Opiniones de usuarios

... because, whilst it doesn't have anything overly outstanding about it, it manages to be very entertaining. Perhaps it's just because the pairing of Gibson and Downey, Jr. appeals to me. Whatever it is, I found the setup interesting, the comedy funny and the action nicely staged.

I'm tempted to say that its lukewarm reception was down to poor marketing, but I'm not sure that's true. Maybe I just have to accept that I quite like a movie that the majority think is bad.

I don't know what it is with Gibson and 'non-Lethal-Weapon' action comedies, but "Bird on a Wire" seems to be regarded as another commercial failure, and I enjoyed that one too. Time to take me off to the funny farm... ?

With Gibson involved; Couldn't wait for the show to hit the screen in Houston so I could take My kids and show them a reasonable representational response to their: "What did you do in the war, Daddy?" - (I was an H-34 Driver, out of Udorn '66 - '68)... Despite Gibson's standard magnificent acting, the writing was a bummer compared to the REAL calibers of wit & humor that took place. It's a damn shame the writer didn't have tapes of the up-country aircraft comm traffic to draw from; you'd be waking-up in the middle of the night, laughing at the one-liners. In 28-years and 13,000+ flight-hours in 7-Nations on 5-Continents; that was the greatest bunch of maniacs I ever had the honor of working with.

This film rendition of Christopher Robbin's "Air America", the story of CIA's secret airforce in Laos during the Vietnam War has been fluffed up a tad too much. I would have hoped they would have kept the tone of the book which was a bit edgier; more like the film version of MASH. This version makes the "non-war" in Laos seem like a Disney World Ride. However Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr make it worth the price of admission. After you watch the flick track down the book for the REAL story.

I actually thought this film improved with each viewing - some of the comic lines were lost first time around, with people speaking together, and rotor noise from the aircraft. Air America is probably a little too script-by-numbers, but only if you think about it too much - the key is to just enjoy the action and the comedy. I couldn't tell whether Mel Gibson's character was incredibly laid back, or if the actor just wasn't giving his all - but for me, the more interesting characters were the supporting cast anyway: David Marshall Grant as Rob Diehl and Art LaFleur as Jack Niely. There were a few too many pilots to pad all of the cast out, but the collective effort provided much of the humour. Robert Downey, Jnr. was perhaps the best out of the main cast, from cheesy 'eye in the sky' pilot ('the traffic is kinda sad, kinda bumsy-looking'), to Air America rookie, lost in a world of 'bar girls, squiggly writing on signs, and more bar girls'. Neither Gibson or Downey, Jnr. were particularly convincing as pilots, but luckily the planes (such as Pilatus Porters and Caribous) had enough character to pull off the airborne scenes. Downey, Jnr.'s character had a spectacular, if not slightly drawn out, crash-landing scene, slowly dismantling his aircraft as he slid along an old airstrip. The soundtrack was also a bonus, placing the film in time where the main characters were slightly anachronistic. Frank Sinatra's 'Come Fly With Me' saved the cliched ending with the same droll humour that was peppered throughout the rest of the movie. Overall, Air America is a film best watched with your brain switched to 'idle' - although the subject is serious, the film is best as pure entertainment.

Air America is an easy, fun, not hard to watch movie. I have seen it many times and find it an easy no brain. I can watch the movie and do other stuff at the same time and still catch the jokes and the plot. I like Robert Downey Jnr always and this movie is no exception. He gels really well with Mel Gibson. I am an actor and I would have loved to be cast in this movie. Love the scene where Robert Downey Jnr is asleep, hammered from the previous nights session on the booze when Mel Gibson flying his helicopter hooks him up while still asleep on garden furniture. Fab scene !

Give it a go. It now an old movie but a good one that seemed to have slipped through so many peoples viewing when it was released.

Great music !! I am a big fan of old soul and motown and this movie has some fab tunes.

What this movie on a crappy Wednesday night when there is nothing else on and not much to do and you will have a fun time.

To what extent the different parties were involved in opium smuggling, black market guns, clandestine military operations or anything else in Laos during the Vietnam War, the public likely will never know. Or, at least, we won't know which stories to believe. The bottom line then is that one can't trust any of the claims or defenses. But, the facts about who was there and their purposes are clear, public record, and not refuted. The Internet has sources readily available about Air America. It actually started as far back as 1950. That was in the Truman Administration, so the reviewer who criticized this movie for its implication that Richard Nixon was behind it and tried to cover it up was correct in his assessment. All administrations tried to keep a lid on U.S. activities in Southeast Asia outside of Vietnam. Of course, the information and activities would eventually become known and details made available. Again, Web sites on Air America provide lots of information, some quite fascinating. .

That's enough about the background of the subject of this film. The movie itself is based on a book by Christopher Robbins. The characters are fictitious. But, the presence of the civilian pilots that flew a variety of aircraft for Air America was a fact. They did many things, as this movie shows. They flew food and made drops at remote villages. They helped the native Laotian forces against North Vietnamese incursions into their country. They did other clandestine operations ordered by the Air Force or CIA. And, they flew rescue missions for downed American pilots. The movie doesn't show this latter, but it was a very real function for the Air America pilots in Laos.

This movie is billed as an action comedy, and it does have some comedy. It's mostly light stuff, or situational scenes. It isn't laced with witty dialog. The humor serves to reduce some of the anxiety and tension there was in real life, and that we might otherwise feel in watching the film. On the other hand, this film has a great deal of action. It's loaded with good scenery shots and some fantastic scenes of flying. The plot is OK, but not particularly strong. The cast are all very good. So, the thin plot and direction and editing aside, "Air America" is a good film of action that shows a variety of aircraft. And, it does one other thing. It gives us a picture of a real event and time in history that otherwise we would not have. So, it has some added historical value as well.

The movie pokes fun at the CIA, the Air Force supervisors, and the Laotian general whose troops were the main buffer against the North Vietnamese entering Laos. The Laotians also were in the drug business. And, it shows a little of the U.S. AID operations to help refugees and the poor people of remote areas. All of that is find and good – it helps make the movie more interesting and entertaining. Unless someone has no interest in any of these things, cares nothing about aviation or flying, and wants to know nothing about that period of history, I can't imagine one rating this film fewer than five stars. I give it five just for those things, and two more for the acting, light comedy and entertainment.

Air America is a fun, entertaining film in my opinion. I've read a few user reviews and have noticed people who don't enjoy this movie seem to want to label it to a certain genre.

I think you just have to sit back and enjoy it for what it is. There are some good one liners along with some great action. The overall story is solid but nothing spectacular. I grew up with this film and probably watched it 4 times before i fully understood the whole war/heroin corruption storyline. I wouldn't go into this movie thinking you're going to get an Apocalypse Now masterpiece, it's just a light hearted war flick.

An amalgamation between drama, comedy and war film - it's not a very convincing mix. What a mess the whole thing is. It's not comedy, action, or drama, yet it likes to think it has elements of all of them. Roger Spottiswoode is not exactly a bad director (remember "Under fire" ? ) but this is not one of his finest movies.

The acting is pretty good. Mel Gibson ("Lethal weapon") doesn't fail and the same can be said for Robert Downey Jr. ("Iron man") . Gibson and Downey have a nice chemistry , maybe not tat great as Gibson and Glover in "LW" , but still nice. The rest of the cast is not bad too. There is even Michael Dudikoff ("American ninja") in small unnoticeable role.

There is little action here and it's rather goofy. There is no really emotional or serious moment here I could REALLY relate to. This movie has some great Rock N' Roll classics from CCR, The Stones, Edgar Winter and a few others. There is some humor here , but most of it are light stuff , nothing particularly memorable . Oh , maybe except "Take big bag to blue car." That was hilarious.

This movie has a really poor script. It doesn't know if it wants to be serious or funny , if it wants to be action movie , comedy or war drama. It tries to be all of that and fails at every level. It won't satisfy action fans , comedy fans or fans or serious movies. It does have some entertaining moments , it's far from terrible , but it's just one big and somewhat entertaining forgettable mess. I give it 4/10.

Mel Gibson & Robert Downey Jr. play two renegade pilots working for a covert CIA project in Laos during the Vietnam war. Downey is the new recruit who is still trying to adjust to the place and crazy missions he must fly. Gibson is the seasoned veteran who tries to teach him the ropes, all the while trying to remain above the increasingly out-of-control escalation of the war they are a part of, but grown cynical over the U.S. involvement, which isn't really legal, and certainly not public...

Good lead stars cannot do much with such a jumbled and confusing story, that never leads anywhere, and is mostly a series of comedic vignettes that struggle to say something serious among the bizarre(yet dangerous) happenings.

It just doesn't work.

Yeah, it's an "action flick"--lots of explosions, tough-guy posturing, bombast--but it also has depth.

If you like good writing, good scenario work, fine acting (including "minor" roles), and realpolitik, you could spend a far worse 90-odd minutes of an evening.

And seeing it reminds me of an amazing fact: Behind the macho action swagger of Gibson beats the heart of a truly great actor. And, I guess, the same has to be said for Downey; I watched this, in part, as a sort of "catch up" on his career after seeing Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Nice to see him in his nubile years, and realize that he has accomplished more *with* his personal issues in tow than some of us accomplish while living within conventional bounds of correctness.

And... Why does Downey always get these parts where he's the voice of down-home morality in a sea of squalor? Anyway: Check it out.

I enjoyed Air America even though it wasn't the most original story ever told. Mel Gibson is very good in a role that seems written for him. The rest of the cast seem like they are just collecting a paycheck. Some good action scenes spike it up a little but, it's really only good for about one viewing.

Young flyer Robert Downey Jr gets sacked from his LA job and moves to Vietnam to help the U. S. government. He soon realises that the CIA are supporting the Vietnamese cause by helping them distribute locally produced heroin. Downey clashes with fellow flyer Mel Gibson over this who has turned a blind eye to the reality of the situation.

Whilst there are amusing moments, a few good action scenes and some impressive flying, this is seriously lacking. This wants to be an action comedy using popular stars, but it also wants to highlight America's involvement in the drugs trade to support the war. It unfortunately is not capable of covering all bases and largely loses the important message. Anyway Mad Mel and Downey Jr are fine without anything approaching a script and overall it's quite watchable without being remotely memorable.

I regard this as a classic war movie! It's fun, good acting, more fun, and factually correct, well up to a point of course! What I like about it, and what I feel makes it original, is that not many films were made about Laos, and also its a cheerful take on war, pretty original for that too I'd say. A good movie i could watch again and again. Excellent music too! 5/5 stars.

Continuing my plan to watch every Mel Gibson movie in order, I come to his second movie of 1990 Air America.

Plot In A Paragraph: Air America was the CIA's private airline operating in Laos during the Vietnam War. After losing his pilot's license, Billy (Robert Downey Jr) is recruited into it, and ends up in the middle of a bunch of lunatic pilots, gun-running by his friend Gene (Gibson) and opium smuggling by his own superiors.

On the back of Lethal Weapon 2 and Bird On A Wire, Gibson was on a roll, but he didn't quiet make it three in a row. I'm tempted to say that its poor gross was down to poor marketing, but I'm not sure that's entirely accurate, but the trailer and poster of a grinning Gibson and Downey Jr make it look like more of a comedy that it actually is. The subject matter is serious with a few funny scenes and clever lines. Although the subject matter is serious, the film is best as pure entertainment. I can probably s

If you've not seen it, I say give it a go. It seems to have slipped through so many peoples viewing when it was released and had pretty much been forgotten about. I can see me watching it again in the next 10 years, or if I catch it on TV.

Air America grossed $31 million to end the year the 37th highest grossing movie of 1990.

It's like Lethal Weapon without Danny Glover. More comedic focus than the Lethal Weapons with less action, though there is still enough action to call it an action movie. Movie focuses on a Vietnam alliance with questionable military officials who are involved in opium smuggling, but never gets terribly deep into any of the real geopolitical issues of the war, choosing instead to paint everyone involved with the war in the same stereotypical light of corruption.

It's the Vietnam war and the CIA is operating a secret drug smuggling operation in Southeast Asia to finance the effort. Unemployed and unable to find work, Billy (Robert Downey Jr), an American helicopter pilot takes a job in Laos. He is introduced to Air America's unorthodox pilots and aircraft, being taken under the wing of selfish loner Gene Ryack (Mel Gibson), a cynical and eccentric pilot and an arms dealer who uses official flights to buy black market weapons for his private cache. Dealing with the story of a CIA-backed US air company in 1969 Laos, running food to the villagers and drugs and pistols for the local warlord to help him fight against the communists. The motto of the pilots is : ¨anything, anywhere, anytime¨. Flyboys drop opium and glib guns all over Laos. Then an US Senator , Davenport (Lane Smith) , arrives in Laos on a "fact finding mission", to investigate rumors about Air America transporting drugs on behalf of Laotian forces. Major Lemond (Ken Jenkins) and Rob Diehl (David Marshall Grant), CIA leaders of Air America, show the Senator around refugee camps, shrines, temples, and major cities in a careful deception to hide from him that Air America is indeed transporting drugs. The Few !. The Proud !. The Totally Insane !. Anything!. Anywhere !. Anytime !.

Big budget Mel Gibson/Robert Downey Jr vehicles with sufficient action but lacking much of a story, which was adapted from a book by Christopher Robbins. Perhaps one of the noisiest films of its year, if not the easiest to follow, with some not unconnect aspects and non-sense events. Duo of protagonists display a pleasant and friendly chemistry: Mel Gibson is nice as the brave, crazy pilot whose lucrative sideline is gunrunning, that's why he's storing a nest-egg of guns for his imminent retirement and Robert Downey Jr is fine as the newcomer, regarded as a maverick in America but a greenhorn in Laos. Their hair-raising flights together and separately form the core of the tale. They're well accompanied by a large number of familiar faces, such as: Nancy Travis, David Marshall Grant, Ken Jenkins, Lane Smith, Art LaFleur, Ned Eisenberg, Marshall Bell, David Bowe, Burt Kwouk, Harvey Jason and Tim Thomerson. There's one long succession of aerial capers, explosions, crash-landings, drunken sprees, and shouted conversations. Magnificent flying sequences and expertly choreographed stunts, a serious political movie is struggling to make itself heard. Mostly, nevertheless, this contentious counterpoint is reduced to background noise, drowned out by maniacal laughter, deafening explosions and a slew of late 60s pop songs. The climax is heavily contrived but balanced by some witty captions at the very end concerning the ultimate fates of the various roles involved.

This motion picture with a black comic tone was competently directed by Roger Spottiswoode, though it draws some flaws and failures in about equal number. Robert has made nice and successful films of all kinds of genres , such as : ¨Terror Train, Under Fire, The Best of Times , Turner and Hooch, Air America, Stop or My Mother will Shot , And the Band Played On, Tomorrow Never Dies, God's Favorite, The 6th Day¨ and several others . The flick will appeal to Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr fans . Well worth seeing.

Zanny as in Cannonball Run zanny...this is not a compliment. Goofball comedy plus doses of sarcasm might be more accurate.

Predictable as in our lead characters always seem to be getting into a pickle only to find the most improbable way of getting out. You can see this coming a mile away.

I repeatedly paused this over the course of 3 days to bring my attention to other things more enjoyable. Kept watching in the anticipation it might improve but never did. Should have guessed when Roger Ebert didn't even bother to review it and he reviewed everything.

Without going into detail, the ending poses a moral dilemma for which you already know which way our guys will side. What was really confusing was the "where did they go from there" ending proclamations which all state how they fit in with the Iran-Contra affair which had nothing to do with this movie set in Laos / Vietnam....didn't make any sense at all.

The only thing cool about it was "Gimmie Shelter" by the Stones as they flew their plane over the jungle. Don't bother. Can't believe I didn't turn it off earlier.

This movie is an adaptation from the book written by Cristopher Robbins. This is a light take on the Vietnam War that speaks of the covert & corrupt American air force that operated in Laos during the war. This movie came at a time when Downey was still at the nascent stages of his career & Mel was riding high on his popularity for his role in Lethal Weapon.

Mel Gibson (Gene & Robert Downey Jr. (Billy) make a good pair & have a cracking chemistry. After reading Downey's biography & getting to know him, I find that there is a slight since of detachment in the way Downey looks and acts in the movie. He probably did not have the best of time. The line spoken by Billy resonates this aspect perfectly - 'I'm used to being the weirdest guy in the room and now I'm not even in the running.'

Billy gets a gig as a pilot in Vietnam when he loses his licence to fly after a dangerous stunt he pulls while at work. He meets Gene and his team and Gene slips into the role of a mentor for Billy. Billy and Gene find themselves involved in a drug smuggling scheme run by corrupt CIA officials. Billy and Gene work to avoid being framed. The rest of the movie is about how they deal with the situation.

What probably kills this movie is the disjointed script and one dimensional characters. In my opinion the director probably was not really sure if this was to be a comedy or drama or a complete action movie. It is definitely not a terrible movie but it fails to go a step ahead to make it memorable for you.

I have a special love for this film, if for no other reason that the bulk of my college experience was spent on the cold war, the alphabet soup of PBSUCCESS, MKULTRA, JMWAVE, PAPERCLIP, COLDFEET, MKOFTEN, The Phoenix Program, ARTICHOKE, and my favorite (just because of how bad it sounds) Midnight Climax.

So a comedy about Air America was absolutely priceless. And, given that I am not one of those history nuts that cares about historical accuracy I can still sit back and enjoy something like this. I mean, honestly, so long as it's not a complete and total re-write... Hollywood can take it's liberties and edit what happened for drama, because, really, it just means that now people have heard of Air America.

And, honestly, when you choose to study the Cold War, people tend to think you're a conspiracy nut when you mention things like this, PBSUCCESS, Russians assassinating people with radiation poisoning and umbrella guns...

... So when something like this comes along, it's like yes... now people won't think I'm as crazy as Alex Jones.

And, you know, it features a song from the Seeds (and any real punk fan is going to drool over that) along with one of the better, if down played, soundtracks from the Vietnam Era. So it certainly has the music win.

And it's Gibson kind of hamming it up and doing a slightly saner version of his Lethal Weapon self... if oddly pacifistic. And RDJR, fresh out of rehab, proving to the world that he is actually capable of being a great actor when he is sober.

What you have is kind of an action movie without a lot of violence, set in the middle of a war zone, and based off of one of our intelligence black eyes in a way that doesn't take it too seriously, isn't heavy-handed or pretentious, masks any preachiness in a fun story, and really gets the point across without having to be Alan Alda at his worst.

Plus, it's a movie about skullduggery that doesn't resort to the Mission:Impossible/James Bond high action tropes. So, in a way, it's kind of a spy movie done right and... turned into a comedy.

This is not a very good movie. The script is poor, the comedy part of it is weak. The only thing that makes it OK is the acting and the action. The action sequences are nicely done and keep you entertained, but other than that its not very good. I can recommend it for those who are (big) fans of someone in the cast, but other than that its just not worth much. Also there is one thing noteworthy, and that it seems that some of the jokes are sexist. Nothing big, but it was a little offensive and just made the script weaker, but even without those jokes it was still terrible.

My rate is 6/10-good for the acting and action, but for the movie as a whole. R-Action Violent Content and Language