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Jet Storm: Imprint Collection #437
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - Australia - Via Vision Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak (5th October 2025). |
The Film
![]() "Jet Storm", directed by Cy Endfield, is a tense British ensemble thriller that predates the airplane-disaster sub-genre popularized in the 1970's with films such as "Airport 1975" (1974) and its subsequent sequels, yet approaches its scenario with a psychological depth rarely seen in later, more spectacle-driven films. While ostensibly a suspense story about a man threatening to blow up a transatlantic flight, Endfield’s film is less concerned with pyrotechnics than with moral panic, guilt, and the thin veneer of civility that holds modern society together at 30,000 feet. The film opens with Ernest Tilley (Richard Attenborough) boarding a London-to-New York jet carrying a diverse group of passengers. Early on, he reveals to the flight crew that he has smuggled a bomb onboard, seeking revenge for the hit-and-run death of his daughter—a crime committed by another passenger. From this setup, Endfield constructs a slow-burning chamber piece in the sky, one that examines collective ethics as much as individual despair. Attenborough’s performance anchors the film. His Tilley is not a cartoonish villain but a broken man unraveling under grief and moral absolutism. His quiet, almost apologetic demeanor is more unsettling than rage could ever be. His pain infects the cabin, and as the passengers realize their lives depend on understanding, not overpowering, him, Endfield creates a potent study in fear and mob psychology. The supporting cast—among them Stanley Baker, Hermione Baddeley, and Sybil Thorndike represents a cross-section of post-war Britain, the self-righteous businessman, the cynical lover, the idealist. Each reacts differently to crisis, and their interactions provide the film’s most biting commentary. Endfield’s direction, constrained by the limited space of the aircraft set, turns confinement into an advantage. The tight cinematography by Jack Hildyard emphasizes claustrophobia and moral suffocation. The camera often lingers on faces rather than actions, suggesting that the real explosion is psychological. The script, co-written by Endfield and Sigmund Miller, leans toward talky introspection, yet its pacing—especially in the first two acts—is admirably controlled. The film’s climax, though somewhat abrupt by modern standards, delivers a haunting moral ambiguity rather than clear resolution, reflecting Endfield’s skepticism about justice and human nature. Viewed today, "Jet Storm" feels ahead of its time. Its structure anticipates "Fail Safe" (1964) and "12 Angry Men" (1954) as much as "Airport 1975" (1974), using a confined setting to expose societal fractures and individual frailty. Beneath its thriller surface, it is an inquiry into how ordinary people respond to extraordinary ethical pressure—and whether compassion can survive panic. If the film falters, it is in its occasional melodramatic turns and overly earnest dialogue, hallmarks of late-1950's British cinema. Yet even these moments contribute to its sincerity. Endfield, a blacklisted American who made the film while exiled in Britain, injects "Jet Storm" with his outsider’s perspective—an undercurrent of distrust toward authority and group morality. Ultimately, "Jet Storm" stands as a gripping, underrated work of moral suspense. Stripped of spectacle, it compels viewers to confront the uncomfortable question at its core: when trapped in a crisis of conscience, who among us remains humane?
Video
Presented in the film's original theatrical ratio of 1.66:1 widescreen and delivered in HD 1080p 24/fps using AVC MPEG-4 compression, this black and white film looks terrific for a film of its age. The image is generally sharp, the black levels are deep, whites are bold. There's a nice level of film grain present. Overall the picture is clean.
Audio
A single English LPCM 2.0 mono audio track, the dialogue is crystal clear, there's a decent amount of sound effects mixed for a film with a mono track as well as a nicely mixed score. The sound doesn't appear to have any imperfections that tend to plague films of this age, the restoration of the audio track is done exceptionally well. Optional subtitles are included in English for the hearing impaired.
Extras
Imprint has included a small collection of extras that include: A feature-length audio commentary film critic Kim Newman and BFI National Archivist Jo Botting. This track takes a close examination of the film's production history and on the various cast and crew that were involved in the making of the film, primarily the film's director who was blacklisted in America during the red scare brought on by McCarthyism. "Film Historian Sheldon Hall on Jet Storm" a new 2025 interview (22:50), Hall takes us through the filmmaker's career and on his eventual exile to the UK to continue making films. Rounding out the extras is the film's theatrical trailer (1:54).
Packaging
Packaged in a keep case housed in a cardboard slip-case and is limited to 1500 copies.
Overall
"Jet Storm" is a taut, character-driven thriller elevated by Attenborough’s tragic performance and Endfield’s psychological acuity—an early precursor to the modern disaster film that values empathy over excitement.
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