Red Tails

The critics have not been kind to Red Tails. True, the movie is all over the place with various B, C, and D plots that tell the story of the WWII Tuskegee pilots. The story works best when the camera is on the group of men stationed in Italy, hoping for the opportunity for combat fight in a segregated military world. When the plot is not focused on racism, the individual stories come out about motivation, struggle, camaraderie, and friendship. African American pilots have the same feelings and skills as their white counterparts. I thought Red Tails balanced out the struggles to face and deal with prejudice evenly with the story of the success of the Tuskegee airmen.

If you are a fan of aerial combat, this movie has to be seen on the big screen. Watching this (even with CGI and models) made me amazed that people can fly and fight without everyone getting killed. The action sequences are great to watch and not overdone in the way of endless car chase sequences in many movies. The fight seems true. David Oyelowo shines as 'Lightning' and it's mainly through his eyes that the movie takes place.  Lightning brought laughter and tears to the audience and without him, the movie might have been totally flat.

The audience today seemed a mix of retired military (we're San Diego Top Gun here after all), African-Americans, and George Lucas fans (me). The audience applauded at the end and you don't get that much anymore. Leave your kids at home. The ones in the theater today were bored.

Red Tails is a story of war and people. At times slow paced and almost dull, at other times, hold your breath and watch.