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FILM DETAILS

Certificate 12A

Cast Cuba Gooding Jr. Terrence Howard Bryan Cranston Nate Parker David Oyelowo Andre Royo Jesse Williams.

Directors Anthony Hemingway.

Screenwriters John Ridley.

Running Time 125 minutes

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Red Tails
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Plot
In war-torn Italy, 1944, the all-black 332nd Fighter Group are denied the opportunity for combat flying and relegated to routine patrols. Yet, due to the perseverance of Colonel Bullard (Howard), they earn the chance to prove their worth.

Review
“This is as close as you’ll get to Episode VII,” George Lucas has said about Red Tails, his long-cherished project about the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American fighter-pilot squadron. He’s not wrong. Red Tails pitches a band of plucky rebels in inferior vehicles against a dastardly empire and packs it with all the patented Lucas trademarks — a love of speed and action, moral certainty, cloth-eared dialogue, easy-to-grasp characters, idealised heroism — to create an entertaining slice of Boy’s Own adventure that never realises the full potential of its subject-matter.

Just as Star Wars is an upgrade of Flash Gordon serials, so Red Tails is a fighter-ace movie that 60-odd years ago might have been directed by Howard Hawks or Nicholas Ray (it’s actually directed by Treme/The Wire vet Anthony Hemingway). It’s the kind of old-school adventure where pilots have nicknames like Lightning (David Oyelowo), Easy (Nate Parker) and Smoky (R&B star Ne-Yo), but upgrades the old miniatures-on-wire/stock footage combo for exciting digital dogfights, which mostly feel real and stirring.

In this 1940s Top Gun, the Maverick is Joe ‘Lightning’ Little, a spirited turn from Oyelowo, taking chances in the air and on the ground, wooing an Italian senorita (Daniela Ruah). Elsewhere, the flyers are a likable set of stock characters that could have done with more complexity. In the air, they never know fear or vulnerability; on the ground they can be reduced to a single phrase — Drink Problem, God Fearing, Kid Who Becomes A Man — that nearly makes this Hot Shots! Part Trois.

It’s an enjoyable, engaging enough romp, but it eschews the edges in the story. Debatably bigger than the Red Tails’ fight in the air — the Germans make Herr Flick look progressive — is their battle against the entrenched racism of the US Air Force (represented here by Terrence Howard vs. Bryan Cranston), but the depiction here lacks grit and gravitas; one moment they are barred from an officers’ club, then, one successful mission later, they are welcomed with open arms. A fun B movie is a valid approach, but you can’t help feel there were richer pickings to be had.

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Average user rating for Red Tails

FLASHMAN

George Lucas opens his digital toolbox and creates the best air combat scenes ever seen, but what about plot, story, character, & dialogue? A segregated group of WW2 flying aces is a superb way of addressing race issues, but no cliche is unturned; what a misfire; should have called it 'The Memphis Help'. ... More

Posted by Frank Comiskey at 10:19, 21 June 2012 | Report This Post

FLASHMAN

George Lucas opens his digital toolbox and creates the best air combat scenes ever seen, but what about plot, story, character, & dialogue? A segregated group of WW2 flying aces is a superb way of addressing race issues, but no cliche is unturned; what a misfire; should have called it 'The Memphis Help'. ... More

Posted by Frank Comiskey at 10:19, 21 June 2012 | Report This Post

RE: Tail Spin

The dogfights were decent, the rest was average yes but your all being too harsh. ... More

Posted by Phubbs at 06:02, 15 June 2012 | Report This Post

RE: Tail Spin

What was the point of the girl from NCIS LA being in it playing the Italian love intrest who hardly spoke a word of English? ... More

Posted by Wild about Wilder at 16:09, 14 June 2012 | Report This Post

Tail Spin

I jst CANNOT believe that you gave this the same rating as Prometheus. I appreciate that the review is one person's opinion but surely there must be some reference to some common standards. This was one of the worst films i have ever paid money to see. Awful acting, awful script, paper thin one dimensional characters and average special effects rising to OK battle scenes. In a post Saving Private Ryan world this film is simply an embarrassing disgrace and to know that it is supposed to be do... More

Posted by gward at 16:11, 13 June 2012 | Report This Post

RE: felt like an average TV movie

Better than 'Prometheus'!! ... More

Posted by Phubbs at 16:56, 12 June 2012 | Report This Post

RE: felt like an average TV movie

It's easily better than Prometheus. In 1944, after enduring racism throughout their recruitment and training in the Tuskagee training programme, the 332d Fighter Group of young African American USAAF fighter pilots are finally sent into combat in Italy, although flying worn-out aircraft. Chafing at their ground attack missions against trains and enemy ground transport, the Tuskegee Airmen recognize that they may never fight the Luftwaffe in fighter-to-fighter combat. The tight... More

Posted by Dr Lenera at 21:36, 10 June 2012 | Report This Post

felt like an average TV movie

Considering the pedigree of Lucas and that he wanted to make this for so long, he made a mess of it. I'd sen the average reviews and was prepared to be slightly underwhelmed but within 5 minutes you could tell it was a bit of a dog. Cartoon Germans attack a bomber flight whose pilots tell us what is going on with some of the worst movie dialogue I have ever heard. Some awful acting (Cuba Gooding jr seemed to be on some kind of private joke, or that pipe of his was full of pot) and lazy, lazy ... More

Posted by bretty at 15:38, 10 June 2012 | Report This Post

Red Tails

A woeful effort brimming with forgettable dialogue, laughable plot contrivances and less character development than an episode of Neighbours, this should simply be avoided at all costs. The combat scenes (while impressive) are so infrequent as to be dwarfed by the sheer awfulness of every other facet of the film, from numerous lazily abandoned story threads to the cringeworthy, forced emotion attached to a largely uninteresting cast of characters. Given the significant - yet complex - subject m... More

Posted by Eomer_King at 22:06, 09 June 2012 | Report This Post

RE: OK. (Spoilers)

It's been a while since I went to see a film in which the audience was laughing out loud at how awful the dialogue and acting was. The dogfights were actually very dull, there was no tension to them because for the majority of them it was just the Red Tails shooting down the Nazis and nothing more. Even the main Nazi pilot was played like a pantomime villain. Such a poorly done film. ... More

Posted by Kayotik at 11:21, 09 June 2012 | Report This Post

OK. (Spoilers)

On going to see this, not knowing too much about it beforehand except 'its a war movie about fighter pilots' I expected some sort of gung ho 'actually us Yanks won WWII' style affair. What you get is somewhat more reserved and deals with the racial segregation that existed just 70 or so years ago (Imagine a 'Negro only unit today?!') What may surprise some viewers is the way that the black fighter pilots and their captain just seem to accept the inherent racism, although you have to remind yours... More

Posted by filmsunlimited at 10:15, 07 June 2012 | Report This Post

RE: Red Tails

Hey now Empire, I already made a review thread for this... http://www.empireonline.com/forum/tm.asp?m=3403440 ... More

Posted by Phubbs at 05:41, 06 June 2012 | Report This Post

RE: RE:

L: Rgirvan44 L: Spaldron This was universally panned in the States a few months ago and Empire gives it the same rating as Prometheus? This should be interesting. eally? You are going to be that guy? i]uy. ut seriously, all I'm saying is it'll be interesting to see if it is any better/worse than Prometheus. ... More

Posted by Spaldron at 15:21, 05 June 2012 | Report This Post

RE: Red Tails

They'll probably give it four or two when it's out on DVD. Obviously this makes me angry because I always assumed that Empire is run by a hive mind and not individuals with different perspectives. ... More

Posted by MonsterCat at 15:16, 05 June 2012 | Report This Post

RE: RE:

L: Spaldron This was universally panned in the States a few months ago and Empire gives it the same rating as Prometheus? This should be interesting. eally? You are going to be that guy? ... More

Posted by Rgirvan44 at 15:07, 05 June 2012 | Report This Post

RE:

This was universally panned in the States a few months ago and Empire gives it the same rating as Prometheus? This should be interesting. ... More

Posted by Spaldron at 15:04, 05 June 2012 | Report This Post

i dont know what film this reviewer has seen but it wasnt the same one i had. Admitedly the action scenes were pretty good but very forgetable. However where this film becomes unstuck is the bits in between. I couldnt help thinking that the whole movie could have been so much better, but poor acting, poor story and extremely cheesy predicatable scenes ruin the film. star wars this isnt. Save your money ... More

Posted by bigdog1000 at 10:11, 05 June 2012 | Report This Post

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