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IMDbPro

The Tuskegee Airmen

  • TV Movie
  • 19951995
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 46m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
6.4K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
7,810
3
Laurence Fishburne, Cuba Gooding Jr., Allen Payne, Courtney B. Vance, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner in The Tuskegee Airmen (1995)
If you're looking for a film with real or fictional heroes to inspire you at any time of the year, we've got you covered. For amazing stories set in World War II, check out 'Unbroken,' 'The Tuskegee Airmen,' and 'Greyhound.' For films featuring women making major breakthroughs, watch 'Hidden Figures' and 'On the Basis of Sex.' If a Chadwick Boseman double feature is in the cards, catch him playing Jackie Robinson in '42' and Thurgood Marshall in 'Marshall.' For a fictional hero to root for in the fight against extraterrestrial invaders, check out 'Independence Day.' And lastly, to celebrate the original American Independence Day, drop the mic with 'Hamilton.'
Play clip3:16
9 Films With Inspirational Heroes to Celebrate
1 Video
7 Photos
DramaHistoryWar
The true story of how a group of African American pilots overcame racist opposition to become one of the finest US fighter groups in World War IIThe true story of how a group of African American pilots overcame racist opposition to become one of the finest US fighter groups in World War IIThe true story of how a group of African American pilots overcame racist opposition to become one of the finest US fighter groups in World War II
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
6.4K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
7,810
3
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Robert Markowitz
    • Writers
      • Paris Qualles(teleplay)
      • Trey Ellis(teleplay)
      • Ron Hutchinson(teleplay)
    • Stars
      • Laurence Fishburne
      • Allen Payne
      • Malcolm-Jamal Warner
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Robert Markowitz
    • Writers
      • Paris Qualles(teleplay)
      • Trey Ellis(teleplay)
      • Ron Hutchinson(teleplay)
    • Stars
      • Laurence Fishburne
      • Allen Payne
      • Malcolm-Jamal Warner
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 37User reviews
    • 14Critic reviews
    • Won 3 Primetime Emmys
      • 6 wins & 16 nominations total

    Videos1

    9 Films With Inspirational Heroes to Celebrate
    Clip 3:16
    9 Films With Inspirational Heroes to Celebrate

    Photos7

    Laurence Fishburne, Allen Payne, Courtney B. Vance, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner in The Tuskegee Airmen (1995)
    Laurence Fishburne, Allen Payne, Courtney B. Vance, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner in The Tuskegee Airmen (1995)
    Laurence Fishburne in The Tuskegee Airmen (1995)
    The Tuskegee Airmen (1995)
    Laurence Fishburne, Cuba Gooding Jr., Courtney B. Vance, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner in The Tuskegee Airmen (1995)
    Laurence Fishburne, Allen Payne, Courtney B. Vance, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner in The Tuskegee Airmen (1995)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Laurence Fishburne
    Laurence Fishburne
    • Hannibal Lee
    Allen Payne
    Allen Payne
    • Walter Peoples
    Malcolm-Jamal Warner
    Malcolm-Jamal Warner
    • Leroy Cappy
    Courtney B. Vance
    Courtney B. Vance
    • Lt. Glenn
    • (as Courtney Vance)
    Andre Braugher
    Andre Braugher
    • Benjamin O. Davis
    Christopher McDonald
    Christopher McDonald
    • Major Joy
    • (as Chris McDonald)
    Daniel Hugh Kelly
    Daniel Hugh Kelly
    • Col. Rogers
    John Lithgow
    John Lithgow
    • Senator Conyers
    Cuba Gooding Jr.
    Cuba Gooding Jr.
    • Billy Roberts
    Mekhi Phifer
    Mekhi Phifer
    • Lewis Johns
    Christopher Bevins
    • Young Hannibal
    Eddie Braun
    Eddie Braun
    • Tail Gunner
    Max Daniels
    Max Daniels
    • Left Waist Gunner
    Jack Dwyer
    • Operations Officer
    James Field
    • Conductor
    Vivica A. Fox
    Vivica A. Fox
    • Charlene
    • (as Vivica Fox)
    Bennet Guillory
    Bennet Guillory
    • Hannibal's Father
    David Harrod
    • White Pilot #1
    • Director
      • Robert Markowitz
    • Writers
      • Paris Qualles(teleplay)
      • Trey Ellis(teleplay)
      • Ron Hutchinson(teleplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Most of the characters were fictitious composites of real pilots. However, Benjamin "B.O." Davis was very much a real person and was depicted accurately.
    • Goofs
      When Cadet Hannibal Lee is release by Major Joy for his first solo flight, he is given the typical order for all first solo flights: "Three circuits around the [traffic] pattern with full stop landings." The scene then cuts to Cadet Lee far above the traffic pattern altitude (obvious to any pilot) which is a violation of the order he has been given.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Lt. Col. Benjamin O. Davis: We weren't assigned. We were requested.

    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Desperado/Dangerous Minds/Mortal Kombat/Beyond Rangoon/Lord of Illusions/The Tuskegee Airmen (1995)
    • Soundtracks
      Straighten Up and Fly Right
      Written by Nat 'King' Cole and Irving Mills

      Used by permission of EMI Mills Music, Inc. (ASCAP)

      Master used by permission of EMI Music Publishing

    User reviews37

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    I enjoyed this movie for its historical detail.
    I enjoyed this film a lot, both for the drama and the action. I watched it on the History Channel where scenes from the film were intercut with commentary from surviving Tuskegee airmen. It made the film that much more fascinating.

    As one of the other reviewers mentioned, there is one scene where a pilot sinks a German destroyer using only this guns. This is a true event. From the "Tuskegee Airmen" site: "The 332nd Fighter Group also distinguished themselves in June 1944 when two of its pilots flying P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft discovered a German destroyer in the harbor at Trieste, Italy. One of the pilots, Lieutenant Gynne Pierson of the 302nd Fighter Squadron, using only the aircraft's 50-caliber machine guns, strafed the destroyer, causing it to explode and sink."

    The statement that the 332nd did not lose a single bomber to enemy action is also true. To qualify that, some of the bombers were lost in other ways, but never to enemy planes. In fact, under Benjamin O. Davis' command, the group flew more than 15,000 sorties against the Luftwaffe, shot down 111 enemy aircraft, and destroyed another 150 on the ground, while losing only 66 of their own aircraft to all causes.

    I am not sure they shot down the FIRST German jet, but they did receive a citation after shooting down some German jets. Again, from the TA website: "The 332nd Fighter Group received the Presidential Unit Citation for its longest bomber escort mission to Berlin, Germany, March 24, 1945. They destroyed three German ME-262 jet fighters and damaged five additional jet fighters without losing any of the bombers or any of its own fighter aircraft to enemy aircraft."

    Although there were no "aces" that came from the 332nd, this was probably because pilots were told not to pursue German planes for the kill once the planes were far enough away that they no longer posed a danger to the bombers.

    The Tuskegee airmen who commented on this film said that the racism they encountered in real life was much worse than was depicted in the film, but much of the rest of the film was realistic.

    I found it especially interesting that Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. (played by Andre Braugher) was depicted in this movie. He was a real person who was one of only two black line officers in the U.S. Army at the time--the other was his father. He was one of the first recruits trained at Tuskegee and received his wings in March 1942, after becoming the first black officer to solo an Army Air Corps aircraft. After flying in the Mediterranean, he returned to the US, and took command of the 332d Fighter Group. Eventually, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Following the War, he commanded the 477th Composite Group and the 332d Fighter Wing. In 1953 he again saw combat when he assumed command of the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing and flew the F-86 in Korea. With his promotion to brigadier general, Davis became the first black man to earn a star in the US Air Force. He retired as a lieutenant general in 1970, and died in 2002, ironically on July 4, at age 89.
    helpful•33
    2
    • ruby2andor
    • Oct 2, 2004

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 26, 1995 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Pilotes de choix
    • Filming locations
      • Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, USA
    • Production companies
      • HBO Films
      • Price Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $8,500,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 46 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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