Hurricane (2018 film)
| Hurricane | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | David Blair |
| Screenplay by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Piotr Sliskowski |
| Edited by | Sean Barton |
| Music by | Laura Rossi |
Production companies |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 123 minutes |
| Countries | Poland United Kingdom |
| Languages | English Polish |
| Budget | $10 million |
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 co-starring in supporting roles.[1][2]
Hurricane depicts the experiences of a group of Polish pilots of 303 RAF Squadron in the Battle of Britain in World War II.
The film had its premiere in Warsaw, Poland on 17 August 2018. It was released in the UK on the 7 September 2018.
Plot
The pilots of the RAF's 303 Squadron, are a group of Polish fighter pilots who have escaped from Europe following the Nazi invasion of Poland and enlisted in the British 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, Squadron 303 works through language barriers, cultural differences, and their personal grief on the loss of loved ones to become highly effective in Britain's Battle of Britain. At the conclusion of the film, the Polish pilots are told that they must leave Britain. A note advises viewers that "an opinion poll showed that 56% of the English public thought the Poles should be repatriated. Many of those who did return [to Poland] were persecuted, imprisoned, or sentenced to death".[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
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.