The Shamrock Spitfire

Wing Commander Brendan "Paddy" Finucane was one of the distinguished fighter aces of WW2, yet today he's been all but forgotten, but for the most avid aviation fanatic.

As this visually stunning and very moving film shows, he was a remarkable young man (the youngest Wing Commander ever to serve in the RAF). Under the adept direction of Dominic and Ian Higgins, the cast delivers commendable performances breathing life into Finucane's story.

The battle sequences are nothing short of breathtaking, capturing the chaos, intensity, and adrenaline of wartime. I found myself physically drained just from watching them-it was as if I were right there in the thick of the action. The music score is another standout, adding a layer of emotional power without overpowering the scenes.

I have read that the filmmakers wanted to hark back to an earlier time of filmmaking, and I would say they have achieved that, it felt like a movie from the "golden age" of cinema, a classic war time weepy - yes, you'll need a hanky or too when you watch it!

A great film about a great man.

The best part of the movie is the story and acting., and that's all that's good. They skipped getting a script writer, because the scenes are piecemeal. There isn't a singular view. I would've expected a movie about a very successful pilot to have focused on him mostly, though the story focuses on everything. The sound design had the sounds, though the sounds didn't usually match up to the screen. The lighting was washing out the scene in a lot of frames. The fight scenes did a good show of a "furball" but it's hard to track who is doing what. And the special effects are OK, though it's easy to tell. The biggest issue is the director and producer not having a point to focus on. Great idea for a story, mediocre execution, and not worth renting, wait until it's free and you're in a couch hole.

Sure it's low budget, unknown actors, tries to get lots of context into the story, relies on cheap but effective visuals and is'nt up its own backside.

Simple, straightforward, not making points about stuff that's got nothing to do with anything.

Reminds me of a 1950's movie where you watch and munch the popcorn and have an enjoyable tale told well that keeps up the pace and interest till the end of the show. The acting was good, just playing their parts.

I got really bored with planet of the apes,dune and other mega long, shiny, squillion dollar movies as they repeat the same story and the semi ok stars dominate...I want movies like this.... Honest film making!

Yes the film is on a tight budget, actors I have never heard of, some dodge CGI mind you not as bad as Die Another Day.

I had never heard of Brendan Finucane before, I live near Hornchurch and never knew their was a wing based their.

The best thing about this film was the "Story" a true story, I learnt some info about Spits and a lot about Hornchurch and loads about this amazing young man.

To lose his life the way he did, heartbreaking even worse for Bluie who lost his life after the war doing a training mission.

The battle scenes are Ok, yes it's not Top Gun Marvel quality and maybe some shots are not the right spits But it's a decent film, not perfect, but does not deserve the hate.

Maybe this film is about the past and what we can learn from it, the youth of today should remember this: "For your tomorrow, We gave our today" This is why we must never forget the sacrifice these men and women made for us to have our freedom today.

As someone who has a keen interest in the war in the air during WW2, (my late father flew Lancasters), I need no second invitation to watch a film on the subject.

In spite of my interest, I had never heard of Brendan "Paddy" Finucane or his remarkable story, a young half Irish lad with a longheld ambition to fly, decides to get involved in a war that he could easily have avoided. He defied his father, prejudice and instead relied on his unwavering belief and fighting spirit to become the youngest ever Wing Commander in the RAF aged just 21 and not surprisingly was highly decorated for his achievements.

It is clear that The Shamrock Spitfire is on a budget and whilst Shane O'Regan does a decent enough job in the lead role, the air action sequences are akin to a computer game plus inaccuracies are regular. Battle of. Britain sequences featuring Mk IX Spits - nah! All too often, senior RAF officers looked wistfully skyward as a flight of aircraft passed over them, it's as though the film makers couldn't concoct anything more and this was a shame.

So why 6/10? The story, pure an simple - it really is compelling. I just wish I could have given a score of 9 because the film matched it.