When "Billy" (Robert Downey Jr.) loses his pilot's licence after a lively misdemeanour, he finds himself working in war-torn Laos with the team at "Air America". This is a CIA-backed operation consisting of a disparate bunch of pilots whose job it is to fly in supplies to local villages. It's there that he meets "Gene" (Mel Gibson) and also where he realises that not only is it pretty dangerous out there, but that…
The few. The proud. The totally insane.
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, 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.
Top Cast
Mel Gibson
Gene Ryack
Robert Downey Jr.
Billy Covington
Nancy Travis
Corinne Landreaux
Ken Jenkins
Major Donald Lemond
David Marshall Grant
Rob Diehl
Lane Smith
Senator Davenport
Art LaFleur
Jack Neely
Ned Eisenberg
Pirelli
Marshall Bell
O.V.
David Bowe
Saunders
Burt Kwouk
General Lu Soong
Tim Thomerson
Babo
Harvey Jason
Nino
Natta Nantatanti
Gene's Daughter
Purin Panichpan
Gene's Son
Yanee Tramoth
Gene's Brother-in-law
Reviews
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…
Entertaining enough action-war movie thanks to the charisma of both Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. The film also has some solid action scenes and direction, to go along with Roger Deakins's cinematography. From what I read about this, doesn't seem like many had fun making the movie, including Deakins and Downey. Still, I found it enjoyable even if Gibson's character shift didn't felt surface level. **3.0/5**
FAQ about Air America
What is Air America about?
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, and ends up in the middle of a bunch of lunatic…
When was Air America released?
Air America was released in 1990.
What genres does Air America belong to?
Air America is categorised as Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama.
Who stars in Air America?
The cast of Air America includes Mel Gibson, Robert Downey Jr., Nancy Travis, Ken Jenkins, David Marshall Grant.