A very apt comparison to this movie is "12 o'clock high." Both films are about bombing. "12 o'clock high" examines the US concept of daylight precision bombing, while "Dam Busters" looks at the competing British doctrine of night bombing. While "12 o'clock high" is one of the all-time great war movies, "Dam Busters" is as flat as a glass of stale ginger ale. The primary reason is the lack of human interest. While the US film examines in very effective detail the psychological effects of war on both leaders and soldiers, the British flick is mainly technical and eschews any real human interest. In the end it's a bore.
Review of The Dam Busters
