Jet Storm

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1959 British film by Cy Endfield

title: "Jet Storm" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1959-thriller-films", "british-aviation-films", "british-films-about-revenge", "british-thriller-films", "films-directed-by-cy-endfield", "films-set-on-airplanes", "1950s-english-language-films", "1959-british-films", "english-language-thriller-films"] description: "1959 British film by Cy Endfield" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jet_Storm" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 1959 British film by Cy Endfield ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox film"]

FieldValue
image"Jet_Storm"_(1959).jpg
captionLobby card
directorCy Endfield
producerSteven Pallos
writerCy Endfield
Sigmund Miller
starringRichard Attenborough
Stanley Baker
Hermione Baddeley
Bernard Braden
musicThomas Rajna
cinematographyJack Hildyard
editingOswald Hafenrichter
studioPendennis Pictures
distributorUnited Producers Releasing Organization
released
runtime88 min.
countryUnited Kingdom
languageEnglish
::

::callout[type=note] the film ::

| image = "Jet_Storm"_(1959).jpg | caption = Lobby card | director = Cy Endfield | producer = Steven Pallos | writer = Cy Endfield Sigmund Miller | starring =Richard Attenborough Stanley Baker Hermione Baddeley Bernard Braden | music = Thomas Rajna | cinematography = Jack Hildyard | editing = Oswald Hafenrichter | studio = Pendennis Pictures | distributor = United Producers Releasing Organization | released = | runtime = 88 min. | country = United Kingdom | language = English 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).

Plot

Ernest Tilley, a former scientist who lost his daughter two years earlier in a hit-and-run accident, tracks down James Brock, 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. The passengers include his second wife, Carol, whom he met after his daughter's death, and the subsequent breakdown of his first marriage.

When Captain Bardow 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 try to reason with the now silent Tilley. Mulliner, 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 comes to his senses when a young boy passenger, Jeremy Tracer, 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

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.

It was the fourth collaboration between Baker and Cy Endfield.

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)."

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." The Radio Times applauded "... a star turn for Attenborough, who brings a convincing complexity to the role of bomber and bereft father."

Notes

References

Bibliography

  • Pym, John, ed. "Jet Storm." Time Out Film Guide. London: Time Out Guides Limited, 2004. .

References

  1. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120713174854/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b6ad8db78 "Jet Storm".] ''Explore.bfi.org.uk''. Retrieved: 6 June 2014.
  2. Santoir, Christian. [http://www.aeromovies.fr/articles.php?lng=en&pg=855 "Jet Storm".] ''Aeromovies''. Retrieved: 15 March 2015.
  3. Vagg, Stephen. (28 December 2025). "Forgotten British Moguls: Stanley Baker".
  4. Pym 2004, p. 601.
  5. [http://movies.tvguide.com/jet-storm/review/102740 "Jet Storm Review."] ''Movies.tvguide.com''. Retrieved: 6 June 2014.
  6. [http://www.radiotimes.com/film/cpg94/jet-storm "Jet Storm {{pipe Film review and movie reviews."] ''The Radio Times'', 4 February 2014. Retrieved: 6 Nay 2014.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

1959-thriller-filmsbritish-aviation-filmsbritish-films-about-revengebritish-thriller-filmsfilms-directed-by-cy-endfieldfilms-set-on-airplanes1950s-english-language-films1959-british-filmsenglish-language-thriller-films