Red Tails..the new WW2 movie

[PANZER332]

I think that it goes without saying that anyone that climbed into the cockpit of a P-51 and flew into the skies over Europe in WWII has to be seen as brave. No one denies that.
That said, why have there been two movies made about one particular squadron with a mediocre record compared to many others with spectacular records, many aces among their ranks, and many more sorties flown? To me, this is an Affirmative Action movie.
If I am wrong and there is another reason other than because the fact that the pilots were Black, please feel free to enlighten me.

You are 100% Right Denny

[Chris Perna]

Saw a commercial for it the other day. Relic Hunter is correct. Lucas has been working on this movie for quite some time. I remember reading an article about it when Lucas was making the Star Wars prequels. I'll most likely give this one a go, and check it out.

[armorrich]

I think the point of the movie isn't so much to try and glorify their mediocre combat record as much as it is to show what they had to put up with to get into that cockpit in the first place. I'm no fan of PC but what these guys had to go through to be able to lay their lives on the line for their country is pitiful. The fact there was only one "ace" to come from their ranks is meaningless to me. They struggled to be able to stand up and be counted in a country where German prisoners had more rights than they did. Personally i think it should be required viewing in every American High School.

And as for stellar combat records, how about a movie about the Ploesti raid. No shortage of heroes there.

Best...rich

[Federico Perez]

Is my belief that the original story that G.Lucas was inspired and also wanted to make into a movie with all the new improvements in the special effects as well as budget was about the "Dam Busters" squadron wich was his inspiration for his original Star Wars movies combat plot and "aerial" sequences....he is even seen in a documentary talking about it. Red Tails could also have been on his mind at those early success years but never heard of his interest to do a movie until it was confirmed as a "go" movie project....of course I could be mistaken.

[Wayne f]

Red Tails

y

Is my belief that the original story that G.Lucas was inspired and also wanted to make into a movie with all the new improvements in the special effects as well as budget was about the "Dam Busters" squadron wich was his inspiration for his original Star Wars movies combat plot and "aerial" sequences....he is even seen in a documentary talking about it. Red Tails could also have been on his mind at those early success years but never heard of his interest to do a movie until it was confirmed as a "go" movie project....of course I could be mistaken.

To bad G. Lucas was seeing what he wanted to see - Hollow Vision. There are other American stories of WW2 - but Blacks get all the PR. It seems like only two races of people were in WW2. Do we forget the most decorated US unit in WW2. They were awarded a mere 21 MOH, seven Presidental Unit Citations, over 18,000 individual awards. To be called Purple Heart Unit, over 700 KIA and rescued over 200-plus trapped fellow soldiers in the Vosage Mts. Not one flyboy. They experience the worst of the worst before and after ww2. Atlease, there was one movie on Navajo code-talkers. How about more movies of other colors, except one or two in Hollywood's narrow mine-set.

[DennyB]

And as for stellar combat records, how about a movie about the Ploesti raid. No shortage of heroes there.

Wasn't there a movie made about that once, like back in the 40s or 50s? It seems that I saw one about it many years ago but I can't remember any details about it or even the name. This might be a false memory from a documentary too.

[Jean-Loup]

For interest purposes, I was talking to a veteran of the 636th Tank Destroyer Battalion the other day (part of the 36th ID, or 'Texas Division').
He mentioned that his unit was strafed twice by these 'Red Tails' (it seems to me he actualy said Red Noses), with some men getting killed. The interesting thing is that he was convinced that they had strafed the 36th ID on purpose because the Texans behaved so badly with Blacks!
I do not agree with this theory, but still found it interesting to hear the veterans beliefs. He also added that an officer of his unit would 'go public' with what they had done of a movie was made!

JL

[BergführerKiser]

y

To bad G. Lucas was seeing what he wanted to see - Hollow Vision. There are other American stories of WW2 - but Blacks get all the PR. It seems like only two races of people were in WW2. Do we forget the most decorated US unit in WW2. They were awarded a mere 21 MOH, seven Presidental Unit Citations, over 18,000 individual awards. To be called Purple Heart Unit, over 700 KIA and rescued over 200-plus trapped fellow soldiers in the Vosage Mts. Not one flyboy. They experience the worst of the worst before and after ww2. Atlease, there was one movie on Navajo code-talkers. How about more movies of other colors, except one or two in Hollywood's narrow mine-set.

The 1951 film "Go For Broke" is about the 442nd Regimental Combat Team...The story of Japanese-American soldiers who fought in Europe during World War II.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcSAs6ms_N0

Ciao,
Patrick

[paddywhack]

For interest purposes, I was talking to a veteran of the 636th Tank Destroyer Battalion the other day (part of the 36th ID, or 'Texas Division').
He mentioned that his unit was strafed twice by these 'Red Tails' (it seems to me he actualy said Red Noses), with some men getting killed. The interesting thing is that he was convinced that they had strafed the 36th ID on purpose because the Texans behaved so badly with Blacks!
I do not agree with this theory, but still found it interesting to hear the veterans beliefs. He also added that an officer of his unit would 'go public' with what they had done of a movie was made!

JL

how come he is only waiting till now considering that this is the second big budget film about this unit?seems strange to me!im looking forward to it and im not expecting it to be historically accurate!

[Dan M]

Movie Review

Here is a review from the local paper. Good point about being a positive influence on young peolpe.

Search The Buffalo News Web Search
by YAHOO! SEARCH

Movies » Movie reviews
From left, Leslie Odom Jr., Michael B. Jordan, Nate Parker and Kevin Phillips star in "Red Tails."


Uplifting 'Red Tails' puts focus on Tuskegee Airmen



By TISH WELLS
McClatchy Newspapers
Published:January 20, 2012, 8:33 AM
0 Comments

Font Size:

• -2
• -1
• Standard
• +1
• +2

• E-mail
• Share
• Print

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google
• Reddit
• Delicious
• Stumble Upon
• Digg
• Fark
• MySpace

Updated: January 20, 2012, 8:33 AM
Despite stunning aerial scenes and good intentions, the George Lucas-produced "Red Tails" is grounded by clumsy dialogue, a meandering plot and the occasional jarring anachronism.
It's an "inspired by" tale of the Tuskegee Airmen that wanders from wildly entertaining to schoolroom instructive to one-note flatness.
It's not the fault of the cast. Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrence Howard may be the best known, but the actors playing the fighter pilots are outstanding. Nate Parker as Captain Marty "Easy" Julian is a restrained trained pilot, while David Oyelowo plays the talented, difficult Joe "Lightning" Little.
In 1941, the black airmen trained at Tuskegee Institute and broke the racial barrier. The pilots and ground crew were determined to contradict a 1925 Army War College study that concluded blacks were "mentally inferior to the white man."
They proved their worth when the 332nd Fighter Group, with its red-tailed airplanes, was assigned to protect U.S. bomber groups attacking Germany. They brought the vast majority home safely.
In one of the finer scenes in "Red Tails," a group of black pilots walking past the Officers Club in Italy are called back by a white officer. Reluctantly they turn around to face what they believe will be an attack.
Instead, the officer wants to thank them -- he's a bomber pilot and the Red Tails had brought him and his 10-man crew back alive. He invites them into the club, introduces them to the startled, hostile white airmen as their saviors, and all the pilots, black and white, end up drinking together.
There's a discussion between white and black pilots of the different labels that African-Americans have been given. As one white pilot says, "We call you colored." A pilot shoots back, "We prefer Negro."
The love story between Little and an Italian girl he marries begs the question of what would happen to them after the war. Would he be able to take her home to America? Would he come back for her? The film answers the immediate question, but not the larger one.
"Red Tails" is hampered by the occasional use of anachronisms, like "man up," which jars the audience out of 1944. And be advised that the n-word is used in one scene.
Lucas, appearing on Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show," said he wanted to make "an inspirational [movie] for teenage boys. I wanted to show that they had heroes, real American heroes, they're patriots that helped make the country what it is today."
In that, at least, he has succeeded. "Red Tails" will make you want to read the history of the Tuskegee Airmen.È
RED TAILS
2 and 1/2 stars
STARRING: Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Terrence Howard, Brandon T. Jackson, Ne-Yo
DIRECTOR: Anthony Hemingway
RUNNING TIME: 120 minutes
RATING: Rated PG-13 for some sequences of war violence.
THE LOWDOWN: The story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the pioneering young African-American pilots who fought racism along with the enemy during World War II.

#commentsContent {margin-bottom:1em;margin-top:3em;}#commentsContent h2 {border-top:3px solid #991a20;font-size:137.5%;color:#333;font-weight:bold;padding:3px 0;border-bottom:1px dotted #888;}#commentsContent .comment {border-bottom:1px solid #999999;font-size:13px;line-height:18px;padding:1em .5em 2em .5em; margin:0.7em 0 0 0;word-wrap: break-word;}#commentsContent .quoted-reply {border-left:5px solid #CCCCCC;color:#777777;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:14px;padding-left:10px;}.posted {color:#666;margin-top:8px;text-transform:uppercase;padding-top:8px;border-top:1px dotted #ccc;font-size:11px;word-spacing:2px;}.posted .username-staff{color:#000000;padding:0px 3px;font-weight:bold;}#commentsContent .news-staff-comment {border-bottom:2px solid #9E0700; color:#777777; padding:24px 0px 5px; font-size:70%; text-transform:uppercase; width:153px;}.posted .username{color:#000000;font-weight:bold;}.posted .posted-date{text-transform:none;}.comment-functions {padding:10px 0;}.comment-functions li {display:inline;float:left;margin-right:12px;}.comment-functions li a {color:#777777;text-transform:uppercase;text-decoration:none;font-size:11px;}.comment-functions li a:hover{color:#9E0700;}.comment-functions li a span {display:inline;float:left;width:16px;height:16px; background:url(/buffalonews/skins/buffalonews/images/story-icons02.gif) no-repeat;}.comment-functions li a .reply {margin-right:3px;background-position: -16px -95px; }.comment-functions li a:hover .reply {background-position: 0px -95px;}.comment-functions li a .flag {margin-right:3px;background-position: -15px -146px;}.comment-functions li a:hover .flag {background-position: 0px -146px;}a.add-comment-button {background:#f5f5f5; border:1px solid #cccccc; color:#9E0700; font-size:18px; padding:16px 0px; margin:0px 100px ; text-align:center;font-weight:bold;display:block;margin-bottom:2em;text-decoration:none;-moz-box-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #f1f1f1;-webkit-box-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #f1f1f1;box-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #f1f1f1;/* For IE 8 */-ms-filter: "progidXImageTransform.Microsoft.Shadow(Strength=1, Direction=135, Color='#f1f1f1')";/* For IE 5.5 - 7 */filter: progidXImageTransform.Microsoft.Shadow(Strength=1, Direction=135, Color='#f1f1f1');}a.add-comment-button:hover {cursorointer; background:#f1f1f1;border:1px solid #c1c1c1; color:#333333;-moz-box-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #ddd;-webkit-box-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #ddd;box-shadow: 1px 1px 3px #ddd;/* For IE 8 */-ms-filter: "progidXImageTransform.Microsoft.Shadow(Strength=2, Direction=135, Color='#dddddd')";/* For IE 5.5 - 7 */filter: progidXImageTransform.Microsoft.Shadow(Strength=2, Direction=135, Color='#dddddd');}#commentsContent span.comments-status {color:#333333;margin:12px 0px 12px;display:block;font-weight:bold;}.comments-status {color:#333333;margin:12px 0px 12px;display:block;font-weight:bold;}#commentsContent div#comments-pagination { width:100%;}#commentsContent span.page-num { margin-right:2px;padding:4px 3px;display:inline-block;font-size:16px;color:#9E0700;}#commentsContent a.page-link {border:solid 1px #DDDDDD;color:#333333; background:#f9f9f9;margin-right:2px;padding:4px 3px;display:inline-block;font-size:16px;text-decoration:none; }#commentsContent a.page-link:hover {border:solid 1px #666666;}#commentsContent a.page-back ,#commentsContent a.page-next {font-size:20px; display:inline-block; text-decoration:none; font-weight:bold; color:#9E0700; margin:0px 6px;}#commentsContent a.page-back:hover ,#commentsContent a.page-next:hover {color:#333333;}#commentsContent p#comments-sort {color:#333333; text-transform:uppercase; border-bottom:1px dotted #888888; padding:9px 0px; font-size:12px; padding-left:.5em; }#commentsContent p#comments-sort a {padding-right:3px; text-decoration:none; color:#555;}#commentsContent p#comments-sort a:hover {color:#9E0700;}#commentsContent .sel-sort {color:#9e0700;}Comments

There are no comments on this story.

[Jody]

Red Tails

Hello,
My son and I saw it yesterday and the beginning of the movie said it all "inspired by true events". The movie was alright, but had nothing to do with history. If that film was history then so was U-571, Windtalkers, and Flyboys.

The movie was rather silly. There was the criticism of white fighter pilots and how they would not protect the bombers and go off on their own and hunt German fighters.The villan a Luftwaffe ace was wearing the RK with Oakleaves (he was right out of 1940's and 50's war movies) and had a nice long scar running down the right side of his face. Of course he kept making comments about African pilots and you knew he would get it. You got to see the Red Tails take out a German destroyer with strafing, and the Red Tails shoot down a handful of Me-262 jets in their 1st action with them. In a side story, a Red Tail nicknamed Ray Gun gets shot down, captured and sent to a German POW camp (Stalag 18), where of course he escapes and makes his way back to the Red Tail base in Italy. In another side story we see a Red Tail woo and have a romance with a pretty Italian girl.

The positives were the combat scenes in which you saw B-17s get attacked and those were pretty well done (although somewhat unrealistic). A big plus, was the movie was only 2 hours long. My son liked the movie, but then again he is 9 years old and likes about everything George Lucas does.

The sad part is that the Tuskegee airmen did make a valuable contribution to the 15th Air Force and you could have made a really good movie about theirs exploits, instead George Lucas decided to make things up and create his own version of what should have happened.

Regards,
Jody

[blinky]

[DennyB]

The sad part is that the Tuskegee airmen did make a valuable contribution to the 15th Air Force and you could have made a really good movie about theirs exploits, instead George Lucas decided to make things up and create his own version of what should have happened.

Regards,
Jody

Well, maybe they will work on the real historical truth when they make the third big-budget movie about the Tuskegee Airmen.
I hope that the movie will generate young people to actually study the war a bit so they will realize that there were many more servicemen involved than just the Tuskegee Airmen. I know many who watched the movie "Glory" think that the Black 54th Mass was the only regiment to attack Ft. Wagner SC when in reality there were two White regiments that also attacked it and took more casualties than the 54th Mass did. Of course they are not mentioned in the movie.

[stonemint]

Watched it last weekend--can't say anything other than bad, bad, bad.

Dialogue was laughable--it was as if the scriptwriter was lifting if verbatim from 1950's comic books. Characters were one-dimensional, and the acting was bad all around--has to be Cuba Goodings worst performance ever.

The planes are all CGI, and move almost like x-wings and Tie-fighters from Star Wars. The characters are cliches, with the young kid, the reckless hot-shot, the fatherly colonel, and most egrigiously, the Nazi RKT lead pilot called "pretty boy" (who has a scar on his cheek), and as he dives into the B-17's/Red-Tails, says "no mercy" (I was waiting for him to follow that with "sweep the leg").

The German airfield has all the hangers adorned with swastika flags, just in case you forget that they are nazis. The ME-109's have a white disc over which the swastika is superimposed for the same reason.

You gotta love when the 30mm cannon of the ME-262's hit the P-51's and leave holes like they are from a .22.

I always thought Shining Through was the worst WW2 movie made in recent years--Red Tails makes it look like a historical documentary.

Save your 10 bucks and 2 hours of your life!

[HERMSDORF]

Thank you Stonemint for the Review.
That´s what I expect from a movie like that. Just another Film for the unsuspecting Citizen who eats everything getting served.

Best Regards

Andy