true events, this "exciting, engrossing [and] breathtaking" (The Hollywood Reporter) action-adventure stars OscarÂ(r) winners* Cliff Robertson and George Chakiris as two WWII fliers pitted against the Nazis in a do-or-die mission. Filled with "blazing, pulse-pounding and realistic air-fighting footage" (Boxoffice), 633 Squadron will "put your heart in your throat" (Los Angeles Times)!1944. Allied forces learn that the Nazis are planning to pummel England with an all-out rocket blitz. The only way to stop the threat is to send Mosquito bombers into narrow Norwegian fjords to create an avalanche that will crush the Nazisrocket-fuel plants. Can Wing Commander Roy Grant (Robertson) and the boys of the courageous 633 Squadron pull it off? And if so, will they live to reap the glory?
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