DARK BLUE WORLD (2001)
This movie gave me new information about World War II. The fact that 2430 pilots from Czechoslovakia went to England and helped RAF during the war is something new for me. I didn’t really expect anything before watching this film, but it turned out, I enjoyed it very much. I also learned that these pilots were jailed under the communist regime, thus, created a storyline that succeeded in putting emotional punch for me.
Story-wise, this movie had some moments to turn it into typical Hollywood-cliché, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case. Though the love story between Sláma, Karel, and Susan reminded me of Rafe, Danny, and Evelyn of Pearl Harbor—and these two films were released in the same year—in my opinion, Dark Blue World is less dramatic and feels more real. What I love about this movie is that the romance doesn’t overshadow the story of the pilots and their lives in England. The frustration of learning a new language and their small circle of friends were being highlighted in this film. The air battle sequence is the one that makes this film stand out. Though released in three different eras, the air sequence in Dark Blue World reminded me of the same sequence in Dunkirk (2017) and Wings (1927).
I love the ending of this film. It can be overly dramatic, but it wasn’t. Everything falls in the right proportion. Karel’s heroic act for saving Sláma and then the disappointment of finding Sláma’s dog had already been claimed by the son of his former lover, who thought he was dead … for me is really heartbreaking. And then the final scene—which I found really brilliant—I was weeping. The beauty of Karel and Sláma’s friendship is depicted beautifully in that final scene.
My rating is **** out of ***** because I believe, adding 10 or 15 more minutes will make me give 5 full stars. I don’t know, I feel like this movie needs few more additional scenes to make it perfect. But nonetheless, this is still a very good movie.
