Air America

19901990
RR
1h 53min

Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. in Air America (1990)

Clip: Helicopter Crash

Action Comedy War

A young pilot finds himself recruited unwittingly into a covert and corrupt C.I.A. airlift organization operating in Vietnam War-era Laos.A young pilot finds himself recruited unwittingly into a covert and corrupt C.I.A. airlift organization operating in Vietnam War-era Laos.A young pilot finds himself recruited unwittingly into a covert and corrupt C.I.A. airlift organization operating in Vietnam War-era Laos.

Director
- Roger Spottiswoode
Writers
- Christopher Robbins(based on the book by)
- John Eskow(screenplay by)
- Richard Rush(screenplay by)
Stars

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination

Videos1

Air America

Roger Spottiswoode in Air America (1990)

Nancy Travis in Air America (1990)

Mel Gibson in Air America (1990)

Robert Downey Jr. in Air America (1990)

Mel Gibson in Air America (1990)

Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. in Air America (1990)

Robert Downey Jr. in Air America (1990)

Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. in Air America (1990)

Mel Gibson in Air America (1990)

Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. in Air America (1990)

Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. in Air America (1990)

Mel Gibson, Robert Downey Jr., Marshall Bell, Ned Eisenberg, Art LaFleur, and Tim Thomerson in Air America (1990)

Director
- Roger Spottiswoode
Writers
- Christopher Robbins(based on the book by)
- John Eskow(screenplay by)
- Richard Rush(screenplay by)
All cast & crew
See more cast details at IMDbPro

Bird on a Wire

6.0

Forever Young

6.3

Tequila Sunrise

6.1

Tequila Sunrise

The Man Without a Face

6.7

The Man Without a Face

The River

6.3

Maverick

7.0

Conspiracy Theory

6.7

Conspiracy Theory

Ransom

6.7

Payback

7.1

Hamlet

6.7

Lethal Weapon 4

6.6

Lethal Weapon 4

Mrs. Soffel

6.1

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. —Jeff Cross <blackjac_1998@yahoo.com>

cia pilot laos vietnam war black comedy 77 more

Taglines
- The Few. The Proud. The Totally Insane.
Genres
Certificate
- R
Parents guide

Trivia
The sequence where Robert Downey, Jr. is seen hanging from a rope flying across the skies above Thailand, including a Buddhist temple, was done for real, with Downey performing the stunt himself after director Roger Spottiswoode had rejected doing it using such alternative techniques as blue screen or back projection.

Goofs
When Kwuan is pushing the cargo out, he clearly has a safety line attached. As he and the cargo go over the edge, there is no line present. The safety line is back in the next cut.

Quotes
Billy Covington: [Gene is loading a machine gun] Excuse me, is that an Uzi?
Gene Ryack: (glances at Babo & Billy) You know, that would make a great TV commercial? 'Excuse me, is that an Uzi?' 'Why, yes it is. Hey, self-defense is no laughing matter! That why when I want number one I pack an Uzi... accept no substitutes.'

Alternate versions
UK television screenings are usually missing the translation subtitles of Gene's conversation with the 'Hillbilly's' when he and Billy are captured shortly after the helicopter crash. The subtitles are present on both the R2 Optimum Home Entertainment DVD and Guild Home Video VHS releases.

Connections
Edited into Soldier Boyz (1995)

Soundtracks
Free Ride
Performed and Produced by Edgar Winter & Rick Derringer
Written by Dan Hartman
Published by Multi-Level Music Inc. and Silver Steed Music Inc.
Administered by EMI Blackwood Music Inc.

Top review

7/10

An interesting little film...

... 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... ?

helpful•32

5

Howlin Wolf
Apr 20, 2001

Release date
- August 10, 1990 (United States)
Country of origin
- United States
Languages
- English
- Lao
Also known as
- Riesgo en el aire
Filming locations
- Hae Hong, Thailand
Production companies
- Carolco Pictures
- IndieProd Company Productions
See more company credits at IMDbPro

Budget
- $35,000,000 (estimated)
Gross US & Canada
- $31,053,601
Opening weekend US & Canada
- $8,064,480
- Aug 12, 1990
Gross worldwide
- $33,461,269

See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

Runtime
- 1h 53min
Color
- Color
Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1

Roger Deakins’ Legacy is Bigger Than an Oscar: A Frank Conversation With the Cinematography Legend

Roger Deakins’ Legacy is Bigger Than an Oscar: A Frank Conversation With the Cinematography Legend

Feb 23Indiewire

Downey Jr. Lends Support to Gibson

Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. in Air America (1990)

Top Gap

By what name was Air America (1990) officially released in India in English?

More to explore

View list

List: Best New Horror Movies for Halloween

See the full list

View list

Most Anticipated Netflix Releases

See the full list

Recently viewed

Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.