FLYBOYS (Theatrical Release USA 2006)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 4.2|5.0 Starsìììì

Flyboys provides a look into a little-known slice of World War I history by telling about United States pilots who volunteer for military service with the French Air Service to fight German flyers. Action scenes rely on air fights, destruction of a supply depot, destabilization of a Zeppelin blimp, and elimination of a German pilot with the moniker, Black Falcon. The multitudinous air fights become monotonous due to their repetitious scenes...after all, how many different stunts can an airplane of that era have? The story suffers from shallow character development and same-o, same-o male/female relationships as defined by wartime conditions. Because the movie relies on a single, really bad guy rather than building up a sophisticated barrage of evil that must be overcome, it becomes difficult to engage or care about what happens. The film does provide, however, a nice look at the acting skills of James Franco and Jean Reno.

Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline

American fighter pilots fight under French command during World War I.

Additional Thanks

Thank you to Director Tony Bill for directing effort. Thank you to Executive Producers David Brown, James Clayton, Phillip M. Goldfarb, and Duncan Reid for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: Blaine Rawlings (James Franco), Cinema Usher (Scott Hazell), Sheriff Detweiller (Mac McDonald), William Jensen (Philip Winchester), Mr. Jensen (Todd Boyce), Mrs. Jensen (Karen Ford), Laura (Ruth Bradley), Eugene Skinner (Abdul Salis), and Skinner’s trainer (Jean-Philippe Écoffey).

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Yes. The film is a nice revisit to World War I and some of the early attempts to do air combat. For the movie industry professional it offers a look at Director Tony Bill’s directing abilities. An additional air combat film, The Tuskegee Airmen, serves as a good film that focuses on little known World War II air combat history. 

Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers