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Amazon.co.uk Review
World War II aviation buffs may quibble with the details of Mosquito Squadron, but they'll love it just the same. It's an average war movie, capably directed by Boris Sagal, who thrived in television before he was tragically killed by a helicopter rotor in 1981. At the peak of his post-Man from UNCLE success, David McCallum plays a melancholy RAF ace, leading his squadron of De Havilland "Mosquito" bombers on low-altitude strikes over Nazi strongholds in Germany and France. His ground-based dilemma involves the grieving wife of his best friend, a fellow pilot presumed dead but later discovered alive with other POWs held at a French chalet where the Nazis are developing advanced V-class bombers. The RAF employs bouncing "highballs" capable of penetrating difficult targets, and the rousing climax doubles as a rescue mission and treacherous bombing run. Explosive action compensates for predictable melodrama, and Rocky Horror fans will enjoy seeing Charles ("the Criminologist") Gray as a stuffy RAF Commodore. --Jeff Shannon
Special Features
- Original theatrical trailer
- Interactive menu screens and Chapter Selections
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The poor man's 633 Squadron. A distinct sense of déjà vu prevails in an ill-starred attempt to emulate the heroics of its vastly superior predecessor, and from which entire sequences have been lifted to pad out this facetiously shallow wartime yarn. The astonishment factor soars almost unchecked at the disturbingly large quantity of footage borrowed from this WW2 masterpiece, with no escape, either, for Operation Crossbow, as doodlebugs fall on London in the opening sequence. If that's not all, any number of nods towards The Dam Busters and its bouncing bombs, the Flight Lieutenant's false arm and some inevitable love-interest really stretch tolerance to breaking point. A veritable showcase of wasted talent, featuring woefully miscast David McCallum muddling his way like a lost schoolboy through this low-budget patchwork of hijacked snippets which is further handicapped by a frequently weak script. His performance is so wooden, the Mosquitos dragged out of mothballs for the standard aviation shenanigans appear by comparison to be manufactured from 24-carat gold. A death-slide down which other formidable talents hurl themselves with reckless abandon, including Charles Gray as stuffed shirt Air Commodore Hufford, who joins the heavily-swollen ranks of high-ranking brass hats glibly claiming that one daring raid will take "years off the war". Not entirely without merit, however, as the opposition carries off the plaudits. Dinsdale Lansden as hard-boiled Wing Commander "This mission goes ahead" Penrose brings an acerbic edge to some of the more irksomely cosy RAF banter, while Vladek Sheybal's brief appearance as the smiling, unforgiving Kommandant of Chateau Charlon outshines the rest of the allied cast. His murder of a priest ranks among the few arresting moments that redeem this limp montage, along with Scotty's sacrifice to destroy a trigger-happy tank. Distinctly below-par boy's-own stuff, though enjoyably awful.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Bought this film with 633 Sqn a few days a go. After watching both of them I now know why I always confused the two films. I watched 633 Sqn first followed by Mosquito Squadron and while both films are good in their own right, I have one major problem with this one. It is not only a virtual re-make with the plot being so very close in many places, but it also uses loads of film footage from 633 Sqn.
That aside I would recommend it to anyone who likes war films.
That aside I would recommend it to anyone who likes war films.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Mosquito Squadron is no more than an average film with an average plot, weak character development and rather wodden acting. At times it drags and the ending is rather poor but it does have a few redeming features especially the airbourne sequences but all in all pretty average.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Factual dvd
A very good film from start to finish David McCallum who even now is still going strong in acting is excellent in his part and what makes the film so much more interesting is that... Read more
Published 19 days ago by e.s.
A more accurate and better film than 633 Squadron
The Mosquito was one of the most useful aircraft in the RAF's fleet in the last couple of years or so of WWII. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Claptonian
Starring the de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito
The real star of this average film is the de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito, a wooden, British multi-role combat aircraft, known affectionately as the "Mossie" and powered by Rolls-Royce... Read more
Published 5 months ago by RR Waller
Excellent, mis-understood little film
This is a superb film, with a very quaint English feel to it. Essentially it's a love story rather than a war film as such - probably why a number of other reviewers have been... Read more
Published 15 months ago by PJL
Good boy's action flick...
Good stunts and action with strong cast and support. Definately worth a winter night in with a cuppa.
Published on 12 Oct 2009 by B. GREEN
Mosquito Squadron [1968]
Fantastic flight and fighter sequences. Very authentic. Only reason why I give it four stars and not five, is the acting was really plastic, but very 1968, so all is forgiven. Read more
Published on 13 Dec 2005
Underrated air war movie but still good for all that
This movie is not supposed to be a carbon copy of its highly successful predecessor, "633 Squadron", yet, to one's horror, one discovers that the opening footage of the V-1 launch,... Read more
Published on 17 Jun 2004 by Christopher Crossley
War is hell...yawn
Somewhere, buried beneath it all, is a pretty decent little film. David McCallum does his brooding thing as he angsts about starting a relationship with the wife of his recently... Read more
Published on 14 Oct 2003 by "cutmyhair"
possibly the worst war film ever made???
Maybe it's the 1960's haircuts, or maybe it's the Godzilla-type burning models (I'm sure you can see the strings if you freeze-frame) or maybe it's just the ridiculous acting and... Read more
Published on 19 Sep 2003 by Mr. A. Young
Turkeys playing Ham
This is a must-see film for several reasons: the amazingly wooden acting - from all parties; the amazingly poor period detail (David McCallum's character would have a blond... Read more
Published on 25 July 2003 by Fish on Legs
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