1. "Red Tails?" Is this a Crimson Guard/furrie mashup?
Star Wars. George Lucas. Star Wars. George Lucas. Star Wars. George Lucas. For 40-plus years, the two names have been synonymous. Thus, when Lucas birthed Red Tails, some people may have assumed that the movie would be set somewhere and sometime in that galaxy, far, far away. But no, we are much closer to home! Instead of opening the movie with a battle over the skies of Coruscant, this film takes place in the middle of the air war of the European theater of World War II.
2. What's the movie all about?
During the midst of what some call America's greatest war, the U.S. Army was at war with itself over what to do with its African-American soldiers. Black men had fought in every major war and skirmish since the founding of the United States. However, more than 160 years into the country's history, the Army still maintained a legacy of separation and discrimination.
Enter the Tuskegee Airmen. An all-black fighter unit formed in 1941, the Tuskegee Airmen prepared and trained to become pursuit pilots in a war that many of the Army brass never intended for them to fight in. Red Tails paints the story of how the Tuskegee commanding officers and pilots overcame the Army's enshrined policies of racism and separation of the races to earn the right to fight for their country.
The movie focuses on the relationship between the unit's captain, Marty "Easy" Julian (Nate Parker) and his second in command, Joe "Lightning" Little (David Oyelowo). As the movie opens, the unit is still being denied the opportunity to fly in a significant combat role. The group's commander, Col. A. J. Bullard (Terrence Howard), is working to change that before the war ends.
3. Will I like it?
You will enjoy it. Like? Love? I'll leave that up to you. I recommend that you see it in the theater: The air-battle scenes are definitely worthy of the big-screen treatment. Industrial Light & Magic did a magnificent job with replicating what I consider to be one of the most beautiful aircraft ever made, the P-51 Mustang. As with any historical story where there is such a strong overtone of social strife, the writers had a challenge in developing a story that was not directly related to the primary issue. I would give them a C-plus for that effort. While the racism that the Tuskegee pilots experienced does play a major role in the film, you could almost have had the plot that played out in the movie without it.
4. Will my kids like it?
I think this is a great film for kids 12 and up. The plot points are not overly complex and children should have no problem following the hows and whys of the story. You are introduced to the "evil villain" early in the movie (and it is not the white American soldier, fortunately – World War II Germany gets that title). Thus, the ultimate conflict is foreshadowed early on and will give the kids a nice, neat line to follow to the climax. There are a few curse words dropped here and there, but you will not find any character spitting out a stream of racially charged expletives. There was only one intense "Get out of here, n***er" moment. So if your kids have not heard anyone speak that way before, you may want to read through the answer to No. 5 below.
5. Do I have to have "the racism talk" with my kids before watching the movie?
Despite the progress that race relations have made in America since the 1940s, racism is still a touchy subject. Fortunately, for many young kids today, racism is a foreign concept. If your kids fall into this category, it might be worthwhile to give them a general overview of what the movie is about before you visit the theater. Explain how during the 1940s, African-Americans were denied their rights simply because of their skin color. The movie skips the formation and training of the Tuskegee Airmen, so some quick background reading would help the kids along.
6. When's the best time for a bathroom break?
Any of the scenes with Sofia. As a smart movie watcher, I understand the need for a love story. However, these were the slowest parts of the movie.
7. It's rated PG-13; how 13 is it?
As I mentioned above, there is not much for a parent to be concerned about when it comes to ugly racism. There is a little cursing and one character likes to hit the bottle. Apart from that, this is a war movie, so you will see people die – and I am not just talking about watching a plane crash into the ground. Finally, there is one "love" scene, but you can barely call it that.
8. Do I need to get there in time to see some good trailers?
No. But, 20th Century Fox must be expecting a large African-American crowd. Red Tails was front-ended by Tyler Perry's new movie, Good Deeds, Eddie Murphy's new movie, A Thousand Words, and the new film based on Steve Harvey's book, Think Like A Man. There were also trailers for The Three Stooges and Star Wars Episode I in 3-D. But I barely paid attention to those.
9. Do I need to sit through the credits for a bonus scene at the end?
No. Only credits on this one.
10. Will I want to see it again?
I doubt it. The movie goes on for more than two hours, and at times is slow to move along. Once it comes to the streaming world of movie downloads, I might be ready to see it again.
