Flyboys

Jun 1 2007 By The Journal

Plot: The good die young in Tony Bill's wartime drama, which harks back to a bygone era of open cockpit bi-planes and 'chocks away', when strangers became comrades in arms, repelling Germans forces in the skies above England and France.

It's 1916 and the First World War rumbles on into its third year.

Captain Thenault (Jean Reno) welcomes the American enlistees to Lafayette Escadrille, a close-knit unit equipped with the latest Nieuport 17 planes, led by Reed Cassidy (Martin Henderson).

"The captain tell you the life expectancy for pilots around here?" asks Reed. "It's three to six weeks."

The intense training cannot prepare the young men for the horrors of the aerial dogfights.

Verdict: Boasting thrilling acrobatic sequences, including a terrific final showdown with a German Zeppelin, Flyboys employs its copious digital special effects to trap us in the cockpit with the lead characters.

These aerial battles are choreographed with breath-taking precision - you can almost feel wind in your hair as planes hurtle towards terra firma, guns rattling as planes criss-cross, locked in combat.

Battle footage of real airplanes is cleverly augmented with digital animation, enhancing weather and lighting schemes to stunning effect.

Unfortunately, the earthbound drama is rather less memorable, creating a group of strutting stereotypes, some of whom are clearly marked for death before the end credits.