The Flyboys

The Flyboys

4/4/2008 1h 44m 7.6/10

Overview

Two boys from a small town find their courage tested when they accidentally stow away aboard an airplane owned by the mob...

Director

Emily Aaronson

Top Billed Cast

Tom Sizemore

Tom Sizemore

Angelo Esposito

Dallen Gettling

Ed Thomas

Stephen Baldwin

Stephen Baldwin

Silvio Esposito

Jesse James

Jesse James

Jason McIntyre

Reiley McClendon

Reiley McClendon

Kyle Barrett

J. Todd Adams

Lenny Drake

Reviews

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

5/31/2024

6/10

Based quite loosely on the activities of a famed group of young American pilots who joined the French cause during the Great War, this is a rather disappointing drama. James Franco takes the lead as the charming "Rawlings". He's a man who doesn't really think rules apply to him, but like the rest of his disparate gang, is a brave man who knows how to get his balsa-wood bi-plane up and dangerous. Back then, there was still a certain code of honour between the warring parties and their Bosch opponents (including the "Red Baron") observed some of the niceties of war - a dignity useful on occasion as weapons jamming and engines failing wasn't uncommon. Then he encounters "Lucienne" (Jennifer Decker) in an house of ill-repute, falls for her and must then undertake a perilous rescue mission - against the orders of CO "Thenault" (Jean Reno). The result? Well, she gets shot and he gets a medal! Thing is, though, she must be relocated to a safe hospital and he has to lead a bombing raid - will they ever meet again? Will their love endure? Did anyone care? The camera loved James Franco here, and he does bring a degree of charisma to help carry it through. Otherwise, though, the acting - especially from Reno, is really flat; there's much too much dialogue and what airborne antics there are are not especially well integrated CGI effects that lack realism and culminate in a rather weakly photographed denouement. It could have been better had they bothered to use a few real planes and scored it a little more engagingly. As it is - it's just too long and plodding.

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