In the spring of 1944 an RAF Mosquito Squadron are ordered to attack a German rocket fuel plant in Norway. The mission involves flying up a heavily defended fjord and bombing a cliff overhang in an attempt to bury the factory, which is built into the rock.

I bought this on DVD in a '3 for £20' offer, as I had fond memories of it from childhood, and it had been around 20 years since I last remember seeing it. I have to say that it's not nearly as good as I remembered it to be. The plot is full of cliches and there's the inevitable love interest for the lead. That said, there are points to recommend it. Cliff Robertson gives another reliable performance as the Wing Commander in charge of the squadron, and there are equally dependable turns from Harry Andrews and Donald Houston. The numerous flying sequences with the Mosquito Bombers are expertly filmed, and it's a real bonus to finally see the film in its correct 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The special effects aren't bad for 1964, and Ron Goodwin's famous score underpins the whole venture.

The main problem that I have with the film is that it borrows heavily from 'The Dam Busters' in terms of plot, without ever scaling the heights (no pun intended) of that classic. It may have lush Panavision photography, better effects etc., but lacks the nail biting tension and expertly constructed drama of its predecessor. However, it's perfectly acceptable entertainment, if somewhat abrupt at the end.

The timing for me watching this is fortuitous, as just this morning I finished watching "Mosquito Squadron" (1969)--a very, very similar movie. Both films featured the de Havilland Mosquito (an amazingly fast and capable British fighter-bomber) and both were concerned with an Allied attempt to knock out a German rocket factory. This factory was set in Norway, the other film had it set in France. So which is the better film? Read on if you'd like my opinion.

Cliff Robertson plays the American leader of a squadron of British planes. While this is odd, it might have occurred, as there were American pilots who joined the Brits after WWII broke out and before the US went to war. He is told that his squadron will have a new assignment. They are to fly into Norway and bomb an overhand in the rocks in a fjord in order to seal in a German rocket factory. This naturally will require precision low-level bombing--at which their Mosquitoes were best suited. To practice for the raid, they go to Scotland to fly among the cliffs. It's not Norway--nor is Norway, actually, as they used this same locale as a stand-in for Norway later in the film when the actual raid takes place.

My biggest complaint about this film was the casting of George Chikiris. No, it's not because I have anything against him personally (I am sure he's a swell guy) but he was cast as a Norwegian!! He sounds about as Norwegian as Bill Cosby! And, while there are of course dark-haired Norwegians, why not hire an actor who at least looks Norwegian?! I don't blame Chikiris--after all, he was probably happy to have a job. But I am sure this must have nagged him as well, as the role just wasn't suited for him--he deserved better.

While it's a bit obvious some of the planes are models on strings and the German fighter planes are simple transport/observation planes (Me-108s) and the film technically is not nearly as good as "The Battle of Britain", it's still a decent film. It has a rousing score, decent battle scenes and ends strongly. Overall, I'd give this one a 7 and say it is just a bit better than "Mosquito Squadron"--mostly because although Robertson mostly plays a grumpus, at least he has a personality--a problem with the other film, where the leading man was pretty flat, as he was given little in the way of personality.

The Men of the 633 Squadron of the Royal Air Force have one nasty mission to perform. The Nazis have built a factory deep within a cliff with an overhang on a Norwegian fjord that is making a special fuel for rockets they're developing.

The RAF encountered a similar problem in The Guns of Navarone where an overhang protected two large pieces of artillery that was wreaking havoc on allied shipping. They gave up bombing there, but the Norwegian resistance brought in a geological consultant who says if they come in low and hit a certain spot with a fissure the whole thing will collapse and bury the factory under tons of rock.

The RAF mission, come in low and drop bombs enough to crack that fissure. It's a nasty mission for Cliff Robertson and his men even with aid from a ground attack planned by George Chakiris with the Norwegian resistance.

What's best about 633 Squadron are the special effects where they used vintage Mosquito fighter planes from World War II. It's really done quite well and is exciting.

As usual an American actor is brought in via the RAF Eagle Squadron for foreign pilots who enlisted before Pearl Harbor. In this case it's Cliff Robertson although he's a fine actor, isn't exactly box office. Maybe the producers thought he would be as he was just coming off playing John F. Kennedy in PT 109.

I'm also not quite sure why the Nazis would locate a fuel for rockets that were to be used in defending the western Europe beach from the invasion in Norway. Maybe they were listening on Winston Churchill who was constantly advocating a Norwegian invasion though American military and his own military told him that wasn't feasible. If it was for a cross channel invasion defense, that would have presented a transportation logistics problem for the Germans.

In any event it's nice war film with great special effects.