arts & entertainment
WWII Saga Recounts Heroic Exploits of Famed Airmen
T
he Tuskegee Air-
men is the nick-
name given the
332nd Fighter Group, the
first squadron of African-
American aviators ever
trained by the U.S. Air
Force. Formed in 1940,
the historic unit had to be
stationed at a base on the
campus of the Tuskegee
Institute in Macon County, Alabama, since
the Armed Forces were still racially segre-
gated at the time of its creation.
Even after America entered World War II,
the government initially remained reluctant
to deploy these pioneering pilots overseas,
out of a concern that the presence of black
officers in the midst of white soldiers might
have a negative effect on military morale.
Consequently, the Tuskegee Airmen lan-
guished stateside for several years, seeing
no action until they were finally cleared for
combat in the European theater of opera-
tions.
Upon arriving in Italy, their 2nd rate air-
craft were upgraded from junky jalopies to
state-of-the-art, P-51 Mustang fighter
planes, thereby enabling them to escort B-
Very Good III
Rated PG-13 for violence and
profanity.
Running time: 125 minutes
Distributor: 20th Century Fo x
17 bombers on dangerous
raids behind enemy lines
M ovie
deep into Germany terri-
r evieWS
tory. The untested pilots
proceeded to perform
admirably on over 1,500
by Kam
successful
missions,
Williams
demonstrating an unex-
pected combination of
competence and valor in
the process.
Red Tails is an eye-popping, special-f/x
driven adventure which recreates these
belatedly-appreciated veterans’ daring
exploits in the skies, while chronicling their
simultaneous, uncompromising quest for
dignity in the face of the incessant humilia-
tion mandated by Jim Crow. The movie
marks the feature film debut of Anthony
Hemingway, who is previously best known
for having shot episodes of a host of TV
series, including The Wire, True Blood,
Treme, The Closer, and CSI: NY.
The picture was produced by Lucasfilm
where it has been a pet project of the stu-
dio’s legendary founder, George Lucas, for
the past quarter-century. And it features an
ensemble cast topped by Academy Award-
winner Cuba “Show me the money!” Good-
ing (for Jerry Maguire) and Oscar-nominee
Terrence Howard (for Hustle & Flow).
Aside from raising the question of the
arbitrary color line, the plot reads like a typ-
ical, cliché-ridden war flick revolving
around a tight-knit, motley crew of colorful
characters. Each is based on a simplistical-
ly-drawn archetype, like the ill-fated pilot
you know isn’t long for this world the
We honor the many
accomplishments of African
Americans.
It is our primary goal as a
labor union to better the
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through advocacy, civil
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Page 10 The Portland Skanner January 25, 2012
moment he’s shown sitting in his cockpit
gazing fondly at a picture of his fiancée
right before takeoff.
Another familiar figure is the cigar-
chomping Major (Gooding), a paternalistic
pontificator given to delivering inspira-
tional speeches about God, mom and apple
pie. He cares about each of the men under
his command, including alcoholic “Easy”
Julian (Parker); daredevil “Lightning” Little
(David Oyelowo); class clown “Joker”
George (Elijah Kelley); and “Junior” Gan-
non (Tristan Wilds), a youngster who yearns
to be taken seriously by his teasing col-
leagues.
Meanwhile, back at the Pentagon, we find
exasperated Colonel A.J. Bullard (Howard)
tirelessly lobbying the military brass to put
an end to racial discrimination in the ranks.
In the end, the film proves more memorable
for its eye-popping, action sequences than
for its corny dialogue to trite poster-speak.
Nonetheless, Red Tails amounts to a wor-
thy, overdue tribute to a group of intrepid,
World War II heroes who never let their sec-
ond-class status diminish their patriotism.