In Lethal Weapon there is a scene where an old man, Murtaugh, and Riggs are together in a big seaside house talking about a program that the old man and the evil antagonist were involved in during the Vietnam War called Air America. It was described as a heroin smuggling operation used to support a puppet government in Cambodia. There are a few more details I don’t remember, but the description offered in the Lethal Weapon scene seemed very similar, almost identical, to the plot of Air America. is there a connection?
Air America was real, so there is no reason why it couldn’t be referenced in two different movies.
Better to say, “Air America was based on actual events.” How accurate it was, I can’t say, but given the track record of “historical” Hollywood movies, I’d guess that there were significant liberties taken.
Not that that detracts from the quality (or lack thereof) of the movie. Movies are there to entertain, not educate.
To clarify - when I said Air America was real, I meant that there really was an Air America, not that the movie Air America was an accurate depiction of it.
I didn’t know there was a real military program called Air America. I thought It was another Hollyweird thing.
It wasn’t a US military program, it was run by the CIA, and from what I’ve read about it, the movie was actually fairly accurate.
Very accurate and one of the CIA types depicted is very close to Ollie North who was involved in the operation. Yes, the Col. North who did not wear his uniform in Viet Nam but did wear it to lie to Congress about illegal activities which involved getting weapons to governments in the Middle East and supporting terrorists in Latin America.
My Dad landed at an Air America base once, but was informed that it wasn’t real.
I have never heard of Oliver North working for the CIA. Far as I know he was a Marine who served in Vietnam with some distinction and was wounded, thus the purple heart.
Am I wrong about this?