Courage has no color.
Red Tails (2012) is a WWII movie produced by Lucasfilm. It's based on actual events, i.e., Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American United States Army Air Force (USAAF) servicemen during World War II.
Synopsis: 1944, Italy, WWII - Captain 'Easy' (Nate Parker) and his squad, 'Lightning' (David Oyelowo), 'Joker' (Elijah Kelley), 'Smoky' (Ne-Yo), and 'Junior' (Tristan Wilds) are part of the Tuskegee Airmen, the African-American aerial combat unit of the USAAF. However, due to prejudice from the white-dominated army force, these dedicated 'colored' airmen are discriminated and are only assigned to eliminate ground-based enemies. Finally, they have a breakthrough when their superiors, Colonel Bullard (Terrence Howard) and Major Stance (Cuba Gooding Jr.) manage to get them the chance to prove themselves in the sky.
I'm not exactly a fan of 20th century war movies, but I have watched at least two of them - The Red Baron (2008) and Flyboys (2006).
In Red Tails, the aerial combat scenes are fast and pretty exciting to watch. On top of that, I quite enjoy the movie's tone and pace. It's a mild war movie without too much violence, death, and destruction; and it doesn't have too much high-end military politics.
It's a story that interjects the right amount of racial prejudice and discrimination that doesn't arouse too much tension. But most importantly, it's a tribute to the unsung heroes who rose above extraordinary challenges and ultimately soared into history.
David Oyelowo as the hot-headed 'Lightning' is easily the most remembered star in this movie. His cockiness and temperament give the movie something to watch about in terms of character development.
Red Tails might not be one of the best war movies out there but if you're a fan of modern war movies, it's good to add this movie to your viewing list.
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