Air America
Time Out says
Gooood morning, Vietnam - again? Actually, the fly boys in Spottiswoode's megabudget action comedy are just over the border in Laos, but the song remains the same: innocent and not-so-innocent Americans caught up in a war they don't understand. Crazy pilot Gibson is employed by the CIA to transport humanitarian aid and heroin, the latter intended to finance the local anti-Communist warlord's private army. Despite the black comic tone, it is impossible to identify with Gibson's cynical, selfish loner whose lucrative sideline is gun-running. That leaves the uncharismatic, ineffectual Downey holding the conscience ticket - as the wide-eyed new boy whose efforts to expose such nefarious activities cause the faeces to hit the propeller - and a huge hole in the middle of the picture. Somewhere amid the MASH-style lunacy, magnificent flying sequences and expertly choreographed stunts, a serious political movie is struggling to make itself heard. Mostly, however, this contentious counterpoint is reduced to background noise, drowned out by maniacal laughter, deafening explosions and a slew of late-'60s pop songs.
Details
Release details
Duration:
118 mins
Cast and crew
Director:
Roger Spottiswoode
Screenwriter:
Richard Rush, John Eskow
Cast:
Mel Gibson
Robert Downey Jr
Nancy Travis
Ken Jenkins
David Marshall Grant
Lane Smith
Art La Fleur
Burt Kwouk
Tim Thomerson
Robert Downey Jr
Nancy Travis
Ken Jenkins
David Marshall Grant
Lane Smith
Art La Fleur
Burt Kwouk
Tim Thomerson