Pitchforks: 3/5
Starring: Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard
Many action-packed war movies are rarely unique. The similar plot lines usually feature thrilling special effects, expected heroic moments and all-too-familiar battle sequences.
“Red Tails,” the story of the Tuskegee training program in World War II, follows this formula, but it also makes an impression with its look into an under-told part of American history. The underappreciated African-American pilots prove to be the most heroic fighters even though they are regarded as inferior citizens in their home country during the war.
Director Anthony Hemingway and executive producer George Lucas aim to show the rise of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American pilots who played an integral role in the victory over Nazi Germany.
The film starts as many war movies begin with a high-drama battle sequence, grabbing the audience’s attention right off the bat.
The plot is fairly simple to follow as the pilots garner support and fly on missions. The characters share a lot of comedic banter, keeping the mood light-hearted and amusing throughout much of the movie.
“Red Tails” lacks one central character but successfully chronicles the stories of each of the pilots.
Actors Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrence Howard star in the film as commanders. Both play likable roles, yet each character delivers a cheesy and predictable motivational speech to their pilots at climactic parts of the film.
Easy (Nate Parker), the crew leader, has bit of a drinking problem, as does his flight partner Lightning (David Oyelowo), the daredevil that refuses to follow directions.
The lively and amiable pilots have no specific antagonist besides the underdeveloped German pilots who show up sporadically through the film during battle scenes. Although not physically shown, the real underlying antagonist in the film is the rampant racism
The writers, John Ridley and Aaron McGruder, miss the mark several times when it comes to much of the films dialogue. Corny lines such as “Let’s give those newspapers something to write about” and “How do you like that Mr. Hitler?” are inserted when the pilots shoot down German fighter jets.
Beyond the predictable dialogue and conflicts, the movie successfully portrays the story of the crew and their struggle to be recognized as serious fighters in the eyes of the American government. Patriotism can be found in abundance throughout the film.
For audiences who are not concerned with unique scripts and are looking for a good-hearted action film, “Red Tails” is a worthy choice. Though the film fails to build a solid back-story, it makes up for it with exciting action sequences.
Reach the reporter at newlin.tillotson@asu.edu
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