Starfighter (2015, Germany)
Original / alternative title: Starfighter - Sie wollten den Himmel erobern
Categories: aircraft movies military base movies
StarfighterDirector: Miguel Alexandre
Czas: 125 minut
Laguages: German
Starfighter war movie
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Starfighter war movie
Czas: 125 minut
2024-04-07 / 1970-01-01
True story of scandal that surrounded the order of over 900 Lockheed F-104 Starfighter planes by Luftwaffe and the high number of them lost in accidents - in Germany the plane was nicknamed Witwenmacher ("The Widowmaker") and not without a reason.
Harry Schäfer and Richie Weichert are among the top fighter pilots of Luftwaffe, but in 1960s it wasn’t the same Luftwaffe that was the great power of World War II - disbanded in 1946 the German Air Force had to be reactivated in 1956 when Cold War nuclear threat was arising. Without experienced pilots, mechanics and proper infrastructure the units were organized quickly and the equipment they were using was bought with simplified procedures. The Lockheed F-104 Starfighters were bought in bulk to be the main interceptors as well as the assault planes. When one of their friends dies in accident on his F-104 Harry and Richie begin to suspect the fault could be in the plane itself, especially since the fatal accidents among German Starfighter pilots are frequent. Harry learns that engine failure that lead to the accident could have been caused by too low level of oil and insists on checking it before each flight, but his superiors are skeptic. After another accident unrest among pilots arises - since their planes aren’t even kept in proper hangars Harry is convinced something had to be done. They all heard about the F-104 accidents that occured in Canada that bought some Starfighters, but there were none in USA, which leads them to conclusion that the planes are not prepared for different climate. When Harry is killed in crash of his Starfighter his wife Betti is devastated, but decides to get to the bottom of the problem. Soon she learns things that general public wasn’t suppose to learn.
German drama presenting the true story of the 1960s scandal that surrounded the order of over 900 F-104 Starfighter interceptors by German Air Force. Due to high number of fatal accidents the plane was nicknamed Witwenmacher ("The Widowmaker") in Germany, but also Canadian pilots had similar problems. The story is told from the point of view of pilots, and their families, unsure if they will return safe from their patrols. The pace of the movie is a bit slow, but with help of CGI it is decent production.
Our rating
6.0
Film value
5 / 10
Realism factor
4 / 5
Adventure factor
2 / 5
Historical accuracy
4 / 5
