The Tragedy of Flight 103: The Inside Story (1990) (TV)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Leslie Woodhead

Writer:

Michael Eaton (writer)

Release Date:

9 December 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Drama

Plot:

Examination of the events that led to the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

Plot Keywords:

Scotland | Terrorist | Terrorist Plot | Airplane Shot Down | Reenactment

Cast

Tariq Alibai	...	Abu Talb
Tony Alleff	...	Abdel Fatteh Ghadanfar
Jassem Arif	...	Helsinki Caller
Ned Beatty	...	C. Edward Acker
Richard Bebb	...	Justice Offical
David Becalick	...	Passport Officer
Paul Birchard	...	Pan Am Security Employee
Peter Boyle	...	Fred Ford
Jonathan Bridge	...	German Plainclothes Policeman
Sandra Butterworth	...	Profile Screener 2
Nigel Cooke	...	Baggage Porter
Michael Cronin	...	Martin Hübner
Peter Darling	...	Profile Screener 1
Harry Ditson	...	Martin Shugrue
Richard Durden	...	BKA Interrogator
Robin Ellis	...	Narrator
Cherif Ezzeldin	...	Saleem
Al Fiorentini	...	Maltese Shopkeeper
Sasson Gabai	...	Marwan Khreesat
Vincent Gardenia	...	Harry Pizer
Jamie Glover	...	New Scanner
Stafford Gordon	...	Public Prosecutor
Christopher Hackley	...	German Plainclothes Policeman
Garrick Hagon	...	Mark Sanna
Richard Howard	...	Berndt Meyer
Stephen Hoye	...	Tommy Dome
Diana Hunter	...	Public Relations Woman
Aharon Ipalé	...	Hafez Dalkomoni
Moshe Ivgy	...	Yossi Langotsky
Eric Loren	...	US Embassy Offical
Deidra Lovell	...	Consular Official
Nick Maloney	...	BKA Officer
Emma Martin	...	Beate Franzki
Bill McCabe	...	Watch Controller Ford
Mac McDonald	...	Port Authority Policeman
Alan Meadows	...	German Plainclothes Policeman
Avi Nassa	...	Palestinian Activist
Sean Pertwee	...	Oliver Koch
Paula Raflo	...	Kennel Manageress
Martyn Read	...	X Ray Scanner
Andrew Robertson	...	ATC Alan Topp
William Roberts	...	Capt. Jim McQuarrie
Rivca Rubin	...	Alert Employee
Mozaffar Shafeie	...	Ali Akbar Mohteshemi
Richard D. Sharp	...	TV Anchorman
John Shrapnel	...	BKA Police Chief
Christopher Simon	...	Young Palestinian
Colin Stinton	...	Raymond Smith
Timothy West	...	Col. Wilfred Wood
Michael Wincott	...	Ulrich Weber

Also Known As:

Why Lockerbie? (UK)

Runtime:

Canada:86 min (Ontario)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Malta

Company:

Granada Television

Goofs:

Continuity: Pan Am Flight 103 taking-off from Heathrow shows a Boeing 747SP, recognizable by its very short fuselage, when all the other scenes accurately show a Boeing 747-100.

Quotes:

[on the telephone, hands-free mode]
Yossi Langotsky: Am I speaking to the chairman of Pan Am?
C. Edward Acker: This is Acker.
Yossi Langotsky: I've just put a bomb onto one of your planes of a trans-Atlantic flight out of Europe.
[picks up telephone]
C. Edward Acker: This is not possible! Who is it?
Yossi Langotsky: It's Yossi Langotsky. You'll be relieved to hear it's a dummy... this time.
C. Edward Acker: Pulling stunts like this... is not the way I expect you to check out the security on this airline, Langotsky.
Yossi Langotsky: Mr. Acker, in my view, it's only the will of providence that has saved your airline from terorrists attacks.
C. Edward Acker: I don't want this to happen again. Do you understand me?
[...]

Not likely as an in flight movie

This a brutally honest, compellingly accurate, brilliantly crafted film. It's not exactly a docudrama. But it examines the facts behind the Lockerbee bombing in a dramatic fashion without preaching. And who among us, whether in the airline business, cigarettes, cat food or something else has not been trapped in the pressures of the sort of corporate culture that is so well documented here. Do you resign in conscience or do you reluctantly do what you're told in order to save your job. There are no real bad guys here; just a lot of disillusioned ones. Even the terrorists have their redeeming qualities. A whole lot of people got trapped in a situation that inevitably took on a life (and death) of its own. I am astounded this superb film has had such limited exposure. But don't expect to see it as in flight entertainment.