Effects-wise, they do look a bit dated, likely as Hemingway and Lucas were eager to use ILM’s new visual developments for more fluidity. Of course, the action sequences were the one thing generally praised at the time, and they are certainly memorable. Jordan were fresh off working with director Hemingway on ‘The Wire.’ But this was also when Ne-Yo was still trying to set up an acting career, Elijah Kelley hadn’t had a huge role since ‘Hairspray’ (unfairly I might add), and Parker, Oyelowo, and co-star Leslie Odom Jr. were established names, and both Tristan Wilds and Michael B. Yes, Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr. ‘Red Tails’ in 2012 is a who’s who of black talent, both established and those yet to be. The cast do a fair amount of heavy lifting here. The film also centers on the contrast between Easy and Lightning, the former’s alcoholism, the latter’s hotheaded nature, and the back-and-forth of whose method will keep more of their men alive in the skies. The group faces many trials during their service in Italy, including constantly faulty equipment, a German fighter squad led by “Pretty Boy” (played by Lars Van Reisen), and systemic racism from their mostly white supervisors, who still doubt the effectiveness of black pilots. Led by Major Emmanuel Stance (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.), the pilot group also consists of Easy (played by Nate Parker), Lighting (played by David Oyelowo), Ray Gun (played by Tristan Wilds), Joker (played by Elijah Kelly), Smokey (played by Ne-Yo), and Bumps (played by Michael B.
Bullard (played by Terrence Howard) convinces U.S officials to send in reinforcements with the 332 nd Fighter Group, an all-African American unit known as the Tuskegee Airman.
In 1944, with World War II still ravaging American forces in Europe, Colonel A.J. But it also feels more reliant on iconography and reputation rather than actual character development, and it can come off as more one-note than a story like this deserves. A very specific interpretation of the Tuskegee Airmen’s legacies, ‘Red Tails’ clever action sequences are easily it’s standouts. After giving it a proper chance a decade later, I think ‘Red Tails’ mostly holds up, at least for what it is. Admittedly, I also passed on the movie until I saw it on TV a few years later, but I’ve always been fascinated by the film’s place in Lucasfilm’s history, let alone the actual source material behind it.
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