Hurricane (2018)

Hurricane is a historical drama which premiered in 2018. The topic is the Battle of Britain with special focus on the Polish pilots who joined the RAF to fight against Nazi Germany. Some characters are real historical persons, while others are fictional: this means that drama is not based on a true story, but on true events. Here is some basic information about it:

** Director: David Blair

** Writers: Robert Ryan and Alistair Galbraith

** Available on DVD and Amazon Prime Video

** Run time: 107 minutes

The cast includes the following:

** Iwan Rheon as Jan Zumbach (1915-1986) – “Donald” - a half-Polish, half-Swiss pilot

** Milo Gibson as John Kent (1914-1985) – “Kentowski” – a Canadian pilot

** Martin Dorocinski as Witold Urbanowicz (1908-1996) – “Kobra” – a Polish pilot

** Krystof Hadek as Josef Frantisek (1914-1940) – a Czecholovakian pilot who did not survive the war

** Stefanie Martini as Phyllis Lambert (a fictional character) – an RAF plotter – a member of Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF)

The Polish air force was wiped out by the German invasion from the west and the Soviet invasion from the east in September 1939. But some Polish pilots managed to escape to France where they hoped to continue the fight against the enemy.

In 1940, when France was defeated by Germany, some of these pilots managed to escape to England where they hoped to continue the fight against the enemy. At first, the British authorities were reluctant to accept them, but when the UK was attacked by German planes, they changed their mind. Foreign pilots, including Polish pilots, were invited to join the RAF in order to fight the enemy.

Most Polish pilots were organised in a unit known as Squadron 303. Most Polish pilots were given a plane that was called the Hurricane. Hence the title of the drama.

The Polish pilots made an important contribution to the Battle of Britain. But today this fact is not so well-known. The purpose of this historical drama is make sure that this aspect of the war is not forgotten.

What do reviewers say about it? Here are the results of two review aggregators:

** 58 per cent = IMDb

** 43 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)

** 80 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)

The topic is important and interesting, but the ratings are mixed, as you can see. There is a big difference between the professional critics (80 per cent) and the general audience (43 per cent). The critics seem to like it, but the audience is not impressed. In this case, I have to side with the general audience. This drama has some serious flaws:

# 1. The conflict between the British staff and the Polish staff is too simplified: the British pilots are arrogant and look down on the foreigners, while the Polish pilots are polite and try to do their best to be accepted.

# 2. The leading character Jan Zumbach – a half-Polish, half-Swiss pilot – is played by Iwan Rheon, who is neither Polish nor Swiss. He is from Wales! He speaks Polish in a few scenes. To me, it may sound convincing, but I am sure that a native Polish speaker can hear that this actor is not Polish at all. Why pick a Welsh actor for this role? Why not pick a Polish actor to play this role?

# 3. The battle scenes do not look real. They are constructed by computer technology (CGI = Computer Generated Images). Many scenes are almost identical. There are too many repetitions. In addition, it is not always easy to see who is who, because the pilots are wearing a uniform and a helmet and often an oxygen mask.

# 4. The character Phyllis Lambert does not seem realistic. She is an RAF plotter and a member of WAAF. I can guess why the director wanted to include her in the drama, but she is a distraction; she is a fictional character and she is not necessary for the main story about the Polish pilots and the role that they played in the Battle of Britain.

My conclusion: this drama is not great; it is not even good; it is average. It has some serious flaws. Therefore it cannot get more than three stars.

PS # 1. For more information about the Battle of Britain, see the following items:

** First Light (2010) – a movie about RAF pilot Geoffrey Wellum (1921-2018)

** Spitfire Sisters (2010) – a documentary film about the female pilots who worked for British Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA)

** Spitfire (2018) – a documentary film about the famous plane and its role in the Battle of Britain

PS # 2. The following articles are available online:

** Mariusz Gasior, “The Polish pilots who flew in the Battle of Britain,” IWM, 9 January 2018

** Leslie Felperin, “Hurricane review – All guns blazing in the Battle of Britain skies,” The Guardian, 6 September 2018 (this review offers 3 of 5 stars = 60 per cent)

PS # 3. The Battle of Britain is an important chapter of World War Two. But there are two definitions of how long this chapter was. The English definition says it was from 10 July to 31 October 1940, while the German definition says it was from July 1940 to June 1941.

*****