That always struck me as a very moving engagement. The German pilots know the war is lost (it’s March 1945) and the Red Tail pilots know the war will soon be over and they will return to a segregated society that will not fully acknowledge their heroism. Yet both sides went all-out.
Cuba Gooding Jr is in both!
I just saw the first commercial for this. It featured annoying, vapid rap music blaring over oh-so-typically uninspired CGI air battle scenes with the black pilots shouting ridiculous 80s-esque ‘street-cred’ nonsense. My first impression- incredibly pedestrian, politically correct, neo-racist crap.
George Lucas was promoting this on The Daily Show, and I really want to see this now. Apparently, he had to come up with every penny to make the film, as well as the prints and ad budget.
The studios didn’t participate in any way because they don’t have a “star” to use to promote it; that they thought that an all-black action movie wouldn’t make any money; that nobody except Tyler Perry’s audience would see it, and this film cost more to make than Perry’s produce in revenue; and they didn’t believe there is any foreign market for it.
He described it as “designed to be a film during the war. It’s very patriotic, very jingoistic…very old-fashioned, corny. Just exactly like ‘Flying Leathernecks’ only this one was held up for release from 1942 when it was shot. And I’ve been trying to get it released ever since.”
As bizarre as it may sound, Lucas is - and remains - the world’s most successful indie filmmaker.
Lucas told John Stewart that Red Tails is "just like Star Wars."
“The Fuhrer is not as forgiving as I am.”
– Darth Himmler
Well, given that he is literally a more-than-once-over billionaire, I hardly think Lucas ever has much trouble scraping his pennies together! 
Isn’t there (or wasn’t there once) a whole genre of those? And didn’t they make money?
But they didn’t have Nazis! Blaxploitation + Nazis = PROFIT! Or Opal. I don’t have these things entirely clear.
BTW, and I’ve probably mentioned it, but I was getting some air at some banquet for some in-laws and passed some guys outside another banquet for a USAAF reunion. One white guy was wearing his stars and I nodded with a “General,” as I had been taught. He stopped me and said something like, “The guy you should be honoring is this guy.” The undecorated Col Charles McGee of the Tuskeegee Airmen.
I nodded and said, “Colonel,” as I had been taught, but there might’ve been more of a thrill in my voice than normal.
It doesn’t sound bizarre if you are measuring success in terms of money. It does sound bizarre if you are measuring success in terms of quality. Not that I’ve seen or decided on Red Tails, yet, but the Star Wars prequels were basically independent and they…are lacking.
Well, if you put it that way–I’ll make a point of catching this on the big screen.
From wiki, “Lucas held discussions with Samuel L. Jackson regarding Jackson possibly directing and acting in the film. Although Jackson praised the script, he did not commit to either role.” Could’ve been interesting.
I’d love to see a realistic, historically accurate show but the trailer with this did little to instill confidence that’ll be the case.
I can see your point. But this does look like a fun movie.
mmm
I don’t have a soft spot for the movie, but I do sort of want to like it because it sounds like an interesting story and because Andre Royo (Bubbles from The Wire) is in it. But yes, it’s a very glurgy trailer.
I was unmoved by this. He’s an extremely rich man, and if the movie succeeds, he’ll be even richer. It worked out pretty well for Mel Gibson.
And this put me off even more than the trailer. When he said he “wanted to make it inspirational for teenage boys,” I couldn’t help thinking he was saying he’d made a propaganda film. That may not have been what he was trying to say. To a lesser extent it annoyed me that he promised another trilogy of movies. I’d say he should know better, but I’m pretty sure he does it deliberately.
I was kind of annoyed at Lucas’s appearance on The Daily Show. He seemed to be excessively patting himself on the back for making the film. And the commercial just makes the movie seem really loud.
Did you know that if you hit Lucas’s neck with a wooden stick, it breaks open and spills out candy and toys?
The Andre Braugher speech made that movie. I doubt there will be anything that good in this one. And the CGI looks like ass. There is nothing like seeing real warbirds flying.
As much as I might dislike fighter jocks, and as much of the true story I might know, I might need to see this picture.
ETA: And add in my love of P-40s and how I feel P-51Cs were dissed…
I think you nailed it.
Sad thing is, I can’t imagine much more interesting or exciting than actual aerial combat. To see it all “video-gamey” is really pretty disappointing. The CGI, as somebody else noted, looks like ass. Not even as good as Dogfight.
Oh well. I don’t think I’ve been to the movies in over a decade. Probably would have given this a pass anyway.