FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Isbel A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

bkoganbing It's sad that folks on my side of the Atlantic pond don't know about Douglas Bader and the inspirational figure that he is. Talk about overcoming handicaps, the challenge he met would have defeated most any other person.Kenneth More was at his career height in the British cinema when he played Bader in the biographical picture Reach For The Sky. We meet Bader first as a brash young recruit in the Royal Air Force who thinks he's going to teach the pros about flying. A nasty crackup by a reckless Bader leaves him with both legs amputated.But that's not going to keep Bader from a career in the Royal Air Force. The crash took place in the middle 30s giving him just enough time to mend and train to become a squadron commander in the RAF with more than his kills in the sky of the Luftwaffe before he was shot down over occupied France and made a prisoner for four years.Wikipedia paints a slightly different of a far more earthy Bader, one that would be known for his salty language which the British cinema even without the Hollywood Code would be loath to show. Probably if Reach For The Sky was made today with someone like Russell Crowe in the lead we'd get Bader warts and all.Even laundered Reach For The Sky is a fine tribute to one who would be a hero in any country. The United Kingdom was lucky to have Douglas Bader answer his country's call in their finest hour.

Tweekums This film tells the story of pilot Douglas Bader from the time that he first joined the RAF to train as a pilot in 1928 till the end of the war in 1945; it is an amazing story of his determination to continue flying despite losing both legs in an accident that should have killed him in 1931. In a surprisingly short time he is up and about on a peg-leg and a pair of crutches; that isn't good enough for him though and it isn't that much longer before he is having a pair of artificial legs fitted. The doctors tell him he will need a stick but he refuses and with some practice is able to walk again. He may not fly though despite proving that he is able to; rather than fly a desk in the RAF he takes an office job and marries a girl he met while convalescing. He finds his work tedious so is keen to rejoin the RAF once the war starts; with a shortage of good pilots they need him. He soon proves that he is a good tactician as well as an excellent pilot and is given his own squadron and then a wing. Once the Battle of Britain has been one he finds himself taking the fight to the enemy over occupied France; it is during one such sortie that he is shot down and taken prisoner. He isn't content to wait for the war to end and keeps attempting to escape until he is eventually sent to Colditz.Before watching this I knew some of Douglas Bader's story but this film really does bring home just what a remarkable man he was. A lot of this was down to Kenneth More's magnificent performance; he made Bader's struggle to walk again difficult to watch as it was so believable and each fall looked so painful that he seemed doomed to fail despite knowing from the start that he will not only walk but also fly! The rest of the cast but in solid performances and the scenes of air combat are fantastic; this is largely down to the use of archive footage of actual aerial combat. If you are interesting in the history of flying, the Second World War or just want to see a truly inspirational film about a real person overcoming the odds then this is a must see!

TheLittleSongbird While perhaps too long, but just a tad, Reach for the Sky is a very compelling, moving and inspiring movie, that treats its subject matter with dignity. The story is always compelling and paced very nicely, the music is stirring, the dialogue is thoughtful with a bit of humour, the film is wonderfully made with beautiful cinematography, costumes, sets and scenery and Bader at the end despite any faults character-wise he has is one to take inspiration from. Gilbert's direction is masterful, seamlessly making the drama equally as good as the action sequences, and I think Bader is Kenneth More's best ever performance, he is just marvellous. All in all, compelling, beautifully shot and just not a movie to miss really. 9/10 Bethany Cox

alembic The credits advise that some events and depictions of people/events have been altered for story telling purposes , so this film is not a strictly accurate history of Douglas Bader. Also played down somewhat is Baders arrogance and foolhardiness which lead to his disability in the first place. Still as a inspiration for disabled people and as an almost factual account of Baders life and as film entertainment , it's pretty good. Made reasonably close to the war years it is able to capture the feeling of those years quite well. It is a trifle 'stiff upper lip - what ?' but Kenneth More as usual turns in a good performance. Focusing mainly on Baders attempts, and resulting achievements in war time flying, after a crash means both lower legs have to be amputated. Quite gritty and not too sentimental this offering from director Lewis Gilbert stacks up well against similar films of the time.