Loyola Greyhound

Issue date: 9/26/06 Section: Arts & Society

The cinematography and effects in "Flyboys" produce many beautiful aeriel scenes. The filming style more resembles classic war films than modern ones.

Jennifer Decker and James Franco star as two lovers caught in the midst of World War I. While the actors do a good job, sometimes the writing comes off as a bit cheesy.

"Flyboys," a film based on true events, chronicles the lives of several brave American volunteers who joined the French army as fighter pilots before America entered WWI. Each of them had to learn how to fly and how to become soldiers. This eclectic group would become a part of the Lafayette Escadrille.

The film opens in the sky as a sort of precursor of what's to come and prepares the audience with a prologue to the film's history. The movie then travels from city to city as an intro-duction to the characters that the audience will come to love. Blaine Rawlings, played by James Franco, is a farm boy with an attitude and a sort of swagger. With nothing at left for him at home, he heads over to learn how to fly and to enter a war with idealistic dreams of honor and bravery. Another notable pilot entering the war is Eugene Skinner (Abdul Salis), an African-American who traveled to France years ago seeking better treatment. As a professional boxer, Skinner feels that he must give back to the country who gave so much to him. Along with a pompous son of a millionaire, a devout Christian, and several others; we find a troop of underdogs who must wage war with the relentless Germans.

Upon entering France, the fresh-faced Americans find a stern yet sympathetic leader in Captain Tenault played brilliantly by Jean Reno. And a bit of a breakthrough performance can be found in the role of Reed Cassidy (Martin Henderson), who plays the heroic but disillusioned American who seeks revenge against the Germans who killed so many of his friends. The times are trying for our soldiers but the film contains an abundance of comic relief strewn throughout, providing breaks from the tension and heat of the battles.

The most impressive parts of "Flyboys" are the direction of Tony Bill and the incredible cinematography. Some of the most beautiful and vivid battle scenes in years are contained in the film. As the planes fly through the utopian countryside of France, in the distance the red aircrafts of Germany appear and epic battle sequences ensue with creative camera angles and turbulent midair explosions. This style makes the audience feel as if they are a part of the action rather than just a bystander. Furthermore, these scenes are reminiscent of classic war epics rather than an overblown modern recreation (a la Pearl Harbor.)

Another high point of the film would be the believable romance between Rawlings and Jennifer Decker's character, Lucienne. The French Lucienne provides a con-sistent thread to the story as she is both a support system and as an insight into the life of a citizen in the midst of a war. The world around them (and a language barrier) stands in the way of the budding relationship, but their struggle to stay together is both endearing and heartfelt.

"Flyboys" also contains its share of pitfalls that may annoy some of its viewers. First and foremost the movie runs well over two hours with some scenes that do not merit making it to the final cut. Also, the film tends to dance on the line between dramatic and cheesy as some of the lines are not strong enough to be paired with the emotions of the situation while at the same time there are many instances of overacting. Some parts of the film tend to be pre-dictable, however, the film does have its roots in history and a screenwriter cannot rewrite the past too much.

This movie is a rewarding ex-perience and is worth the time to head to the theater this weekend. It's entertaining, exciting, and the general story has a little something for everyone. What's more is that you actually feel for these characters and their tremendous courage and re-silience. Meanwhile you gain a bit of history in the process.

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