Cheap 633 Squadron (DVD) (Cliff Robertson, George Chakiris, Maria Perschy) (Walter Grauman) Price

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Customer Reviews of 633 Squadron

Re-make with better model special effects
Several reviewers are right-on-target here about the virtue of this film is its use of actual Mosquito bombers. The point is that by sacrificing weight by going to all wood, the mosquito could fly very fast like a fighter (self-defense against enemy fighters) yet BOMB targets. Its was the world's first fighter-bomber by design. The rarity of flying footage is that the aircraft was DISPOSABLE by design and the glue that held these planes together has fallen apart over the years leaving us only one plane left in flying condition!

What I derive is that today we could today build in war-winning large quantities (can't do this with expensive F/A-18s, Harriers) an inexpensive disposible "Mosquito" attack plane using composites like Burt Rutan's ARES "mudfighter" and have it as either manned or unmanned to perform attack missions flying from dirt strips or grassy fields like the 633 Squadron does for better response to our ground troops.

We should re-edit this movie with 21st century Mosquito model effects and see if it stands up to its copy-cat Star Wars "death star" fighter-bomber sequence?

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Great Footage of De Havilland Mosquito Bombers
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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Mossies and their crews are the stars
Okay, I admit it - I excuse all the obvious failings of this forty-year-old film already noted by other reviewers because of the airplanes. DeHavilland's experience building high-performance airplanes from the original naturally-occurring composite material (wood) conserved strategic materials and produced the fastest airplane in the world for at least two years running during World War II. One of the few successful airplanes designed after the beginning of the war to be produced in quantity (over 7700 in dozens of versions in six factories on three continents), the Mossie is truly the star of this film. We may not think much of most of the scenes on the ground, but losses were a grim reality. The determination of the crews to defend their homeland and fight to liberate others while coping with their own fear and mortality shows us the best qualities of that great generation. Even if some of the acting was as wooden as the airplanes.

My biggest complaint about the show was the actual destruction of two or three precious Mossies (Robertson's two prangs and another plowing into a fuel bowser). I second the craving for better sound - for those of you who can't get enough of the sound of a Merlin or two singing that most beautiful and alluring of mechanical siren songs, visit www.mossie.org, and go to "Donated Files." Scroll down to "Sounds," and get an earful. I turned up the computer speakers and played the "fly-past" clip, and my wife (upstairs in the bedroom) thought we had been buzzed!!