The Tuskegee Airmen (2001)

The story of the magnificent 332nd Fighter Group is woven into a dramatic tapestry of the horror of war and the disjointed approach of many Americans to a difficult time and a situation many would have preferred to ignore. The performance of the pilots who graduated the Tuskegee Training Program (they NEVER lost an escorted bomber to enemy action!) unfolds against the backdrop of misunderstanding, racism and political machinations that nearly destroyed the entire enterprise. This film does a magnificent job of telling the tale without being melodramatic, preachy or snide, but does full justice to the accomplishments of the pilots and their eventual victory against both German pilots and their own nation's refusal to recognize their talents. For the student of World War II, this is a well-known and much-respected story. For the student of African-American History, it is a tale of pride which shines as brightly as the stars on the American Flag these men so courageously defended. Fishburn and Cuba Gooding are superior as men caught between their own humanity and the de-humanizing effects of war. If ever a film deserve a 5-Star rating, this one does.

This is an excellent story of real people. It is not PC BS where all whites are bad and all blacks are good. Instead, it is about a great and valiant group of men, the first black combat pilots during World War II. They are depicted as the heroes they were, not as supermen. They faced all of the challenges thrown at them to become pilots and they faced more challenges from their race. Some were primadonnas and some were modest. Some failed and some succeeded. Some were serious and some were jocular. Their humanity made them heroes even when others didn't want to admit their worth. They were regular guys called upon to do a difficult job and they did so with aplomb and dignity. They also did so magnificently.

The story takes a group of the airmen from their pilot training in Alabama through the North African campaign where they were relegated to important but unglamorous work against ground targets. We see them mature into professionals and develop their skills, all while being denied an opportunity to prove those skills. Finally, they are moved to Europe where they face more discrimination. Even though they do a great job, no one wants to admit that they have done so. Even redneck bomber crews who have their bacon saved are reluctant to give thanks when they learn they have been saved by black men. Still, the men of the 332nd persevere.

Finally, comes the push to Berlin. The bomber crews know its going to be tough. For me, the climax comes when one of the rednecks tells his CO, "If its all the same to you, I'd like the 332nd to take me to Berlin". This is the same guy who would not even acknowledge they could fly earlier. While flying bomber escort, the 332nd never lost a single bomber to enemy fire. They were magnificent.

That is the story and it is no secret. I'm not giving away anything not already in the history books. What makes this film so much more than docu-drama are the characterizations of the men who lived the story. They are real American heroes and they are played with greatness. They fought the Germans and they fought their own chain of command and they prevailed.

Bravo!

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The Tuskegee Airmen (Laurence Fishburne) 106 minutes. (for a more historical account check out the PBS with the same title)

Movie starts out with the scene of a black kid on a farm watching a plane fly by. The narrator reads "We all have dreams, regardless of skin color." The Little kid screaming "Wait for me"

The director uses various scenes to show the ugly face of racism: The scene where the black cadets have to get off the train-car, then camera focuses on "whites only" sign for drinking fountain, and then the camera focuses on german prisoners getting off a bus, escorted by american white military soldiers. Quite a lot of symbolism for racism in one little scene. The black cadets are forced to give up their seats for german prisenoners of war (they had to go to the "Jim Crow car"). The introductary talk of the white commanding officer of the base to the newly arrived negro corp, was simply despicably racist, not just the expected putdown from commanding officer, but pure and un-adulterated hate.

The second shock, and this is to my own assumptions ... I was shocked when the negro cadets informally introduce each other and how cerebral some of them were (aeronautical engineer, pre-med, english literature, political science, art history, sociology, economics majors). These were some bright minds there on base to prove America that they could make it.

Another excellent example of contradictory racism, is when a negro pilot does an emergency landing, and the white sherrif watching over a group of negro convicts, a chaingang, says "It's one of our boys" and later learns the opposite.

I love it when the good wins while fighting the evil the white major who gets in trouble with his commander for implementing his racist ideas.

If you want to comprehend the little nuances of racism and its evil, then this is a good movie to see. If you want to understand discrimination and racism in 1940s US (not Canada) while we Americans were fighting Nazis in Europe, as experienced on an airforce base, then this is a good movie to see. Not the whole presentation is profound, but there are moments of laughter, smiles, and chuckles.

In this movie only the ones "who want to learn how to fly" succeed above the rest those who react instead of subversively ignore the racism around them . And the remaining negro cadets surely proved to be some pretty darn good pilots and US Airmen. It's an awefully great moment when racism is fought subversively and peacefully. And there are plenty of these moments in this movie.

Or the moment, when the Bomber white pilot locates the fighter pilots who saved his crews lives, but is actually upset when he finds out they are colored.

The movie has a beautiful turn, and ending. I will not spoil the details, just re-print the message of the last screen:

"The 332nd Fighter Group never lost a single bomber to enemy action."

Read Best Reviews of The Tuskegee Airmen (2001) Here

This movie not only addresses the tragedy and patriotism of those of served our country in WWII, but in brings to light the discrimination that was also a very real part of the existence of our black american heroes. This movie is not what I originally feared it would be, a typical portrayl of the oppresive white man keeping the black man down. It showed the courage and tenacity of a group of Americans (in the case African Americans) who fought and died for their country in the war to end all wars. The storyline follows a group of black pilots who not only bring honor and pride to themselves, but their country. They lived the motto, "My country, right or wrong, my country." It didn't matter that these men were discriminated against because they were black, they did the job that had to be done and they did it well. What more can we ask of any American? Watch this movie for the accurate history it portrays, not only in the struggle for equality in our country, but for all the guts and glory of those fighting men we owe our very freedom to today. God bless America.

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I tend to get very emotional about this film. I can never see the ending without tears of appreciation, joy and intense pride. HBO is by far the best at making original movies and shows. The film has technical flaws... every film does... but beyond them it tells a story that, by design or negligence, has been ignored by American history for almost a half century.

Laurence Fishburne and Andre Braugher deliver stellar performances as Hannibal Lee and the great military leader Benjamin O. Davis. The other great actors who have some sort of direct or distant connection to the cause, to contribute were Cuba Gooding Jr., Courtney B. Vance, Allen Payne, Malcolm Jamal Warner, and Andre Braugher.

This film was wrapped up for me when a red necked White bomber pilot says in the final briefing: "I have a crew whose lives are my responsibility. If it's all the same to you Sir, I want the 332nd to take me to Berlin and back". That cinematic statement is a long overdue.

`Tuskegge Airmen' is a movie that should be viewed by all Americans interested in seeing a slice of Americana that's been neglected. Most will identify with the raw emotion evoked by the plight of these brave and talented men. Black Americans will be moved to tears as we are reminded of what those trailblazers overcame so that future Black soldiers, airmen and every day citizens could take their rightful place in American society, proud of their past and heritage. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the Tuskegee Airmen. This movie makes it clear why. I hope HBO continues it's long trend of fantastic films and series.

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