DIRECTOR: Guy Hamilton

CAST: Laurence Olivier, Christopher Plummer, Robert Shaw, Michael Caine, Trevor Howard, Michael Redgrave, Susannah York, Ian McShane, Kenneth More, Ralph Richardson, Harry Andrews, Curd Jurgens, Nigel Patrick, Patrick Wymark, Michael Bates, Robert Flemyng, Edward Fox, Barry Foster, Sarah Lawson, Duncan Lamont, Hein Reiss, Alexander Allerson, Paul Neuhas, Manfred Reddemann, and Karl-Otto Alberty.

REVIEW: A colossal, loud and star-studded epic portraying the Battle of Britain from the point of view of pilots on both sides and the officers running the campaign.

The British pull out of France in 1940, conserving their remaining aircraft for defense of the homeland. The Luftwaffe launches a major air offensive, and eventually the British and their allies manage to beat the odds.

While Battle of Britain isn't exactly Euro-trash, it was a British-German co-production and does feature a few familiar faces, and since I've been so short on time to watch new films lately I figured, why not review this one since I've seen it before and have a little time on my hands?

Battle of Britain's strongest feature are the slew of air-combat sequences, combine thousands and vintage aircraft, realistic-looking miniatures and even some stock footage. These combat scenes are filmed with swift-moving shots from every angle, rapid cutting and loud sound effects - plus plenty of nice explosions - which give them a degree of realism not found very often in mainstream war films. In fact, the only air combat films I've seen that come close to this degree of realism are The Blue Max and Dark Blue World. Director Enzo Castellari attempted to rip off this epic in 1970 with Eagles over London, but the air combat sequences don't come close to what they are here.

The film also features dozens of British actors, mostly in cameo roles. The focus is on the pilots, played by Michael Caine (The Eagle has Landed) and Robert Shaw (Force 10 from Navarone ), who try to keep as many planes in the air as possible. Christopher Plummer (The Day that Shook the World) deals with the same problems, as well as a wife (Susannah York) who's about ready to divorce him. This subplot is a serious flaw, because it's never fully developed and at a convenient moment is simply dropped from the story. Trevor Howard (Von Ryan's Express), Patrick Wymark (Operation Crossbow ), Laurence Oliver (A Bridge too Far) and Michael Redgrave (The Heroes of Telemark) are the officers trying to co-ordinate limited resources long enough to give the pilots a fighting chance against the superior Luftwaffe.

About a third of the film focuses on the Germans, giving them the same treatment as the British but slightly more stereotyped. Hein Reiss is Goering, who's presented as cartoonishly as possible, and Karl-Otto Alberty (Battle of the Bulge) has a brief scene as the Luftwaffe Chief of Staff. Manfred Reddemann is a very human German pilot who's well-liked by his men, and, like the British, isn't fond of war but does his job as best as he can.

There's plenty of accurate-looking scenery - the British countryside looks just like it did in 1940, as do the battle-torn beaches of Dunkirk. Ron Goodwin's music score is thunderous, and, as with all of his work, amazing and impactful.

All in all, Battle of Britain is an average battle-epic with the expected all-star cast and some better-than-usual battle scenes. There's no political message, no value to the film other than spotting your favorite actor and drooling at all of the vintage planes. That's what movie is about: how air combat is fought and what it's like, and it does that perfectly. Just sit back and be entertained, folks, it's one heck of a flight.

SGT. SLAUGHTER'S RATING: 4 Bullets