A Film That Will Live in Memory

Rating: Null/10 (24 September 2005)

Pearl Harbour is the modern day tale based on the shocking and devastating attack on the small Hawaiian island early on the Sunday morning of December 7th 1941. Based on the life of two childhood pals Rafe McCauley (Ben Affleck) and Danny Walker (Josh Hartnet) the lads have a dream of flying real fighter pilots and with a the second world war approaching America looks like its going to have need all of its best pilots. Rafe, the charismatic and outgoing of the two lads has just met and fallen for a beautiful nurse Evelyn (Kate Beckinsale) but his desire to be a proper fighter pilot has just become reality when he offered the chance to go to England. Determined to go Rafe leaves behind a pained Evelyn but when word comes through that Rafes plane has been shot down Rafe is pronounced dead. As time passes and military and technical training intensify Danny comes more and more into Evelyn's life. Bonded by their loss of Rafe and a sense of alonement the two are soon lovers. Theire happiness however is short lived when Rafe turns up alive and well rescued from a watery grave from a French fisherman. Torn by her reborn love for Rafe and her newfound love for Danny, Evelyn is thrown into emotional turmoil. Rafe meanwhile is disgusted that whilst he has been presumed dead Danny has been sleeping with his girlfriend and the two clash violently but on the morning of December 7th the two are thrown together when the Japanese air pilots drop massive bombs on the small island of pearl harbour. Recognising their potential, Rafe and Danny's boss Colonel Doolittle (Alec Baldwin) assigns them to a top-secret mission and offers them an opportunity to be the pilots they have always dreamed of being. Unable to stand by and watch Danny and Evelyn together Rafe immediately joins along with Danny but Evelyn cannot let him go and when she explains why to a shocked Rafe he tries to persuade Danny to stay but will the boys come home, both to Evelyn and will Danny ever find out her reason from trying to prevent him from accepting his mission. With outstanding special effects and love story to touch even the most frosted of hearts, Pearl Harbour is a classic wartime film that, like the attacks will linger.