Barnes & Noble

An old-fashioned adventure yarn set during World War I, Flyboys calls to mind such large-scale aviation epics of Hollywood’s Golden Age as Wings, Hell’s Angels, and The Dawn Patrol. It’s a story about the Lafayette Escadrille, a daring bunch of young Americans who flew for the French air corps before the United States entered the conflict in 1917. Among these proto-Top Guns are Blaine Rawlings (James Franco), a tight-lipped Texan whose family has just lost its ranch; William Jensen (Philip Winchester), the scion of a military family; Briggs Lowry (Tyler Labine), a spoiled, upper-class punk looking for thrills; Eugene Skinner (Abdul Salis), an expatriate black boxer who’s been treated better in France than in America; and Eddie Beagle (David Ellison), an odd, enigmatic youth with a peculiar past. Lovingly made by director Tony Bill (himself a longtime pilot with an affection for that era in aviation), Flyboys teems with elaborately staged and photographed dogfights. By accident or design, the formulaic script actually enhances the film’s kinship with earlier classic aviation movies. Plot or character development, though, remain secondary concerns: The film is friendliest when it's in the skies. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

As World War I rages in Europe and Allied forces in France, Italy, and England find their resolve quickly diminishing due to the overwhelming force of the German juggernaut, a handful of brave American soldiers volunteer to join their French counterparts in learning to fly and fighting for freedom from above as the true story of the legendary Lafayette Escadrille comes to the screen in a breathtaking war adventure from Academy Award-winning director Tony Bill and famed producer Dean Devlin. They have come from all over the United States, ready and willing to put their lives on the line despite their country's initial pledge to not get involved with the all-consuming war that rages throughout Europe. Few could have foreseen the challenges faced by the world's first fighter pilots, however, and upon arriving at their aerodrome in France, the aspiring aviators are assigned to a new squadron under the command of war-ravaged Captain Thenault (Jean Reno) and battle-weary American pilot Reed Cassidy -- the sole survivor of his devastated former air brigade. With little encouragement from their fellow aviators and nothing to drive but their unifying goal of taking to the skies and offering up their lives in the name of freedom, the determined airmen of the Lafayette Escadrille set out to make history by embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. James Franco, Martin Henderson, and David Ellison star in a script penned by Phil Sears, Blake T. Evans, and David S. Ward. Jason Buchanan

Product Details

• UPC: 027616065346
• Source: MGM (VIDEO & DVD)
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Special Edition, Subtitled, Dubbed
• Time: 2:19:00
• Sales Rank: 10,507

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