In the bonus track of the DVD of "Mission of Honor" (a.k.a. "Hurricane"), the film's director, David Blair, described how he wanted to take a little-known World War II story and make it credible and spontaneous, avoiding the clichés of World War II films from the 1950s. The goal was to tell the story of the 303 Squadron of brave Polish air pilots and their acts of self-sacrifice during the Battle of Britain in 1940.
The film developed effectively the situation of the intrepid Polish airman who were exiled from their country after Hitler's invasion and rapid conquest in 1939. Flashback sequences relive the horrors of the Blitzkrieg and the atrocities committed by the Hitler. The film occasionally alludes to the role played by Stalin, but does not describe how the Poland was carved up between Germany and the Soviet Union in the early stage of the war. It was that shocking partition that had driven the pilots out of the country and led them to Great Britain to serve the allied cause.
The film may have gone slightly overboard in showing the pent-up frustrations of the men of 303 Squadron. It was not entirely clear why the airman, especially their leader Jan Zumbach, would be so rude to their British hosts when their achievements were honored in a special celebration. They were all aware that the only chance of retaking their nation was the defeat of the Third Reich. The special event honoring the pilots was marred by their rude behavior.
The film developed an interesting set of women's characters. The women were instrumental in the radar tracking of the invading Luftwaffe. Phyllis was the skilled interpreter of the data, and she and her female colleagues used their shuffleboards like skilled roulette croupiers.
Of course, there was a romantic connection, but, unfortunately, it did not have the sizzle of "Top Gun." Phyllis and Zumbach have an attraction and an affair. But there was a strange moment when Zumbach seemed to feel betrayed and asserted (falsely) that Phyllis would always belong to the cad Rollo. This made no sense in the logic of the film and militated against the director's goal of credibility.
The filmmakers did their homework in depicting how at the end of the war, the brave Polish airman were not allowed to repatriate in England. This was part of the secret conditions of the Yalta conference that led to mass deportations and the deaths of innocent patriotic people, due to Stalin's ruthless treatment of what he deemed "collaborators."
Still, the film was successful in bringing to the screen the story of the highest scoring group of bombardiers in the RAF. The 145 pilots of the 303 Squadron were responsible for 20% of the successful RAF missions. While the pacing of the film was a little sluggish, it was nonetheless a solid depiction of a group of unsung heroes of World War II.
The film developed effectively the situation of the intrepid Polish airman who were exiled from their country after Hitler's invasion and rapid conquest in 1939. Flashback sequences relive the horrors of the Blitzkrieg and the atrocities committed by the Hitler. The film occasionally alludes to the role played by Stalin, but does not describe how the Poland was carved up between Germany and the Soviet Union in the early stage of the war. It was that shocking partition that had driven the pilots out of the country and led them to Great Britain to serve the allied cause.
The film may have gone slightly overboard in showing the pent-up frustrations of the men of 303 Squadron. It was not entirely clear why the airman, especially their leader Jan Zumbach, would be so rude to their British hosts when their achievements were honored in a special celebration. They were all aware that the only chance of retaking their nation was the defeat of the Third Reich. The special event honoring the pilots was marred by their rude behavior.
The film developed an interesting set of women's characters. The women were instrumental in the radar tracking of the invading Luftwaffe. Phyllis was the skilled interpreter of the data, and she and her female colleagues used their shuffleboards like skilled roulette croupiers.
Of course, there was a romantic connection, but, unfortunately, it did not have the sizzle of "Top Gun." Phyllis and Zumbach have an attraction and an affair. But there was a strange moment when Zumbach seemed to feel betrayed and asserted (falsely) that Phyllis would always belong to the cad Rollo. This made no sense in the logic of the film and militated against the director's goal of credibility.
The filmmakers did their homework in depicting how at the end of the war, the brave Polish airman were not allowed to repatriate in England. This was part of the secret conditions of the Yalta conference that led to mass deportations and the deaths of innocent patriotic people, due to Stalin's ruthless treatment of what he deemed "collaborators."
Still, the film was successful in bringing to the screen the story of the highest scoring group of bombardiers in the RAF. The 145 pilots of the 303 Squadron were responsible for 20% of the successful RAF missions. While the pacing of the film was a little sluggish, it was nonetheless a solid depiction of a group of unsung heroes of World War II.