RED TAILS

US, 2012, hundred and 25 minutes, Colour.
Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr, Nate Parker, David Oyeolo, Michael B.Jordan, Cliff Smith/ Method Man, Bryan Cranston.
Directed by Anthony Hemingway.


Red Tails is an attempt to pay tribute to the Tuskagee Airmen and the African- American pilots in Italy in World War 2. There had been an acclaimed film in 1995, The Tuskagee Airmen (with Cuba Gooding Jr in that cast). This latter film showed the training. Red Tails shows them in action.

This film was universally attacked and had no commercial success. There were criticisms of the poor storytelling, of understanding the nature of their warfare in World War II, the conventional presentation.

The older generation of airmen, played by a getting-older generation of actors, Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr, are those in command. Up-and-coming actors like Nate Parker, David Oyeolo, Michael B.Jordan are the actors who go into action.

The film recreates the atmosphere in Italy during the war, and provides an inter-race love story between David Oyeolo and Sophia, a local girl.

There is also tension between two friends, David Oyeolo and his daring and not following orders and Nate Parker as the more aristocratic son of a judge who has a drinking problem. The film fills in details about some of the other flyers.

However, the main thing is the aerial combat, the strategies and tactics, the communication by radio as each pilot helps the other for tactics, the daring in such small and sometimes flimsy planes, the close-up confrontations with the enemy.


1. A tribute to the Tuskagee airmen? The men themselves? The statistics? Their World War II service?

2. The adverse comments on this film? Highly critical?

3. The initial statement about the African- Americans? There alleged inferiority? The statement in 1925? This picture of the first half of the 1940s? The treatment of the African-Americans? Colonel William Mortamus and his prejudice, the discussions about the missions, the good results and his still not acknowledging the pilots?

4. The re-creation of Italy in the 1940s, Italian locations, Slovenian, Czech? The air bases? The Italian towns? The Washington sequences? Musical score?

5. The title, the training at Tuskagee, in Europe? Given the old planes, with red noses, the need for constant repairs, the hits, the fights, the mobility in the air? The new planes, the escort work, painting the red tails?

6. The authorities: Colonel Bullard in Washington, at the meetings, his hard line, contact with Italy, his arrival in Italy? Stance on the base, older, pipe-smoking, knowing the men, energising them? The results of the Washington talks in Italy, the tough talk?

7. Bullard, his personality, arrival in Italy, taking command, stern with the troops, the criticism of Easy and his self-pity?

8. The friendship between Easy and Lightning? Easy in command, drinking? Lightning and his daring? The tensions? The hard words, the deal to stop drinking and to obey commands? In combat? Lightning, his shrewdness, tactics? the radio connections, the advice, the number of kills? Lightning and his risks, twice over the boat?

9. His personal life, seeing Sophia, going to visit her, with her mother, not speaking the language, going for the walk, the proposal, the plans, the hard part of telling Sophia of Lightning’s death?

10. The other members of the crew, Maurice Wilson, Junior? The repair man? All together, talk, cards playing, fights? The wounded pilot and his being guided back? Junior, his crash, taken prisoner, the interrogation, the prisoner of war camp, being welcomed by the men, the escape, the irony that because he was black he could not be a German spy? Giving his tags to the leader, his returning them at the base? Junior’s later turning up and everybody happy?

11. The missions, escorting the bombers, the situations, the decision to go on to Berlin, dropping the bombs on Berlin?

12. Filming the attacks, watching the films, learning from them?

13. The picture of the Germans, the initial dogfights in the air, tactics? Pretty Boy, the German, the antagonism, finally the confrontation and his losing?

14. The film as a tribute to these men?