Starfighter - Sie wollten den Himmel erobern

Name: Starfighter - Sie wollten den Himmel erobern
Released: 2015
Duration: 122 min
Rating: 62.816901408450704
Cast: Picco von Groote, Steve Windolf, Frederick Lau, Alice Dwyer, Paula Kalenberg

(TV movie)

Witwenmacher

63%

Drama

Germany, 2015, 122 min

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Plots(1)

A stubborn widow. A global corporation. A clash of uneven opponents. Inspired by a true story of the postwar scandal that shook the NATO and defense industries. Of the 916 F-104 starfighters ordered by Germany, 262 planes crashed, killing 116 pilots.

It's a scandal that keeps making headlines: A brave young widow challenging the government and a large global corporation, demanding the truth, taking the investigation into her hands...But let's start at the beginning. In the Swinging Sixties West Germany is in the midst of the economic miracle – and of the Cold War. West Germany invests enormous sums building up its Air Force. Pilots Harry, Richie and their mates are part of this new, post-war Air Force. Flying is in their blood, and taming the starfighter F-104, the most modern fighter-bomber in the world, is their goal.

The stakes are high and the pilots know that flying the Lockheed-built starfighter is not without danger, as the planes keep crashing during their trial runs. When Harry crashes and dies, his tireless, resolute widow Betti is not content with the government's one-size-fits-all excuse "pilot error." With the help of a courageous journalist and a top-notch attorney, Betti begins her own campaign to find out what is really behind the starfighter crashes. What comes to light is a scandalous story of international politics gone wrong. (official distributor synopsis)

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