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Brilliant and touching

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

The first must-see film of the year.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

There is nothing new in the plot: two soldiers (an airman and a spy in this case) are in love with the same woman. As is quite often the case, the woman in question is already married to (or the girlfriend/fiancée) of one of them, and the two soldiers become close friends/soldiers in arms together under fire and in danger. Will both of them return from their dangerous/suicide mission together.What makes this movie so likable are the performances of Harrison Ford (as David Halloran) and Christopher Plummer (as Paul Sellinger) as the two main leads, and Richard Masur as Harrison Ford's wisecracking bomb-aimer. Their dialogue is often clichéd, but the three actors are so likable you don't care. Lesley-Anne Down as the woman in the middle, and Michael Sacks as Harrison Ford's co-pilot are also fine in these roles.For the fan of original soundtracks, there is also another excellent score by John Barry. There are times when you find you are listening to the score rather than the dialogue.And finally, for the aviation enthusiast, the use of actual B-25s in the flying sequences and on the ground are a real bonus.Watch, and enjoy.

I knew this was a romantic movie upfront, but the WW2 stuff seemed interesting enough to take a look.I must say that I watched the whole thing through, and it kept my interest. Its pretty predictable, but the characters stay rather true to themselves, and although the ending is predictable, its not necessarily obvious.I will give credit for the locations/effects. The film never looks cheesy, and you can tell that effort was made to be authentic. It certainly is a war movie, there is blood and gore aplenty, not Saving Private Ryan gory, but enough to remind you this is war.The movie has 2 parts, the romantic story in England, and then the adventure part in France. This split makes the movie go by rather quickly, I was kinda surprised this was not one of those WW2 miniseries that were so popular at the time.I can't say that I would overwhelmingly recommend this movie, but if something about it strikes your interest, one of the actors perhaps, or in my case the setting of WW2, then I would check it out.

Still relatively new to the scene, Harrison Ford takes the romantic leading role for this remarkably old-fashioned wartime soap opera. For much of the film Ford looks plainly ill at ease, not all all suited to the slushy love story in which he is participating. Similarly, the director (action specialist Peter Hyams) finds the romantic aspects that dominate the first half of his film difficult to deal with. Instead of creating a convincing on-screen love story, Hyams overdoes things almost to the point of self parody, asking grand gestures of his actors and an absurdly overbearing score of composer John Barry. At the hour mark, there won't be many viewers left with the willpower to remain tuned in. But just as the film threatens to collapse completely, Hyams (who also wrote the film) suddenly shifts his narrative to something that he, and Ford, are much better at. The second half of Hanover Street redeems the film, as it drops the mock-romantic weepie approach and becomes an engaging escape melodrama.American bomber pilot David Halloran (Harrison Ford) is stationed in England during World War 2. One day during an air raid he meets a beautiful nurse, Margaret Sellinger (Lesley Anne Down), and the pair of them are instantly attracted to each other. Margaret is already married but her relationship with husband Paul (Christopher Plummer) lacks passion and excitement. She is, therefore, swept hopelessly off her feet by her romantic encounter. Halloran's devil-may-care attitude towards his dangerous occupation begins to soften now that he has something to live for, but he is still chosen to fly a British spy over enemy lines as part of a dangerous parachute drop. By the most incredible chance, the spy turns out to be Paul, taking on an audacious raid behind enemy lines in a bold gesture to win back the respect of his wife. When the plane is hit by enemy fire, Halloran and Paul are forced to bail out together deep in enemy country. In an ironic twist of fate, the unwitting love rivals become survival buddies, both relying upon the other to get out of the perilous predicament they are in. They have many adventures as they attempt to steal a document from the Gestapo HQ in Lyon and make it back alive to the woman they love.This is the only wartime film Hyams has made, and in the later stages he demonstrates a proficiency for the genre that makes one rue his decision to make the film in the mould of a tearjerker. If he had just gone for a full-on wartime thriller - something along the lines of Where Eagles Dare - he might have made a rather good film. Alas, the soppy opening hour cannot be erased from the memory, nor can it be forgiven, and it really does cheapen the whole effect of the film. Down performs quite well under the circumstances, trying hard (and with moderate success) to make her love dilemma involving even though the script defeats her with overwroughtness. But she is the only one who seems to give a damn during the first half - Ford looks totally desperate throughout this section, and Hyams simply lacks the finesse to make it work. Even Plummer cannot do much during the opening hour, his role reduced to that of a boring cuckold with a handful of scenes in which to make his mark. One thing that does work nicely throughout the entire film is the photography (by David Watkin), which captures the desired period feel rather accurately. To summarise, Hanover Street is shamelessly old-fashioned tosh in which the action bits are handled with infinite more conviction than the romantic ones.

It can't have been easy to have a cast of charming highly competent actors,charismatic warplanes,a bitter - sweet romance in war - ravaged picturesque London and turn the whole lot into a turkey of a movie but Mr.P.Hyams managed it in "Hanover Square". He wasn't helped by a script that may have passed muster at the Odeon, Streatham in 1942 for a less than critical audience never sure that their house would still be standing by the time the movie was finished,but more peaceful and plentiful times were rather more demanding. Mr C.Plummer plays the upper middle class Intelligence Officer whose wife (Miss L.A.Downs) has an affair with USAF officer(Mr H.Ford). Apparently Mr Ford is so irresistible to Miss Downs that they have sex in a conveniently situated country hotel on their first date,an event so unlikely as to be almost incredible.Yes I know it's wartime,and I know things were different,but believe me nicely brought up English gels with husbands and daughters most definitely did not "put out" as our American friends would say on their first illicit meeting with a virtual stranger,even if he is an intrepid birdman. Indeed Miss Downs is so irredeemably posh that I am not entirely convinced that Mr Ford does not classify as her bit of rough. She is a voluntary nurse - albeit one with an immaculate uniform and beautifully - coiffed hair.She walks the wards as a Lady Bountiful and I'm almost convinced the Sister refers to her as "Lady Margaret" at one stage. Her husband is in some "hush - hush" department running secret agents and they live in a very upmarket Townhouse somewhere around the Harley Street triangle.Their daughter (little Miss P.Kensit) is a cute poppet and everything in the marital garden appears lovely.Why she should risk all this for a quick tumble with a not particularly winning American bomber pilot is not clear.It certainly isn't for his conversation ,his monotonous tone of voice or his sense of humour. By contrast Mr C.Plummer is gentle,articulate and sensitive. In a ridiculously contrived plot twist he and Mr Ford end up in occupied France wearing German uniforms on a Deadly Mission. On their return Mr Ford nobly lets Miss Downs go back to her husband and is last seen loping across Hanover Square doubtless in pursuit of a fresh conquest. Women with husbands at the front in 1942 would not have been sympathetic towards her,the word "Jezebel" might well have been bandied freely about They knew all about temptation and resolutely resisted it if only for the sake of their men in foreign climes.The thought of a posh woman with a husband at home having it off with a Yank would have filled them with scorn.And quite rightly too. As for that young pilot.....well,he could probably hardly have believed his luck.