Product: Flyboys [Blu-ray] (2006)
Rating: 4.0
Lethal Fun with the Hun
Set against the backdrop of what is pretty much the forgotten war of the 20th century, Flyboys depicts the Americans of the Lafayette Escadrille struggling to combat not only the German foe but also a seemingly endless wave of anachronisms. It is doubtful whether the Huns had that many Fokker triplanes in 1918, much less a year earlier. Along the way, the viewer is also asked to accept a romantic subplot that is thrown in for -- well, why was it thrown in? To influence female viewers? To flesh the protagonist out? Who can tell?Regardless, the aerial scenes are breathtaking, and more than overcome whatever limitations there are in the plot. In a world where fighter "jocks" can kill or be killed from 40 miles away, it is awesome to trace the roots and see a time when men flew in machines made of wood and canvas, and could look one another in the eye.