Red TailsBy Wilson Morales
After taking nearly two years to complete and finally release in theaters, the Tuskegee Airmen film, ‘Red Tails,’ is flying in with a lot of pressure on its back.
Directed by Anthony Hemingway, the film is produced by Star Wars’ George Lucas, who spent over $50 million dollars of his own pocket to make this big budgeted, CGI war film featuring a bevy of black talent. With veteran actors such as Bryan Cranston, Lee Tergesen, and Gerald McRaney also on board, much has been written on whether a film of this financial magnitude, and of the subject matter can still make a difference in Hollywood.
Despite the crappy dialogue that brings the film down a bit, the film is worth seeing for its technical aspects as well as the effort put in to pay tribute to these historic men that Hollywood never paid attention to in the past when it comes to theatrical releases. It’s an inspirational film that should have audience members emotional after leaving the theater.
Set in Italy around 1944 during World War II, the Tuskegee Airmen are getting tired of flying around without any real combat mission. As Col. A.J. Bullard (played by Terrence Howard) is constantly fighting with his chain of command to get his boys in the game, Cuba Gooding Jr. plays a commanding office in charge of the training program in which the young men are at. Led hotshots, Capt. Marty ‘Easy’ Julian (played by Nate Parker) and his roommate/ best friend, Joe ‘Lightning’ Little (played by David Oyelowo), the rest of the airmen, which includes Ray ‘Junior’ Gannon (Tristan Wilds), Samuel ‘Joker’ George (Elijah Kelley), Leon ‘Neon’ Edwards (Kevin Phillips), David ‘Deke’ Watkins (Marcus T. Paulk), Andrew ‘Smoky’ Salem (Ne-Yo), and Maurice Wilson (Michael B. Jordan) take heed when the call finally comes up for them to go into battle.
Not only have the Tuskegee Airmen proven themselves in the air, despite the initial rejection of their fellow white colleagues, the government sets them up to help out with the war by providing cover for bomber squads. Meanwhile, when not dealing with potential death in the air or racial tension from outside the training facility, some of the men have to deal with their own personal issues. For one, Easy is a closeted alcoholic that could effects his military decisions, and Lightning is a cocky, top-gun, pilot who lacks authority.
When Easy’s drinking gets the better of him, which leads to tragic results, he must summon the courage to get back in the air and leads these men to victory and respect. Otherwise, it’s over for the Tuskegee program and their lives.
With the exception of some really hokey dialogue that makes one wonder if this film would have found a better home on TV and an action sequence that seems implausible, the other aspects of the film from the cinematography, production design, and visual effects are amazing. Although Terrence Howard and Oscar Cuba Gooding Jr. are more marketable names amongst the cast, it’s Nate Parker and David Oyelowo who really lead the charge. These guys have already made names for themselves in small circles, and hopefully, producers will start to notice them when it comes to dishing out leading roles.
At the end of the day, despite the flaws many can pick out, ‘Red Tails’ is more about the journey this story took to get on the big screen. It’s not about the acting, dialogue, or direction, but more about the story of the Tuskegee Airmen and their struggles to be heard, in life and in theaters.
