633 Squadron imbues the indomitable spirit and bravery of the airman during World War II but the dialogue is banal and the characters are opaque. As a result it is a mile wide wide in stature and vista with all the aerial action but only an inch thick on narrative. It's also made awkward for having an American as the hero. The bombastic musical theme is obviously very memorable for this subgenre, but it is played so many times to convey the airborne sequences it doesn't always fit. The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito airplanes are the stars of the film, and even if the effects are dated they are interesting for capturing the aircraft in flight. It is worth pointing out here that the real 617 RAF squadron which carried out similar missions on which the story is based were actually Avro Lancaster bombers.

633 Squadron is not too bad. The special effects are not that great though although seeing real Mosquitos is brilliant because there are none currently flying in Britain. This is a film which shows that Britain did actually play a part in winning the war and it wasn't solely won by the Americans. Sadly Hollywood does tend to overlook this sometimes !!. Cliff Robertson plays a Canadian Wing Commander who has licked his squadron into top shape which is why it is given the "reward" of having to carry out the dangerous mission of destroying a Nazi rocket fuel factory in Norway. I think he is fine in the role. The love story part of it is token and a little staged. The final attack is good although as I said before the special effects are not great. However, I suppose for its time and budget they are as good as were possible. The mission succeeds but there is only one definite survivor (Cliff Robertson's navigator). Cliff Robertson may also survive but it is assumed that he dies too by the reaction of the people with him at the end. Overall not a bad film and it also has magnificent music.

I've always enjoyed this film, ever since I saw it at the cinema in the sixties. The flying sequences are always thrilling and listening to those Merlins! However, my Father, who was in the RAF (617 Sqn) during the war always pointed out that there were no NCO pilots in the film. There were always Sergeant Pilots/Aircrew in an RAF squadron, even Guy Gibson had his fair share of NCO's flying. I have read some of the comments about Cliff Robertson's character. As far as I understood it, his character is an American who volunteered, before America became involved, flying for the Eagle Squadron. Hence the large American eagle badge on the upper sleeve of his tunic. Some commenters thought that the character may have been a Canadian. Robertson does play a Canadian in another war film (starring William Holden) but not this one. However, he does play an American Officer attached to the Britsh Army in another war film (starring Michael Caine and Denholm Elliot.) So as the Britsh Police would say "He's got previous."

A WW2 squadron of Mosquito bombers are training for a perilous mission to bomb a cliff face in Norway; with the aim to bring the cliff tumbling down on the German arms factory below it.633 Squadron may not be a film for the War enthusiast purists? But the work done here to make this film a winner should never be understated. In this day and age it's often forgotten how these type of film's relied on good aerial photography, deft model work, and a stirring score. All of which this picture contains, thus making 633 Squadron more than a wet day crowd pleaser. Sure the intermittent scenes between the training sequences and the actual mission are mere filler, and the subplots obviously halt the flow of the movie (hello romance, hello sacrifice clichés); but what they do do is give a sort of added feel to the proceedings come the mission at the end. We do after all have to have some sort of affinity with the characters putting their lives at risk, and we get that here courtesy of a well written first half. Also boasting (in my opinion naturally) one of the greatest scores used in a War movie, courtesy of Ron Goodwin, the film triumphs because the ending is all that you hope for. In truth it's never in doubt given the build up we are given (and being the normality for many genre pieces), but with little dashes of poignancy and slivers of adrenalin rushes, the impact is akin to a jingoistic chest thudding.Besides which, if you can't get a tingle on your neck watching the Mosquitoes fly over the Norwegian fjord? Well you got no blood in your body say I. 7/10