Air America

Genre: Action/Comedy

Director: Roger Spottiswoode

Screenplay: John Eskow and Richard Rush, adapted from the novel by Christopher Robbins

Starring: Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr.

In the midst of war, Vietnam troops began to infiltrate the country of Laos in the late Sixties. The American government secretly provided aid to the many citizens of Laos using civilian pilots to air drop supplies with the help of the Laotian military, dubbing the operation, Air America. New recruit, Billy, gets thrown into a world of danger, secrets, and drunken hijinks as he gets used to flying the rough terrain of the country. Gene, a vet of the company, volunteers to break Billy in and show him the ropes and a little fun. The fun and adventure soon take a forbidding turn as secrets about the use and funding of Air America begin surface.

It is a movie such as this when I truly miss the Eighties and Nineties. This film is proof that Mel Gibson was not always crazy, but in fact loved and admired. This can also be said about Tom Cruise. I think many of us can also look back upon the movie, Legend, and at least remember some of it fondly. The main point is that there is a reason that these actors are so popular, and it is because they have talent and charm. Regardless of how they seem to use their talent nowadays, we loved them during these decades because of their acting abilities and good looks.

The main reason this film was watched was indeed for Mel Gibson. He was the shining action star of the time, the guys’ guy, but his charm and good looks also brought many female viewers. Oddly enough, I remember my parents taking my brother and me to this movie when I was six. Shocking, I know. That is what I told my mother when I picked it up in the cheap bin. I literally have not seen this film since I was six, so this was really the first time. It was the typical action and comedy that I expected. A bit predictable, but the movie was not looking for Oscar nods. It is an entertainment movie with Mel Gibson, acting his usual typecast character of the Eighties.

An added bonus is Mr. Robert Downey Jr. I am personally glad that he chose acting over drugs, not to say that his performance in this film was glowing. His potential was present, yet he was still honing his craft at this time. There was still the subtle sarcasm with this character that Downey is known for playing well. He was by no means the hilarious Tony Stark and Sherlock Holmes, but I still found him charming and good looking, which should be a plus in anyone’s book.

I give this film 2 Buttery Kernels.

Coming Soon: The Back-Up Plan