If someone asked this reviewer to sum up “Red Tails”, George Lucas’s center Tuskegee Airmen drama, I’d go with “Ham and American Cheese on Rye”. It’s a good popcorn movie that feels, for better or worse, very much like George Lucas. Instead of the Force, we have patriotism, and the Reich instead of the Empire; however the ham is strong in both galaxies.
The film is certainly a black and white movie (pardon the pun), and a more simplistic worldview is not necessarily a bad thing. Many war films of the past decade have given us either very grey, moral relativistic views, (“The Hurt Locker”), or taken what could be considered anti-American, (“The Green Zone”). “Red Tails” is unabashedly patriotic as well as morally firm- the story is about America and African-Americans triumphing over their respective enemies.
“Red Tails” gives a fresh take on the (relatively) well-known Tuskegee Airmen of World War II. George Lucas has stated in interviews that he envisioned “Red Tails” as the 2nd part of a trilogy, and wanted to focus on the exploits that made them famous. Typically, the stories focus on the training, and how the program was brought about. Or, on occasion, we see how the airmen reintegrate into a segregated America. With this film, we are thrust straight into the action.
The film is not without its flaws, however. Painfully expositional dialogue delivered with an equivalent level of acting is on display throughout the film. For example, when the Red Tails meet up with their escorted bombers and signal the lead plane. The pilots see that Ray (Tristan Wilds) is “colored,” prompting three stilted, simplistic exchanges: racist defeatism, shock at selflessness, and exaggerated hope they will perform more escort missions for them. This is a particularly bad example, but even the main characters suffer from the dialogue and delivery.
Another major issue with the movie is the timing of the story- it seems to take place over the course of a few years- or maybe several months? We have a love story unfold, political developments, major military campaigns- but not a single date stamp or similar hint to the non-history buff audience as to how much time this story takes place over.
The special effects are generally spot on- the one problem is the sky. The planes work, the tracer round soar, and explosions do the trick- the sky the planes are flying and fighting in, however, just don’t seem quite right. Part of that could be the acting taking place as well, (it doesn’t feel like they are in the air, so it makes the sky more suspect), but it never clicks. That said, the video quality is excellent, with only some negligible source noise.
As far as the extras, the DVD is highly lacking; only commentary and a highlight reel of “Double Victory”. The Blu-Ray has more special features- most notably the aforementioned “Double Victory”, which is a documentary exploring the historical Tuskegee Airmen. This really makes a push for the Blu-Ray version, as the documentary is enjoyable and covers the actual events. Plus, it’s important for the interviews with the actual Tuskegee Airmen to be included and preserved.
If you enjoy gritty historical and/or war movies, this movie will likely fall flat. (This reviewer does hope it serves as a stepping stone for more black-centric historical (American) epics- but ones that feel more epic.) With the strength of the cast, it feels like the writing or the direction was the cause of the limpness of the film… If you want a pretty action flick with black and white morality and a generous portion of cheese, “Red Tails” delivers. The story of the Tuskegee Airmen deserve better- however, this could serve as a good introduction to younger audiences.