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World War II fly guys (from l. David Oyelowo, Elijah Kelley, Leslie Odom Jr., Michael B. Jordan, Nate Parker and Kevin Phillips) face racism in "Red Tails."
REVIEW
The experience of black American aviators in World War II gets a whitewash in "Red Tails." The story of the 996 pilots (and some 15,000 ground personnel) who distinguished themselves in the air in the face of institutional racism is a great one and, at least, will come to the attention of more people due to this long-gestating project from Lucasfilm. But every character here is so squeaky clean, and the prejudice as depicted is so toothless and easily overcome, that the film feels like a fantasy version of what, in real life, was an exceptional example of resilient trail-blazing. The tale's considerable built-in inspirational value will move and impress black audiences of all ages and would do the same to a wider public if sufficiently promoted, but the determinedly simplistic approach will curtail interest among any viewers hungry for some real history. The anticipated low interest level for this material overseas is cited as a major reason the project took so long to get off the ground.
A key signal of how much you can trust any contemporary movie about either of the 20th century's world wars is how, and even if, it depicts smoking; if, like this one, it buckles to current fashion and scarcely depicts soldiers smoking at all in a period when cigarettes were part of ration kits, then it's frankly not to be trusted in any other respect either. Here, Cuba Gooding Jr.'s major sucks thoughtfully on a pipe and one hot-shot pilot sports a stogie in one scene but, otherwise the environs are as smoke-free as the Brigham Young University campus.
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Showing its action-slanted hand at the outset, two pilots in P-40 fighters, “Easy” (everyone has a nickname like that) and “Lightning,” make easy work of a German munitions train in Italy. Right away, the film plays fast and loose with period by enabling their buddies back at the base to watch footage of the explosive strike, as if every plane were equipped with a camera that could provide nightly ESPN-style highlights. Talk about kowtowing to a younger generation that supposedly requires instantaneous and repeated gratification.
“Easy” (Nate Parker) is the flight leader whose secret vice is the bottle, while “Lightning” (David Oyelowo) is his fearless wingman who also has the brass to court a warm signorina (Daniela Ruah) from the nearby picture postcard village. At this stage of the conflict, in the summer of 1944, the all-Negro 99th Fighter Squadron remains far from the center of action, restricted to “mopping floors” in the battle against fascism when the men are ready and eager for real missions.
The problem lies, specifically, at the just-built Pentagon and, of course, with society at large, neither of which is ready to accept blacks on an equal footing with whites. The military, as with so much else, is strictly segregated and a line or two of dialogue makes the point that the common assumption is that blacks simply aren't up to the demanding job of combat aviation.
Throughout the film, however, all opposition to the universally sympathetic protagonists falls like so many bowling pins. The first time one of the fliers ventures into the whites-only officers' club in Italy, he slugs a guy who calls him the n-word and remarkably isn't court-martialed; the next time, a bunch of the squadron members is invited in with drinks all around. Later, when bomber crews notice their new escorts are “colored,” they express startled dismay but, after one successful run, one young flier exclaims, “I hope we meet up with those Red Tails next time!” No relentless and unrepentant redneck characters played by James Woods in this film. And when a Nazi fighter pilot disdains his “African” opponent, you know he'll be biting the dust in short order.
VIDEO: George Lucas' "Red Tails" Trailer Debuts
And so it goes in a a script that doesn't begin to show what these young men were really up against and how patient and stoical they had to be in the face of so much resistance. Screenwriters John Ridley and Aaron McGruder neglect, or perhaps assume too much common knowledge of, the key component of struggle at the heart of all social drama. There are no difficulties at all in the romantic subplot, as Lightning's inamorata is smiley and sweetly compliant at all times; the squadron's Washington-based representative (Terrence Howard) negotiates pretty successfully on its behalf against dubious superiors and the men themselves are all strictly one-dimensional, without the sorts of characterizing details or personal demons that were commonly found among the men who populated even routine WWII films at the time. Beyond that, there's far too little sense of sacrifice, of something profoundly meaningful earned at significant cost.
But perhaps George Lucas, who reportedly developed this project for 23 years, always saw this as an uncomplicated and uncomplex action film and, in this regard, at least, the results are pretty good. Just a few years ago, the technology would not have produced the sort of a vivid and realistic renditions of airborne warfare that visual effects supervisor Craig Hammock has commandeered here. The planes (most impressively the glistening silver B-17 bombers), the firepower, the crashes and all the pyrotechnics look pretty darn real; we're past the time when, as in “The Battle of Britain” or “The Memphis Belle,” all the world's air-worthy vintage warplanes had to be collected and sent aloft one more time for the purposes of restaging dogfights and bombing raids. The hits made by the Red Tails, so named for the paint jobs applied to the rear-ends of the hot new P-51s, seem too easily achieved at times, but the aerial footage is pretty cool throughout. The most explosive sequence is a raid on a German airbase that goes down as one of the squadron's most notable successes.
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Gooding, who appeared in "The Tuskegee Airmen," the 1995 TV film on the same subject, postures through his role here as a major required to keep his men inspired and focused, while Howard can never relax from his part's uniform-bound official functions. Like his character, Oyelowo has by far the best time here as a flier whose recklessness is surpassed only by his cockiness. The rest make momentary impressions but should have been supplied by the writers and debuting director Anthony Hemingway (whose TV credits include "The Wire" and "Treme") with more personalizing traits, backstories and idiosyncracies.
In the end, it's the flashy action and innate inspirational elements that make a measure of impact here. But you just know there's so much more to this story.
Based on the true story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American pilots to fly in a combat air squadron during WWII. Opens Jan. 20.
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I met some of these guys after the Houston Air show. Even now at the ages they have attained these men are magnanimous, humble and just a little proud (as they should be). I sat on the steps of the San Jacinto monument with them and learned in 15 minutes what no history book (or film) could never have told me.
Wonderful experience
Personally speaking, it would be nice to hear about the other "All Black" units of WWI that distinguished themselves, the Tuskegee Airmen were not the only ones... here are but a few.
555th Parachute Infantry Battalion (Triple Nickels)
761st Tank Battalion (The Black Panthers)
The Red Ball Express
2nd Ranger Company
The Montford Point Marines
... research their stories...
I had the opportunity to see this movie last night at a screening where eight Tuskeegee Airmen were the honored guests. They graciously autographed books, posters and artwork, and smiled happily for the cameras. "Red Tails" is a movie, not a documentary. I went to see it with that in mind and found it to be a thrilling and moving experience. I didn't know that Lucas had made a documentary, but now I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing that, too.
These men, the Tuskeegee Airman and other racially segregated units, such as the Nisei Soldiers, came home to an America that not only still did not accept them, but overall was openly hostile to them. They were discriminated against in work, education, where they could live, where they could eat, where they could stop to stay overnight if traveling by car. These AMERICANS still loved their country (and still do!), continuing to strive and move forward.
Lucas has already said he wanted this to be an action movie for young teenagers (particularly African Americans) to enjoy. So it's no surprise the historical complications were watered down in exchange for action scenes. We need to remember that this is supposed to be a "kids' film" and not a "historical epic".
And THAT is exactly how it will be remembered...UNFORTUNATELY.
This could have been a much greater movie than it will actually be...SAD.
:-/
Where did you read that this was a kids film???? Please tell me ....where? No you are another insecure white man trying to diminish any value in this historical BLACK film. That is the history of America and the reason we are going down. down, down.
@ann-657578
expecting that a movie made about ACTUAL historic events and portrayed as "based on a true story" be historically accurate and pay attention to detail has NOTHING TO DO WHATSOEVER with the racial or prejudicial undertones you seem to perceive.
The author's point (and many of the people posting) is that if you want to glorify the African American pilots plight and story of WWII, no embellishment was needed. Inventing technology that didn't exist (streaming video footage from airplanes) was not needed. Ignoring or refusing to acknowledge the blatent racism these pilots overcame also does nothing to correct mis-perceptions both black and white people may have about this time in our history either. Calling this movie a historic "war movie" kind of does a disservice to all who served (REGARDLESS of their race). This is nothing more then an action movie, which is fine if you want to see an action movie.
Maybe it is not the gritty action movie deserving of Tuskegee Airmen, but at least it was finally made. I didn't read the whole article since it seemed to discuss too much of the movie scenes, so I don't know if it was mentioned that George Lucas wrote the movie as a trilogy and this movie is the 2nd act.
Ann - Lucas wanted to tell part of the Tuskegee Airmen story and yes, include action scenes to inspire young American boys to see the heroics of American fighter pilots. As Hauser points out, the plan is for this movie to be the first of three.
Lucas said it himself that this film was supposed to be for teenage boys, in his interview with Jon Stewart on January 9, 2012.
@ScottM, have you ever heard of "gun cameras"?
The streaming video footage reviewed by the squadron would be footage taken by the gun cameras to review pilot performance after every mission.
Please fact check yourself nest time.
Also Scott, it is neither a historic docudrama nor is it an historic movie quite; it is not even meant to be an action movie really. George Lucas said it himself what it was - it is a popcorn rollercoaster-ride old-time feel-good movie. A movie that you can "root for the heroes", "boo the villains", "stand up and cheer the successes", "cry for the set backs" and so forth. If you want hard set facts, look to his documentary on the subject.
@Ann not only did he say it on Jon Stewart, he said it on the Today Show as well. There was another show I saw him say it and a different one that Cuba Gooding, Jr. & Terrence Howard say it too, but I cannot remember which shows at 5am. With the Net it is so easy to go back and review interviews comments like yours Ann amaze and sadden me.
For those of you desperate for the gritty facts, be sure to see the documentary Lucas did at the same time called "Double V". It is supposed to be broadacst by History and another channel soon.
ann-657578,
Pgh Boy is right. George Lucas said it in an extensive interview on the Tom Joyner Morning Show (a radio show mainly for Black listeners) 2 weeks ago. His target audience was 12 and 13 year old Black boys. When he started production on the film, he realized the story was too long for 1 movie. So, he decided to make it a 3-part story like Star Wars. As a result, he is following the same formula for the first Star Wars trilogy to make this movie. The first movie, Red Tails, will be the action film that lures the viewers. The second, or prequel, will give the back story of the pilots and other characters; and the 3rd installment will wrap everything up.
Like Star Wars, this movie is facing the same obstacles in getting to the big screen but for more social than economic reasons.
Actually, the P-51 did have a black & white camera mounted in the wing. It activated when you pulled the trigger to fire the 4 or 6 (depending on model) 50 cals. The squadron’s intel officer used the gun camera footage to assist in confirming or disallowing kill claims. Most US fighters of the time (including the P-47, F4U, etc) had this feature. Now who’s got a history credibility issue?
The issue wasn't with the cameras. We've all seen the dogfight footage from the era. The issue was with the "streaming" of the video to the command center where the pilot's buddies were rooting him on.
From the article, the movie might have just showed them watching the footage at the base after they got home. We'll have to watch the movie and find out.
Standard Operating Procedure for the USAAF was to review gun camera footage after every mission. Pilot performance reviews and general enterainment for the squadron were achieved that way. That was what was happening in the movie.
Sarcasmo,
Did you see the movie? I did, and there was no "streaming" of footage. The pilots were in the room during the review. Therefore, they were viewing after their flight.
Sounded like it might be a good movie from the commercial at first. That is until it got to the part where the plane made a maneuver that would rip the wings off a real plane. So no go for me.
How silly. I bet you thought Avatar was real.
People who make comments about aircraft and aviation without being trained in the field are incredibly irritating.
At just before 6am and at my age, I cannot remember the name of the manuever right this second, that combines both a stall with a retournment with just a taste of an Immelman, but it is very possible for the North American P-51D Mustang.
Moreover late model Me-109s & Supermarine Spitfires along with even the Soviet Yak-9 and Yak-3 could perform the manuever.
The real question at hand is will the pilot be able to perform the manuever and not black out. Afterall, it is a 4.5G manuever as I recall.
It is a pretty good movie. Go see it before you say that you aren't going to see it because one scene about a plane's maneuver would've ripped the plane's wing off. It's a movie for entertainment, not a documentary.
I am appalled that McCarthy would degrade this film as though it has no merit whatsoever. We have had enough of the hit-you-over-the-head-with-racism films. We all know what happened during that time period. This film was an opportunity to show a film about a historic time period in an enlightening way. The first Tuskegee Airmen movie was simply an HBO film that didn't get nearly as much acclaim as this one will. I think Lucas did the right thing, and Anthony Hemingway did an excellent job of directing. We all know that this is a movie and that some things are glamorized in a way that only Hollywood can do. But, that's ok. As an alumnus of Tuskegee University, I am proud of the Tuskegee Airmen who helped to do so much for America before they even knew they were doing it.
he was not degrading the film. He is just saying it skimps on the historical content and accuracy in detail in order to deliver more of an action-movie type feel, which is precisely what Lucas had envisioned since he wanted it to target a younger audience.
Not a movie I will be going to see.
Your loss.
Movies of this feel-good caliber come out rarely these days.
I think we fail to remember it is a movie and not a historical document. Don't condemn a movie that may bring young men and women to dream a bigger dream and reach farther than they thought they could. This movie attempts to acknowledge the accomplishments the Tuskeegee Airmen achieved and sacrifices that they made. If you want to know the history of these men and their achievements then you have to research. Start at the Tuskeegee University website and search for the Tuskeegee Airmen. The true story of these men and the hurdles they had to jump and mountains they had to cross to serve this country are easy to find and well worth your time.
I hope everyone goes to see this movie with the understanding that it is a movie. In no way should it discredit what these brave men who loved their country even when their country didn't love them accomplished.
Actually, Mr. McCarthy, fighters of the WWII era did have gun cameras in their wings adjacent to the weapons that allowed the pilot to record his kills. So the fact that Easy and Lightning could share their strafing attack with the other pilots in their squadron was not so far-fetched. That is how the pilots learned in terms of fighter tactics.
I for one will support this movie and I applaud Mr. Lucas for taking on this project when so many others won't touch it with a 10 foot pole. I say BRAVO!!
I couldn't even finish reading the critique of this film. The critic seems like he wants to find a fault, no matter how small, to discredit the goodness of this film. How many movies are made that are based on a true story with a few changes added or somethings taken out?! Does the writer believe everything in Schlindler's List was perfectly accurate? I am in NO WAY comparing the 2 movies. I LOVED Schlinder's List. It really changed me as a person and opened my eyes to what I had only read about before. My point is, so the filmmaker took a few creative liberties. Don't they all do that?! Not a reason to criticize it so much.
I applaud George Lucas for bringing their story to life and I hope that people can see beyond, race and some creative liberties and go see the film. I'm going tomorrow.
I understand that one thing the movie gets right is the Red tails were used very effectively to protect the bombers. My uncle was a B24 navigator and he loved the tuskeegee's, he said they stayed with them and the white guys always wanted to chase the german fighters.
I don't remember this from high school history class. Probably wasn't listening. But, I like to see a good dog fight. And the action. I'll go see it.
I know this is only a knit-pick of the review, but I stopped reading it at exactly this point, where the "Hollywood Reporter" Mr. McCarthy criticizes the movie with his statement "Right away, the film plays fast and loose with period by enabling their buddies back at the base to watch footage of the explosive strike, as if every plane were equipped with a camera that could provide nightly ESPN-style highlights. Talk about kowtowing to a younger generation that supposedly requires instantaneous and repeated gratification."
Apparently Mr. Hollywood Reporter is ignorant to the fact that every single allied fighter aircraft, and most axis aircraft, had what was called a "gun camera" that began recording when the primary weapons were fired... this way pilots had a photographic record of their claimed kills to back up their pilot reports. Obviously those films had to be developed and processed, so there wasn't real-time "we gotta watch this sh!t on TV when we get back home!" type viewing of gun camera footage, but his criticism is off base none-the-less. Perhaps Mr McCarthy should educate himself before he opens his pie-hole. But as a critic, you think you know everything, so go figure.
I'm still looking forward to seeing this film. I have great respect for the men this movie represents. I will have to wait and see if I agree with this review. Often times I find if the review isn't favorable I like the movie a lot.
While I am against placing one ethnic group above others, I am not adverse to recognizing the accomplishment of men (and women) regardless of their ethnic group.
Their status in the war caused them to be segregated and I have read of the exploits of them.
As a former military person I am proud to have served with people of every gender and ethnic group in equality.
The 99th as well as other ethnically segregated units deserve recognition if only to teach us that it is the people (men or women) that make this nation great irregardless of their ethnic group or gender.
This movie follows a common yet popular plot. You have the underdogs who are being stepped on and in a step of desperation the powers that be give them one chance to prove they can do the job.. and they do!
I feel that more movies of this nature especially if they are based upon actual events are what we need in this country; a reason to look back and remember why we are great.
Loved the movie. It exceeded all of my expectations. As a former aviator, I loved the flying sections; they were very well done mixing in the five real aircraft they had with the hundreds of CGI ones. It was nice to see "Pink Lady" in the air again even if it was just on film.
Missed two parts of it; at my age and with my medication, I had to go to the restroom twice, but my wife and my sons loved all of it.
I am looking forward to the Tuskegee documentary Lucas made at the same time called "Double V" after the Double Victory the Tuskegee Experiment was shooting for - "Victory abroad against the Germans; Victory at home against Racism".
I've seen this movie the day that it was released and I enjoyed it immensely. I will be going to see it again!
You know, to criticize a man for spending $58mil of his own money to make the movie that no one else would make is pathetic. No one in Hollywood would give him a dime. Its his money, I hope he makes it all back and makes a huge profit as well. This topic as a movie is WAAAAYYYYY overdue. You may want to consider, that he might have chosen to tone down the guilt over the bigotry and racisim in that period in order to make the film more accessable. You know, people don't like to get beat over the head with how terrible it was back in those days. I don't think that his intent was to once again beat up America over segregationist sentiments. I viewed the film as a celebration of American fighters proving people wrong. Incidentally, the graphics were spectacular! I think there's little doubt that developing and employing the technology to make visually stirring moving pictures is truly what Lucas is a master of, and quite frankly, I am very excited that Lucas chose to use his talents and money on this particular project. Lucas is a storyteller, and he did tell a moving story. When you decide to spend your $58mil on a movie, you can tell whatever story you want.
I think George Lucas making a remake of a movie that came out in 1995 IS pathetic....from what I have seen, the original "Tuskegee Airmen" was miles better than this piece of CGI Crap...and actually went into some of the racial issues that "Colored" pilots had to overcome in those days...