Red Tails: Film Review [Hollywood re-writes history again!]

The Hollywood Reporter ^ | 7:53 PM PST 1/18/2012 | Todd McCarthy

[Bender2]

Red Tails: Film Review
7:53 PM PST 1/18/2012 by Todd McCarthy

The Bottom Line: Action-and-effects version of the Tuskegee airmen's story flies only when it's off the ground.

The George Lucas-produced labor of love stars Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrence Howard as Tuskegee airmen in World War II.

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 gingerly 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.

[moviefan8]

I saw Red Tails recently and came away disappointed. A film about the Tuskgee Airmen should be serious. It seemed like it was a made for television movie and aimed at kids. The CGI and actng seemed bad. The characters seemed cartoonish. The article is correct about the reply of combat footage in the movie and a number of other things.

One promo on Fox Movie Channel I saw had Terrance Howard saying something to the effect that it was like Star Wars. The orginial version of Star Wars that was released in the 1970s is a light years better.

[Army Air Corps]

I was talking about a different review that the poster mentioned (he mentioned some review of Star Wars).

[Bender2]

Re: The Tuskeegee program also created a couple of bomber groups. But we never seem to hear anything about them. Pity

Well, as to the Tuskegee Airmen’s the 477th Bombardment Group from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_Airmen :

"Although never seeing combat, The 477th Bombardment Group was activated in 1943, and was not completely manned until March 1945. The 553rd Fighter Replacement Training Squadron was also activated in 1943. Its mission was to provide replacement pilots for the 332nd. Both units began training at Selfridge Field, Michigan, but because of an unhealthy racial atmosphere in the local area the 477th was moved to Godman Field, Kentucky, then to Freeman Field, Indiana, while the 552rd was moved to Walterboro, South Carolina, where it was eventually inactivated. Its members were transferred to form a squadron of the Air Base Group. From its inception, the 477th was plagued with problems. When activated the unit had no established cadre to break-in new pilots and had no navigators/bombardiers to man crews. Within one year the 477th had 38 squadron or unit moves. In June 1945, the 477th was redesignated as the 477th Composite Group.[29][33]"

[rktman]

“Bridges of Toki-Ri” comes to mind. But that was a LOOONNNNGGGGG time ago. Sure impressed me as a kid. Go Mickey Rooney.

[Bender2]

Re: I was talking about a different review that the poster mentioned (he mentioned some review of Star Wars).

Gadzooks! My first mistake... since 3011!

[rktman]

3011?? Make that two mistakes and get back in the “way-back machine”. LOL

[jaydubya2]

Not to belittle the acomplishments of these brave men, but the "no bombers lost" issues appears to be a myth.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-04-01-tuskegee-airmen_N.htm

[Bender2]

Re: Any movies about the brave men who fought in the Korean War?

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_war_films_and_TV_specials#Korean_War_.281950.E2.80.93present.29 :

Korean War (1950–present)
Air Strike (1955)
The Bamboo Prison (1954)
Batalyon Pilipino sa Korea (1953)
Battle Flame (1959)
Battle Hymn (1957)
Battle Taxi (1955)
Battle Zone (1952)
Battle on Shangganling Mountain (1956)
The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954)
Cease Fire (1953) (3-D)
Combat Squad (1953)
Dragonfly Squadron (1954)
Flight Nurse (1953)
Fixed Bayonets (1951)
Hell's Horizon (1955)
A Hill in Korea (1956)
Hold Back the Night (1956)
The Hook (1963)
The Hunters (1958)
I Want You (1951)
Inchon (1982)
The Iron Angel (1964)
Jet Attack (1955)
Korea (1952)
Korea Patrol (1951)
MacArthur (1977)
Marines, Let's Go (1960)
The Marines Who Never Returned (1963)
MASH (1970)
Men in War (1957)
Men of the Fighting Lady (1954)
Mr Walkie Talkie (1952)
No Man's Land (1964)
The Nun and the Sergeant (1962)
One Minute to Zero (1952)
Operation Dames (1959)
Pork Chop Hill (1959)
Prisoner of War (1954)
The Rack (1956)
The Reluctant Heroes (1971)
Retreat, Hell! (1952)
Sabre Jet (1953)
Sergeant Ryker (1963)
Sky Commando (1953)
Sniper's Ridge (1961)
The Steel Helmet (1951)
Submarine Command (1951)
Take the High Ground (1953)
Tank Battalion (1959)
Target Zero (1955)
This is Korea! (1951)
Time Limit (1957)
Torpedo Alley (1953)
War Hunt (1962)
A Yank in Korea (1951)
The Young and The Brave (1963)
Big Fish (2003)
Taegukgi (2004)
71: Into the Fire (2010)
Legend of the Patriots (2010) (TV Series), remake of Comrades
Road No. 1 (2010) (TV Series)
The Frontline (2011)

Cannot say I saw all of these... but IIRC several stand out as being pretty good: The Bridges at Toko-Ri, Battle Hymn, The Hunters, Men in War, Men of the Fighting Lady, Pork Chop Hill, The Rack, Retreat, Hell! and Sergeant Ryker [Lee Marivin a Commie or not?] and of course, many were not too hot or a disaster such as Inchon where we had Laurence Olivier playing General Douglas MacArthur if old Dug Out Doug was Shylock from Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice."

BTW Word on the street... is that old Doug is still spinning in his grave at better than 3,000 RPM over Larry's portrayal in Inchon!

[ClearBlueSky]

Everything Lucas does is aimed at kids-and toys.He can only relate to increasingly younger children-not adults.
Look for a line of ‘Red Tails’ toys and action figures. Lucas isn’t a filmmaker- he’s P.T.Barnum,a marketing man. If he can’t make toys of it, he’s not making it.

[Bender2]

Re: The Korean War? You mean the one where they drank Martinis and chased Nurses named Hot Lips?

There was actually a very good 1953 film made about MASH units that starred Humphrey Bogart, June Allyson, Keenan Wynn, Robert Keith and William Campbell all directed by Richard Brooks.

See Battle Circus... at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045544/

Sadly, Netflix has neither the original film... nor my re-cut, re-edited version of it shown in the excepts below:

Hey, Major, where are all the cross-dressing corporals? I feel the need... to kill something--

Look, Ruth, if you sleep with Major Webbe... you are just another round-heeled slut like Hot Lips!

[Pharmboy]

When I saw the trailer, it struck me exactly as you described it. Thanks.

[ConservativeStatement]

That's a comprehensive list. I'll check into some of the titles.

[Blogatron]

I’ll wait for it to come out on Blue Ray at redbox before I watch it though. I’ve discovered the movies are actually BETTER at home now then at the theater

Roger that. The last thing I want to do is sit in a dark theater for two hours while pants-dragging gangsta types get whipped up into a whitey-beating frenzy by liberal Hollywood racism hype.

[A.A. Cunningham]

The original 99th started with P-40s. The 100th, 301st and 302nd started with P-39s but transitioned to P-47s early in 1944, along with the 99th. All four squadrons which were then part of the 332nd Fighter Group, converted to P-51B/Cs and Ds in June of 1944.

[wbill]

There is smoking, but not enough and the wrong kind of smoking

Well, yeah, it's nitpicky. But I think I get what they were meaning - if they can't get the simple things right (like having an actor stick a cigarette in his mouth) - then how many of the *big* things did they miss.

After chewing on this thread for awhile, I decided that if Lucas spun this movie as "A Bunch of WW II pilots, kicking butt and blowing stuff up", and had it star a handful of big-action-movie actors .... I'd probably have been OK with it.

But, to put it as a historical / biographical piece, when from the appearance of the trailers, it's neither ... well, then, I'm going to miss it.

And, regarding "nitpicky" ... a long, long time ago I watched the 60s barnburner "The Battle of the Bulge" with my Grandfather. ....He "Caught It on It's First Showing", as he blithely put it.... Afterwards, I asked him what he thought. He said that, "It was a fine movie, but no one looked cold enough." It was insight that I'd never even once considered.

Now, I judge most wartime, grunt-type movies, by how cold, wet, dirty, and/or miserable the actors look. Funny, no?

[Antoninus]

Nowadays the only thing they teach about WWII is Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Dresden.

And the Holocaust.

Apparently, nothing else of that world-wide human drama affecting billions of people was interesting.

[moviefan8]

Now, I judge most wartime, grunt-type movies, by how cold, wet, dirty, and/or miserable the actors look. Funny, no?

It seems funny at first, but after thinking about it for a while it does make sense.

Upon thinking of past films I have seen, I have done that. One recent film was In The Land of Blood and Honey.

[dfwgator]

I’ll hand it to the Russians, they know how to do war movies. Plenty of them out there on YouTube.

[moviefan8]

I highly recommend Act of Valor. This was made with active duty Navy Seals. The movie is very emotional.

[freedumb2003]

>>According to the trailer, the only people fighting were the Red Tails. They saved America.<<

You mean like CSI being the real investigators and police detectives just getting in the way? Or CSI just categorizes stuff and Major Case detectives see things like earrings under the bed? Or NCIS doing all the real investigations and the FBI just steps in at the end to get credit? Or EVERY SINGLE person who steps into the Montecido Casino, guest or staff, male or female, is smoking red hot?

You mean none of that is true?