THE PURPLE PLAIN is a British war film which means it`s rather understated when compared to its American counterparts . There`s not a massive budget involved which means little in the way of spectacle and if truth be told the special effects involving a RAF fighter-bomber coming under attack from Japanese flak is somewhat unconvincing . It also contains a few too many stiff upper lipped chaps <br /><br />I do give credit to the movie for bringing some type of psycological thought to the story though . The movie revolves around Canadian RAF pilot Squadron Leader Bill Forrester who is a suprisingly complex character for this type of movie . Forrester is a man who knows what grief is and it threatens to tear him apart . However the complexities and characteristics of Forrester soon become pushed into the background as the story concentrates on the adventure antics of the hero trying to escape from behind enemy lines<br /><br />THE PURPLE PLAIN isn`t a movie that`s dated well . No doubt when it was released in the mid 1950s audiences ( Especially those who crewed an aircraft or fought in the Far East ) could relate to it more but it seems slightly cliched now . But like I said it does try to be a character study instead of a straight forward war movie and it does contain some effective moments