Jet Storm

Following the success of 'The League of Gentlemen', Dickie Attenborough began mobilising his own films and appeared in other films to raise the money to continue making his own (in the same way that Laurence Olivier was acting in films in order to finance his own stage productions at the National Theatre). This film is one of them.

Jet Storm is directed by Cy Endfield, who also co-writes the screenplay with Sigmund Miller. It stars Richard Attenborough, Stanley Baker, Hermione Baddeley, Bernard Braden, Diane Cilento, Barbara Kelly and David Kossoff. Music is by Thomas Rajna and cinematography by Jack Hildyard. Plot finds Attenborough as Ernest Tilley, a man still angry and grieving over the hit-and-run killing of his seven year old daughter. Tracking down James Brock (George Rose), the man responsible for the accident, he boards the same aeroplane flight as him and threatens to blow it up as an act of vengeance against Brock and mankind for allowing him to get away with his crime.

It's a real hard film to track down. Packed to the rafters with British acting talent, it has rarely been licensed to even be shown in the United Kingdom. I myself had to order a DVD copy from Australia, but the wait was very much worth it.

As has been noted by the very few reviews of the film on the internet, it's a British prototype disaster movie, but that in no way means this is cornball stuff, it's a very human and intelligent drama. Endfield's film is looking into how a number of people react differently when faced with the possibility of death, while it casts a scathing eye towards a society that creates someone like Ernest Tilley. How would you react if you faced impending death on board a plane? How would you react if your child was killed and the man responsible got away with it? Searching questions that of course don't bare thinking about, but that's why we have cinema, to let us escape into a dramatic world that paints possibilities for us.

The ream of character sub-plots are excellently performed by the huge cast, but it's Attenborough and Baker who shine brightest. The former has Tilley as hollowed and tragic, a man tipped over the edge, pain seeping from every pore. The latter has Captain Bardow as silky smooth, calm during crisis, it's an elegant portrayal by one of Britain's most under valued actors. Elsewhere, Endfield does a marvellous job of threading so many character strands together, making one successful whole and he deftly paces it and brings it in under 90, exposition free, minutes. The lovely title song is called Jetstream (a working title for the film), not Jet Storm as is listed on IMDb, and it's warbled by Marty Wilde (lyrics by Endfield) who also features in the cast.

An under seen British classic of entertaining substance, one that also has the requisite drama and suspense as it dangles its questions. 8/10

"Kidboots" critique above informs us adequately of the basic plot.However I would like to concentrate more on the actors and their performances.This is rather a cloistrophobic production since 95% of the action is filmed at Shepperton studios in a mock-up of the interior of a passenger jet airliner in 1959.It was rather sad to note the passing of so many famous actors among them, Stanley Baker, Hermione Baddeley and Harry Seacombe teamed with Dame Sybil Thorndyke.Regarding the latter, I had only seen her playing the mother of the Rev. Marston in "Gone To Earth" (1949); but here she shows her acting versatility by adopting a rather humorous role, while Harry Seacombe couldn't resist the odd "Goon" like facial gesture.

It was surprising to see the obviously suited Canadian married couple of Barbara Kelly (who I had only ever seen in the 1950s TV panel game "What's My Line") and her husband Bernard Braden (tv's "The Braden Beat"), acting together as a divorcing couple.Stanley Baker keeps impeccably calm as the airliner captain and there is a rather touching romance between Virginia Maskell and the American co-pilot.The "Brummy" actor who plays the hit-and run driver played a very similar role in "The Night My Number Came Up" with Sir Michael Redgrave.I had never seen Marty Wilde in a film acting role, of course playing a pop star, and noted he composed the opening popular theme music.

With all the actors competing for dialogue, no one should be singled out as that would be unfair since they all give professional performances.The "Brummy" hit-and run driver met an end like Gert Frobe's "Auric Goldfinger".

Way before Airport! This might not be the very first all star airline dramas (I believe The High and the Mighty was) but it was way ahead of its time. Good thriller with fair subplots and good acting. Hermione Baddely nearly steals the show as a surly, panicky passenger.

The most entertaining aspect of this film is watching it through a 2025, American culture / air travel lens. It is a good solid drama, with strong acting, and dialog - hence 7 stars - but it's also amusing for showing us how different we are today.

In Jet Storm we have what looks to be a 24-seat jet aircraft, 2X2 seating, with one class of service: obviously first (love the name: the Atlantic Queen Service). Route: London to New York. The plane looks like a Russian Tupolev 104 in exterior shots but the cheesy model looks more like an early DeHavilland Comet. Very spacious and unusually wide interior.

The passengers? All upper middle class, upper class types, mostly British. And all, save for two or three, very polite and talky. All, of course, are in their very best dress, suit and ties for the men, even the child; day dresses for the women.

And of course there are all the stereotypes. The hysterical older woman; the cynical businessman; the aloof, glamorous aristocrat; the practical cool-headed American; the aging rock star and his girlfriend; the divorcing couple; the old dowager and her borscht belt comedian seat mate; the sleeping child; the heroic, level-headed captain; the novice stewardess; the "good girl" character. Reminds me of a John Wayne movie the High and the Mighty. Or pretty much any close-quarters disaster movie. This could have been "Airplane 1959."

The problem is that one of the passengers, an ex-mental patient, has possibly planted a bomb somewhere and one of the passengers overhears his "plan" and becomes hysterical.

From there we have a talk fest. The captain, other passengers, even a child, all try and get Mr. Bomber (a 35-year old Richard Attenborough!) calmed down and in a mood to locate and disarm the device. The captain is more psychiatrist than aviator. Attenborough is made to stay in the downstairs bar and lounge (like something you would have on an early jet age 747) while he cycles through some crazy fits and hallucinations. All the while the white-coated steward searches all the bags in the pressurized, walk-in baggage hold.

Meanwhile passengers upstairs calmly play cards. Given the need to keep the passengers in a good mood, despite possible death at any minute, the stewardess starts serving unlimited, free champagne. Miss Good Girl helpfully suggests the bubbly be laced with some of her feel good pills (which knocks out an especially troublesome woman, who never returns to the movie). So British. So passive aggressive.

Fast forward to 2025. Can you imagine this in an American aircraft? Attenborough's character would have been hit on the head with a metal coffee pot then taped in to a seat, with hands bound with cable ties. The passengers - many in gym attire, wife beaters, and flip flops - would be complaining about missed connections, and no meal service. The FA would be some tired old 60-year old harridan running up and down the aisle barking orders. The plane would have dived from 40,000 feet to 10,000 and diverted to Iceland causing garbage to be strewn about the cabin. Passengers would be snarling about missed connections, and texting lawyers who are all on social media trolling for business. Lots of iPhone video action too.

But here in the transatlantic skies of 1959 we have polite conversation among the nicer passengers and games of gin and poker. No one gets mussed or wrinkled even after a mild tussle or two. Aristo woman even thumbs through her fashion magazine.

Ahh for the good old days of aircraft disasters.