Dark Blue World (2001): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2001, Dark Blue World is an action, drama and war film directed by Jan Svěrák, running about 112 minutes.

What it’s about. Lt. Franta Slama is a top pilot in the Czech Air Force who is assigned to train a promising young flier, Karel Vojtisek, and they soon become friends. When Nazi Germany invades Czechoslovakia in 1939, they both reject the authority of their new leaders and escape to England where they join other Czech exiles in the RAF. While flying a mission over England, Karel crash lands and happens upon the farmhouse of Susan, a young woman whose husband is in the Navy. Karel soon falls head over heels for Susan but, while they enjoy a brief fling, in time Susan decides she prefers the company of the older and more worldly Franta. As Franta and Karel struggle to maintain their friendship despite their romantic rivalry.

Who’s in it. Dark Blue World stars Ondřej Vetchý as František Sláma, Kryštof Hádek as Karel Vojtíšek, Tara Fitzgerald as Susan Whitmore and Oldřich Kaiser as Jan Machatý, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.9/10, Dark Blue World has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from Google Play Movies and YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Dark Blue World page.

If you liked it. Fans of Dark Blue World tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.