Hurricane (2018 film)
Hurricane (a.k.a. Hurricane: 303 Squadron and 303: Bitwa o Anglię in Poland and Mission of Honor in the United States) is a 2018 biographical war film drama, produced by Krystian Kozlowski and Matthew Whyte, directed by David Blair, and written by Alastair Galbraith and Robert Ryan. The film stars Iwan Rheon, with Milo Gibson, Stefanie Martini, Marcin Dorociński, Kryštof Hádek and Christopher Jaciow in supporting roles.[1][2] Hurricane depicts the experiences of a group of Polish pilots of No. 303 Squadron RAF (Dywizjon 303) in the Battle of Britain in the Second World War. The film had its premiere in Warsaw, Poland on 17 August 2018. It was released in the UK on the 7 September 2018.
| Hurricane | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | David Blair |
| Produced by |
|
| Screenplay by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Laura Rossi |
| Cinematography | Piotr Sliskowski |
| Edited by | Sean Barton |
Production company |
|
| Distributed by |
|
Release date |
|
Running time | 123 minutes |
| Country | Poland United Kingdom |
| Language | English Polish |
| Budget | $10 million |
The movie debuted at almost exactly same time as Polish production 303 Squadron: The True Story, often leading to confusion between two fims, especially in Poland.
Plot
The pilots of No. 303 Squadron RAF, are a group of Polish fliers who have escaped from Europe, following the Nazi invasions of Poland and France, to join the Royal Air Force. Canadian RAF pilot John Kent, who became known as 'Kentowski' (Milo Gibson) has his work cut out for him when he's handed the angry and often maligned squadron to command.[3] Piloting Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft, 303 Squadron works through language barriers, cultural differences and their grief on the loss of loved ones to become highly effective in the Battle of Britain. At the conclusion of the film, the Polish pilots are told that they will be repatriated to Communist Poland.[4]
Cast
- Iwan Rheon as Jan Zumbach
- Milo Gibson as John A. Kent
- Stefanie Martini as Phyllis Lambert
- Marcin Dorociński as Witold Urbanowicz
- Kryštof Hádek as Josef František
- Christopher Jaciow as Zdzisław Henneberg
- Nicholas Farrell as Sir Hugh Dowding
- Robert Portal as Keith Park
Zygmunt Klein was the factual Jewish pilot portrayed in the film talking to Zumbach by the coach in the scene overlooking the sea at Broadstairs; for details on Klein see 'Fighting Back' by Martin Sugarman, Chapter on 'Jews in the Battle of Britain' 2017, pub by Valentine Mitchell
Production
The script is fiction so it is not a historical depiction of all events. One news item provided this comment after researching the content of the film and the actual history: "the film attempted to stick close to fact, but the needs of dramatic action often swayed the plot into fictitious and occasionally unrealistic narratives".[5] In late 2017 and early 2018 some scenes were shot on the Kent coast at Stone Bay and Victoria Gardens in Broadstairs. [6]
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film (as Mission of Honor) has an approval rating of 83% based on reviews from 6 critics, with an average rating of 5.67/10.[7]
The Review in The Guardian was mixed with a 3/5 star rating. Leslie Felperin made this concluding comment: "The lack of budget, relative to Dunkirk at least, is glaring in the aerial dogfights, and the score is too maudlin and on the nose, but director David Blair navigates the whole thing through the storm with watchable competence".[8]
Home Media
Mission of Honor was released April 30, 2019 by Cinedigm on Region A Blu ray, DVD, and streaming video.
References
- McKenzie, Steven. "Scot directs new film on WW2 Polish fighters". BBC. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- Gibbs, Bill. "Scots director behind Battle of Britain epic Hurricane". Sunday Post. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- Garrett Hunter. "HURRICANE Film review (Mission of Honor)". www.britflicks.com.
- "Hurricane (2018) Movie Script". Springfield! Springfield!.
- Bretan, Juliette (September 21, 2018). "Hurricane & Dywizjon". Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- Kent Film Office. "Hurricane (2018) Article".
- "Hurricane (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
- Leslie Felperin (6 September 2018). "Hurricane review – all guns blazing in the Battle of Britain skies". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
External links
Olson, Lynne and Stanley Cloud. A Question of Honor: the Kościuszko Squadron in World War II. New York: Random House, 2003. ISBN 978-0-375-41197-7.
Further reading
- Josef Frantisek: The Battle of Britain's Czech hero and 'Fighting Back' by Martin Sugarman, 2017 - chapter on Jews in the Battle of Britain