Passable little British thriller about the development of the M7, a supersonic seaplane. Boffin pilot Mike Heathley is for pressing forward with a manned flight, but project director Carrington is cautious, reasoning that a remote-controlled flight is safer. The matter is unresolved when Carrington is involved in an accident. He dies after Dr Bord deliberately withholds a cardiac stimulant, leaving Heathley free to pursue his flight. The flight is almost a disaster when the pressure suits, developed by Dr Bord, fail. Fortunately co-pilot Jackson is able to engage remote-control and the plane is saved.
Security Chef Seagram is suspicious, and engages an agent to spy on everyone. Particularly when it becomes obvious that information has been leaked. There are a couple of suspects, but this section is irrelevant since we already know that Dr Bord is up to no good. Jackson is appointed as Carrington's successor and Bord tells Heathley, fuelling his indignation and suggesting that he takes M7 up again to prove he is the man for the job. Bord even invites himself along so that he can check the pressure suits. With remarkable ease the plan proceeds and Heathley takes M7 to mach 3. Triumphantly he starts to turn for home when Bord pulls a gun on him and tells him to fly "East". It's a hijack, but Heathley puts M7 into a death dive and forces Bord to drop the gun. Stretching for it Bord pulls out his air line and dies. Heathley regains control after a struggle and safely lands the plane.
This movie is at its best when in the air. The model work is superb. There are no wires and the processing work blends in perfectly. Modern viewers will be bemused by the seaplane concept, but older ones will recall that, in the early fifties, the flying boat was very much a viable commercial concept. The pressure suits worn by the crew were straight out of Dan Dare but simply added to the fun.
On the ground the film is rather slow. Lots of technobabble. Heathley's marriage failing and his wife being pursued by colleague Dr Leon. Questions of loyalty to the project and co-workers. And the villain is revealed too early. All that needed to be shown was Dr Bord telling the team that Carrington had died. The final reveal in the cockpit would have been much more effective. Probably not the best aviation thriller. But I did prefer it to The Sound Barrier which fell flat on its face because the storyline was so far removed from reality.
Review of Project M7
