Mission of Honor (2018)

The exploits of 303 Squadron RAF during the Battle of Britain. The squadron consisted of Polish pilots, many of whom were veterans of the air battles involved in Germany's invasion of Poland.

Director:

David Blair

Writers:

Robert Ryan, Alastair Galbraith

Stars:

Iwan Rheon, Milo Gibson, Stefanie Martini

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Iwan Rheon	...	Jan Zumbach 'Donald'
Milo Gibson	...	John Kent 'Kentowski'
Stefanie Martini	...	Phyllis Lambert
Krystof Hádek	...	Josef Frantisek
Marcin Dorocinski	...	Witold Urbanowicz 'Kobra'
Manuel Klein	...	Trost
Raphael Desprez	...	Favier
Rosie Gray	...	Georgina
Emily Wyatt	...	Kate
Robert Portal	...	Keith Park
Andrew Sweet	...	Senior Controller
Marc Hughes	...	Ellis
Graham Padden	...	Rawlings
Teresa Mahoney	...	McCormac (as Teresa Mahoney-Bostridge)
Jamie Langlands	...	Met Officer

Storyline

Mission of Honor is the story of Hurricane Squadron 303, a group of brave pilots who fought in the skies over England in WW2, not just to keep Great Britain free from the Nazis, but also to keep alive the very idea of their own country, which had existed in its modern form for barely twenty years before it was crushed between the opposing jaws of Germany and Russia. Equipped with the almost-obsolete Hurricane and (with some initial reluctance) given RAF blue uniforms, while they fought, Poland lived.

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Plot Keywords:

battle of britain | fighter plane | world war two | world war two pilot | polish fighter pilot | 

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Taglines:

In Foreign Skies They Fought For Their Country

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Genres:

Action | Drama | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The air battle sequences were shot using a combination of replica cockpits, life-size replica Hurricane on gimbal, real Hurricane (one of only nine in the world) and visual effects.

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Goofs

As Frantisek makes his wheels-up landing we can see that the propeller is turning throughout the landing. Yet when he comes to a stop there's no visible damage to his propeller.

User Reviews

A solid movie

I have just come back from the cinema and wanted to share my thoughts. I don't want to spoil anything so I'm keeping the plot to the minimum. The movie is based on true accounts of the finest of Polish squadrons, the 303 squadron formed in RAF, Northolt. It tells the bittersweet story of people who had nothing but themselves and their skills to offer in the fight against Germans during WWII. (Note, I'm not writing Nazis. These were Germans of that era). Having been thought of like the scum of the earth, these men proved that given the opportunity they can be incomparable in the air battles while many English pilots weren't even combat ready. The movie plays itself a bit slowly, CGI isn't the best you can get these days, there are many fictional subplots interwoven by the ones responsible for the screenplay, also there are some emblems missing from the planes, most notably the Polish checkered logo and Donald Duck from Zumbach's (Rheon's) plane. Despite those slight omissions, and some fictitious plots it is quite enjoyable. It takes itself seriously, without pompous heroism nor wallows in martyrdom. It is a well organized, quite serious flick that makes you think. Most people didn't realize it at the time but Poland lost due to the fact that before the war there were only 20 years of freedom, hence the military was not ready to deal with Germans' forces. There were atrocities committed all over Poland, but some people were able to flee and add to the allied effort, it's great that they're getting the recognition they had deserved. I highly recommend it to anyone, even though it might be a bit uncomfortable for some British to watch.

Details

Official Sites:

Prospect 3

Country:

UK Poland

Language:

English Polish German

Release Date:

15 March 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mission of Honor

Filming Locations:

White Waltham Airfield, Westacott Way, White Waltham, Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,137,751

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Slate One, Head Gear Films, Metrol Technology

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Color:

Color