Air America (1990)

A young pilot finds himself recruited into a covert and corrupt CIA airlift organization operating in Vietnam War Era Laos.

Director:

Roger Spottiswoode

Writers:

Christopher Robbins (book), John Eskow (screenplay),

Stars:

Mel Gibson, Robert Downey Jr., Nancy Travis

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mel Gibson	...	Gene
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Billy
Nancy Travis	...	Corinne Landreaux
Ken Jenkins	...	Major Donald Lemond
David Marshall Grant	...	Rob Diehl
Lane Smith	...	Senator Davenport
Art LaFleur	...	Jack Neely (as Art La Fleur)
Ned Eisenberg	...	Pirelli
Marshall Bell	...	O.V.
David Bowe	...	Saunders
Burt Kwouk	...	General Lu Soong
Tim Thomerson	...	Babo
Harvey Jason	...	Nino
Sinjai Plengpanit	...	Gene's Wife (as Sinjai Hongthai)
Natta Nantatanti	...	Gene's Daughter

Storyline

Air America was the CIA's private airline operating in Laos during the Vietnam War, running anything and everything from soldiers to foodstuffs for local villagers. After losing his pilot's license, Billy Covington is recruited into it, and ends up in the middle of a bunch of lunatic pilots, gun-running by his friend Gene Ryack, and opium smuggling by his own superiors.

---

Plot Keywords:

pilot | cia | soldier | vietnam | vietnam war | 

---

Taglines:

Anything. Anywhere. Anytime.

---

Genres:

Action | Comedy

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Lao

Release Date:

10 August 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Air America: locos por el peligro

Filming Locations:

Santa Ventura Studios, Ventura, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$31,053,601 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carolco Pictures, IndieProd Company Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film is dedicated to Mike Katzin.

---

Goofs

In opening scenes a C-123 is shown dropping cargo from it lowered gate in the tail end of the fuselage. In the next camera scene it is shown nearing the ground and going through the roof of a hut. It is shown going straight down. In the case of an air drop, all such cargo would be dropping at an angle, and not straight down.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Richard Nixon: There are *no* American combat forces in Laos.

---

Connections

Edited into Project Viper (2002)

---

Soundtracks

"One More Ride"
Written by Bob Nolan
Performed by Sons of the Pioneers

User Reviews

Cookie cutter Mel Gibson action/comedy.

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.