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Jet Storm
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Wikipedia article
'Jet Storm' (also known as 'Jet Stream' or 'Killing Urge') is a 1959 British thriller film directed and co-written by Cy Endfield. Richard Attenborough stars with Stanley Baker, Hermione Baddeley and Diane Cilento. The film is a precursor to the later aviation disaster film genre such as 'Airport' (1970).[https://web.archive.org/web/20120713174854/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b6ad8db78 "'Jet Storm | BFI | BFI."] 'Explore.bfi.org.uk'. Retrieved: 6 June 2014.
Plot
Ernest Tilley (Richard Attenborough), a former scientist who lost his daughter two years earlier in a hit-and-run accident, tracks down James Brock (George Rose), the man he believes is responsible for the accident and boards the same airliner on a transatlantic flight, flying from London to New York.
Tilley has hidden a bomb on board and threatens to blow it up in an act of vengeance, not only killing Brock but also all passengers and crew.
When Captain Bardow (Stanley Baker) and the passengers realise that he is serious, and they cannot find the bomb (which Tilley had attached to the underside of the airliner's left wing), they begin to panic. Some want to pressure him into revealing the location of the bomb, while others such as Doctor Bergstein (David Kossoff) try to reason with the now silent Tilley. Mulliner (Patrick Allen), a terrified passenger, attempts to kill Brock to stop Tilley from setting off the bomb.
Acting out of fear, Brock is killed when he smashes a window and is blown out of the airliner. Tilley, coming to his senses when a young boy passenger, Jeremy Tracer (Jeremy Judge), soothes him. He then disconnects the remote control for the bomb, and commits suicide by poison. As the airliner approaches New York, the passengers realise that they will survive.
Cast
* Richard Attenborough as Ernest Tilley
* Stanley Baker as Capt. Bardow
* Hermione Baddeley as Mrs Satterly
* Bernard Braden as Otis Randolf
* Barbara Kelly as Edwina Randolph
* Diane Cilento as Angelica Como
* David Kossoff as Dr Bergstein
* Virginia Maskell as Pam Leyton
* Harry Secombe as Binky Meadows
* Elizabeth Sellars as Inez Barrington
* Sybil Thorndike as Emma Morgan
* Mai Zetterling as Carol Tilley
* Marty Wilde as Billy Forrester
* Patrick Allen as Mulliner
* Paul Carpenter as George Towers
* Megs Jenkins as Rose Brock
* Jocelyn Lane as Clara Forrester
* Cec Linder as Col Coe
* Neil McCallum as Gil Gilbert
* Lana Morris as Jane Tracer
* George Rose as James Brock
* Peter Bayliss as Bentley
* Captain John Crewdson as Whitman
* Paul Eddington as Victor Tracer
* Glyn Houston as Michaels
* Peter Illing as Gelderen
* Jeremy Judge as Jeremy Tracer
* George Murcell as Saunders
* Alun Owen as Green
* Irene Prador as Sophia Gelderen
Production
The type of aircraft depicted is a Soviet-built Tupolev Tu-104. Although the airline and its crew are clearly British, having departed from London and a BEA Vickers Viscount is also seen, the aircraft shown at the beginning is sporting the Soviet Union's flag on the tail. This twin-jet airliner was only used by airlines in the Soviet bloc. A medium-range airliner, the Tu-104 also could not have been used on transatlantic routes.Santoir, Christian. [http://www.aeromovies.fr/articles.php?lng=en&pg=855 "Jet Storm".] 'Aeromovies'. Retrieved: 15 March 2015.
Reception
In the 'Time Out' review, John Pym saw 'Jet Storm' as, "A British prototype for the 'Airport' disaster movies of the '60s and '70s." He went on to note, "... like its later supersonic counterparts, Endfield's film is naive and contrived, but not without interest as the alarmed passengers soon divide into groups: reactionary (advocating torture) and liberal (patience and persuasion)."Pym 2004, p. 601.
The 'TV Guide' critic wrote, "... thanks to an outstanding cast, this air-disaster film manages to limp to a landing with its 'thriller' status intact."[http://movies.tvguide.com/jet-storm/review/102740 "Jet Storm Review."] 'Movies.tvguide.com'. Retrieved: 6 June 2014. 'The Radio Times' applauded "... a star turn for Attenborough, who brings a convincing complexity to the role of bomber and bereft father."[http://www.radiotimes.com/film/cpg94/jet-storm "Jet Storm | Film review and movie reviews."] 'The Radio Times', 4 February 2014. Retrieved: 6 Nay 2014.
References
'Notes'
'Citations'
'Bibliography
* Pym, John, ed. "Jet Storm." 'Time Out Film Guide'. London: Time Out Guides Limited, 2004. .
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