However remarkable the achievements of the real Muskegee Airmen, "Red Tails" is an unworthy telling of their story that will satisfy only the most unsophisticated viewers.
The script is heavy-handed, contrived, and banal. The dialogue is horribly stereotypical, and predictable and lifeless. Much of the acting is painful to watch. The directing is muddled and unclear, stringing together in the crudest manner a series of contrived and often-disposable vignettes obviously designed to push a message or elicit an emotional response rather than to develop the story.
The film's many problems emerge from the outset. These African-American airmen have been consigned to essentially non-combat patrols in areas where enemy planes haven't been seen in months. Yet in their first engagement with Luftwaffe veterans, they wipe the bad guys out while suffering zero losses. Seriously? Through the entire film, we never see them train, never see them study, never see them work on tactics or strategy or skills. All they do is complain and BS. I have no doubt the real Muskegee airmen worked hard to hone their technique; these characters do not. Nevertheless, they easily vanquish everything the Germans throw their way. Incredible.
I could go on and on and on, but suffice it to say that if you want to see a worthy telling of African-Americans' contributions to the US military, avoid this clunker at all costs and watch "Glory" instead.
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