Air America (1990)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Roger Spottiswoode

Writers (WGA):

Christopher Robbins (book)
John Eskow (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

10 August 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy

Tagline:

The Few. The Proud. The Totally Insane.

Plot:

A young pilot finds himself recruited into a covert and corrupt CIA airlift organization operating in Vietnam War Era Laos.

Plot Keywords:

Pilot | CIA | Vietnam | Laos | Helicopter

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Mel Gibson	...	Gene Ryack
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Billy Covington
Nancy Travis	...	Corinne Landreaux
Ken Jenkins	...	Major Donald Lemond
David Marshall Grant	...	Rob Diehl
Lane Smith	...	Senator Davenport
Art LaFleur	...	Jack Neely (as Art La Fleur)
Ned Eisenberg	...	Nick Pirelli
Marshall Bell	...	Q.V.
David Bowe	...	Saunders
Burt Kwouk	...	General Lu Soong
Tim Thomerson	...	Babo
Harvey Jason	...	Nino
Sinjai Plengpanit	...	May Ling (as Sinjai Hongthai)
Natta Nantatanti	...	Gene's Daughter

Runtime:

112 min | Argentina:115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Lao

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Norway:10 | Finland:K-11 (re-rating) | Portugal:M/12 | USA:R (Certificate #30290) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-10 | Germany:12 | Iceland:L | Netherlands:AL | Norway:11 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Chaing Mai Airport, Thailand

Company:

Carolco Pictures

Trivia:

The film is dedicated to Mike Katzin.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When the right engine was hit by ground fire and was said to have lost oil pressure, it is doubtful that thrust could be maintained. With the extent of damage requiring fire extinguishers, it is most likely that it would have been feathered. This did not occur and during the landing sequence, it can clearly be seen that this engine is developing its usual thrust, the props both appearing to be turning as they would be when synchronized. Also if thrust were lost on that engine, a large amount of left rudder with about 3 degrees elevation of bank on the dead engine side would be required and none of this is seen in the film.

Quotes:

[Gene has to make a decision about his cargo]
Billy Covington: Come on, You gotta do it, or you're just another version of Major Lemond , with a slightly hipper rap!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Radar Secret Service (#6.20)" (1993)

Soundtrack:

Pushin' Too Hard

An action movie best played for laughs

I actually thought this film improved with each viewing - some of the comic lines were lost first time around, with people speaking together, and rotor noise from the aircraft. Air America is probably a little too script-by-numbers, but only if you think about it too much - the key is to just enjoy the action and the comedy. I couldn't tell whether Mel Gibson's character was incredibly laid back, or if the actor just wasn't giving his all - but for me, the more interesting characters were the supporting cast anyway: David Marshall Grant as Rob Diehl and Art LaFleur as Jack Niely. There were a few too many pilots to pad all of the cast out, but the collective effort provided much of the humour. Robert Downey, Jnr. was perhaps the best out of the main cast, from cheesy 'eye in the sky' pilot ('the traffic is kinda sad, kinda bumsy-looking'), to Air America rookie, lost in a world of 'bar girls, squiggly writing on signs, and more bar girls'. Neither Gibson or Downey, Jnr. were particularly convincing as pilots, but luckily the planes (such as Pilatus Porters and Caribous) had enough character to pull off the airborne scenes. Downey, Jnr.'s character had a spectacular, if not slightly drawn out, crash-landing scene, slowly dismantling his aircraft as he slid along an old airstrip. The soundtrack was also a bonus, placing the film in time where the main characters were slightly anachronistic. Frank Sinatra's 'Come Fly With Me' saved the cliched ending with the same droll humour that was peppered throughout the rest of the movie. Overall, Air America is a film best watched with your brain switched to 'idle' - although the subject is serious, the film is best as pure entertainment.