By JANE MORICE
Eagle Contributing Writer
Sitting in the theater before the screening of George Lucas’s new film “Red Tails,” one could have sworn the film was being shown in Hollywood, not the Chinatown neighborhood of D.C.
Cameras flashed, taking shots of Miss D.C. Ashley Boalch, Miss D.C. Teen Imani Bentham and the numerous Tuskegee Airmen (whom the film was about) who were able to attend the screening.
The anticipation surrounding this movie was immense, with the backstory behind the production of the film being the center of the conversation. Lucas used his own money, in excess of $90 million, to fund the making of “Red Tails” when he could not find a film company willing to bankroll the film.
The Tuskegee Airmen were the very first air corps in the U.S. military comprised of all black men, formed during World War II.
While the Airmen were initially stationed in Italy, they never saw combat. But the confident head of the Airmen, Colonel Bullard (Terrence Howard, “Iron Man”) was able to convince his superiors that the Tuskegee Airmen are more than capable of flying during combat missions and assisting the United States in winning the war.
“Red Tails” was unbelievably entertaining from the very beginning, with the opening scene depicting a dogfight between Germans and American enemy aircrafts.
Lucas’s extensive knowledge and talent in special effects made every flight scene realistic; never once did it feel like the effects were cheaply done.
While the battle scenes were lively and violent (as to be expected), they were not particularly gruesome and certainly well-shot. The additional settings in the movie, such as Italian villages and the air base, were wonderfully depicted.
The main characters of the film are relatively unknown actors, but that is not to say they played their roles poorly in the least.
Marty “Easy” Julian (Nate Parker, “The Secret Life of Bees”) and Joe “Lightning” Little (David Oyelowo, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”) are great friends and talented leading pilots among the airmen, yet each has his own personal plotlines that add more dimensions to this film.
The depth of the film increased with the humor displayed by almost all of the actors, especially “Smoky” Adams (R&B star Ne-Yo) and “Ray Gun” Gannon (Tristan Wilds, “90210”).
One aspect of this film that could have been done differently is the poorly delivered and stereotypically racist dialogue of the white characters.
In addition, this film is one of those rare movies that would look even better in 3-D. 3-D effects would enhance the already exhilarating flight scenes.
