During WWII, the Tuskegee Airmen were the Jackie Robinsons of American military pilots. And this was even before Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier. This is an important story, but instead of a blood and guts reality flick, such as “Saving Private Ryan,” “Star Wars” producer George Lucas simply creates a most entertaining war film.
Lucas’ objective was to offer a popcorn flick that takes flight with remarkably thrilling CGI aerial dynamics. He pays homage to these groundbreaking heroes with a lightweight version of a heavy topic. Rejected by the major studios, Lucas funded the project himself. The trouble with realism is there are no well worn clichés or soaring background music. So, if you prefer more authenticity, try HBO’s “Tuskegee Airmen” (1995).
In director Anthony Hemingway’s first feature film, the pilots must fight two wars. Imagine giving your all to your country while taking a barrage of verbal and procedural friendly fire. These patriots not only sought to defend their country, but planned to prove the Army War College report wrong. The absurd conclusion was that Negroes lacked the intelligence and the manual dexterity to become pilots. Then, it was accepted as fact.
In this “experiment,” these “second class citizens” are initially provided second class P-40s from Uncle Sam’s junkyard. The pilots patrol remote terrain far removed from the front lines. They occasionally engage a stray enemy supply truck or train, but are frustrated by circumstances preventing them from fully contributing to the war effort.
Under the command of Colonel Bullard (Terrence Howard) at the Pentagon and Major Stance (Cuba Gooding Jr.) in the field, Marty “Easy” Julian (Nate Parker) steadily captains a squadron that carries nicknames such as “Junior,” “Joker” “Neon” and “Winky.” But, the big Easy’s challenge is Joe “Lightning” Little (David Oyelowo). This boogie-woogie bugle boy is the most daring ace with the most unpredictable behavior.
In an interview with The New York Times, George Lucas stated that the personalities of Easy and Lightning were based on Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X respectively. They are as different as (excuse the expression) black and white. Each addresses adversaries from a different approach based on his own temperament. These colored men in a white man’s army wonder in desperation, “Does it even matter what we do?”
This fictionalized melodrama is inspired by true events and has lots of heart. It plays in the style of the post war movies, but includes radically new CGI technology for aerial footage worth the price of admission alone. In diligent preparation, Lucas interviewed surviving Tuskegee Airmen and was given access to their original mission logbooks.
Howard and Gooding have both appeared as Tuskegee Airmen in prior performances. Here, they are mostly single dimensional, but these commanding officers are authoritative, inspirational and yes, even commanding. The pilots carry minor subplots of romance, inter-racial marriage and taking life with a grain of salt (and lemon and tequila).
This poignant film does not cover the long term ramifications of discrimination. But, if you enjoy a feel good movie, war time heroics and astonishing airborne action sequences, you’ll enjoy this movie. “Boondocks” cartoon writer Aaron McGruder co-wrote the script that calls the Colonel arrogant. “If that’s the worst they call me, we’re making progress.”
“Red Tails” is two hours and rated PG-13 for sequences of war violence. This gross injustice is not presented as maudlin or weepy but upbeat and victorious. When given new, red trimmed P-51s to protect our bombers over Berlin, Colonel Bullard promises his team will cut the bomber losses by 70 percent. Then, the 332nd never lost another “heavy.”
For some more than others, the pursuit of happiness is the chase of a lifetime. Lucas is now planning a prequel and a sequel. These pilots could have settled to be “the help” but fought for the right to die for their country; and 66 of them did just that. As Billy Ray Cyrus sang, “All gave some and some gave all.”