Flyboys (2006)

Director:

Tony Bill

Writers (WGA):

Phil Sears (screenplay) &
Blake T. Evans (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

22 September 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | History | Romance | War

Tagline:

Inspired by a true story

Plot:

The adventures of the Lafayette Escadrille, young Americans who volunteered for the French military before the U.S. entered World War I, and became the country's first fighter pilots.

Plot Keywords:

American | France | Pilot | Training | Military

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. Nov. 29

8:00 PM

CW

Cast

James Franco	...	Blaine Rawlings
Scott Hazell	...	Cinema Usher
Mac McDonald	...	Sheriff Detweiller
Philip Winchester	...	William Jensen
Todd Boyce	...	Mr. Jensen
Karen Ford	...	Mrs. Jensen
Ruth Bradley	...	Laura
Abdul Salis	...	Eugene Skinner
Jean-Philippe Écoffey	...	Skinner's trainer
Tim Pigott-Smith	...	Mr. Lowry
Tyler Labine	...	Briggs Lowry
Gail Downey	...	Mrs. Lowry
David Ellison	...	Eddie Beagle
Jean Reno	...	Capt. Thenault
Augustin Legrand	...	L.T. Giroux

Also Known As:

Fly Boys (International: English title) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for war action violence and some sexual content.

Runtime:

140 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #42281) | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Singapore:PG | Malaysia:U | UK:12A | Portugal:M/12 | Ireland:12A | New Zealand:M | Germany:12 | Finland:K-13 | Argentina:Atp | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Netherlands:12 | Peru:14

Filming Locations:

RAF Halton, Halton, Wendover, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Electric Entertainment

Trivia:

The first movie to motion capture planes.

Goofs:

Factual errors: WWI biplanes were not capable of the aerodynamic maneuvers shown in the movie. They would have stalled or crashed had they attempted those maneuvers in real life. The aerobatics shown would be tough even for modern fighter planes to accomplish.

Quotes:

Blaine Rawlings: [wondering why Cassidy is offering a pistol] What's this for?
Reed Cassidy: Plane catches fire you got three choices: You can burn with it all the way to the ground; You can jump several thousand feet; or you can take the quick and painless way out.
[Handing gun to Beagle]
Reed Cassidy: Good luck, gentlemen.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: The Worst of 2006" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Madamoiselle from Armentieres

The aerial combat was exciting, tense, and realistic

(Synopsis) World War I began in Europe in 1914, but by 1917, the United States had still not entered the war. However, many brave young American men went to France to fly and fight for the Allied powers. They joined the Lafayette Escadrille fighter squadron. The Germans had better planes, weapons, and pilots. The average life expectancy for a fighter-pilot was three to six weeks. Why did these Americans volunteer to fight in France with certain death when their own country was not at war? This was a time when men were idealistic, but naive to embark on a great adventure. Blaine Rawlings (James Franco) was forced to leave his home in Arizona after the family ranch was foreclosed by the bank. Blaine sees a newsreel of fighter-pilots in France and decides that he has nothing to lose. Briggs Lowry (Tyler Labine) can't do anything right and is shamed into joining by his rich father. African-American boxer Eugene Skinner (Abdul Salis) had been living in France, a racially tolerant country, for many years, wanted to give something back to his new country. These Americans were under the command of French Captain Georges Thenault (Jean Reno) and American Squadron Leader Reed Cassidy (Martin Henderson). They were the world's first combat pilots.

(My Comment) The film was inspired by a true story. What that means is that the writers could write anything they wanted to about the pilots' personal lives. There were actually 38 American volunteers with an average age of 26 that joined the Lafayette Escadrille. Thirty were college educated and eleven were sons of millionaires. These men had a sense of adventure and romance of war, and they believed in "dying with honor." The movie uses a composite of these qualities of the actual pilots, and yes, there really was a black pilot in the squadron. The movie does not shy away from the real aspects of war or the sordid aspects of life on the ground. After every mission there are some pilots who do not return, and we get to see their replacements, and how the pilots deal with the loss of their friends. The aerial combat was exciting, tense, and realistic with the attack on the zeppelin being the best scene of the movie. There is a love story that slows the pace of the movie, and it was a little too long. You will love the scenes with Whiskey, their mascot lion. I think the writers could have used the real pilots' stories and names, and it would have been a better movie by giving credit to those young men. If you like war pictures this is a movie to see. (MGM Pictures, Run time 2:19, Rated PG-13)(8/10)