The Dam Busters

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Anakin M Apr 19, 2019 Excellent film, the acting in this film was superb. The film is well worth a watch.

Leia S Jan 25, 2019 Michael Redgraveâ(TM)s wartime inventor Wallis is hard at work to make a âbouncingâ? bomb that will destroy well-protected Nazi dams in western Germany â" so hard at work that he is obsessed. But he keeps facing setback after setback. This isnâ(TM)t the film I thought I was going to watch but it is intriguing; the bombs are shown as animated black blobs (which turns out to be because even in 1954 their actual design was a state secret). Eventually, of course, Wallis gets the design right but then it is up to the RAF to learn how to drop these special bombs from a distance of 600m and a height of only 60m. Guy Gibson (Richard Todd) is chosen to lead the squadron as they train for this difficult task and also come up with some unique methods. This is a very task-focused agentic movie â" little time for character development. Wallis has a tolerant wife and Gibson has a doting black lab (whose name is the unfortunate N-word â"I was shocked but this is the racist UK in 1950s). As they struggle to get the bomb right and the training runs accurate, time is running out because the bombs need to be dropped when the dams and the moon are both full â" on a particular day in May. And then, the mission is on and, wow, this turns out to be where George Lucas got his ideas for the attack on the Death Star in Star Wars (1977). The same shots of the squadron members in their planes, the same banter between pilots/crew, and the same difficult shot to make to win. Not everyone makes it home. Strangely compelling in its obsession with this one particular goal but also I drifted in some of the many moments of aircraft flying... See more

Anakin W Apr 25, 2018 Classic WW2 drama. 1942. British inventor Barnes Wallis is struggling with the task of finding a way of destroying the dams in the Ruhr valley. Breaching these dams will significantly reduce Germany's military production, especially steel. He hits upon a method but struggles to find any government department to endorse it. Will his idea get off the ground? Classic WW2 drama. Based on the true story, the movie shows well the process inventing the bomb took, Barnes Wallis's struggles to get the project approved, preparations to attack the dams and the heroism and sacrifice involved in completing the operation. Good work by Michael Redgrave as Barnes Wallis and Richard Todd as Wing Commander Guy Gibson. Solid supporting cast. Received an Oscar nomination for special effects, though watching this in 2018 that fact might raise a chuckle. The explosions of the bombs against the dams, in particular, are very unrealistic, though at the time would have been the best the director could have managed. See more

Harry S Nov 11, 2017 Made in 1955 when many participants in the raid were still alive and using Lancaster bombers of the type used in the raid which were in storage, this movie depicts one of the most dramatic and terrifying special raids carried out against Nazi Germany by the Royal Air Force. The screenwriters have followed the story which is so dramatic it doesn't need much spin to make this a nail biting action film. The real personalities of the key people are also colorful enough that the actors follow their words and actions. One of the few World War Two movies that has an authentic feel. 40% of the air crew on the raid were killed. The famous, yet in real life sort of jerk, Wing Commander Guy Gibson died in an air crash toward the end of the war. Barnes Wallis who designed the bouncing bombs which broke the German dams was haunted by the number of young British aircrew killed in the raid for the rest of his life. See more

Luke W Sep 26, 2017 A classic film about the Invention of the bouncing bomb. The special effects are pretty lame but it's a very British film and the music is fantastic. Great film. See more

Hagrid P Aug 17, 2010 This movie is massively overrated. I somehow just knew it would be. I can think of many other, way more entertaining WWII-themed films, of the era. I'm not quite sure why this has the reputation that it does. And the name of the dog in the movie is ridiculous (even though that was the name in real life). Even in 1955, they should have known better. Why do they have to be accurate with the dog's name, yet totally inaccurate with their special effects, which look like utter crap? I think it's a really stupid idea of Peter Jackson to remake this. See more

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The Dam Busters

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