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James Franco, Martin Henderson, David Ellison, Jennifer Decker, Jean Reno ... see more see more... , Tyler Labine , Abdul Salis , Philip Winchester , Daniel Rigby , Barry McGee , Augustin Legrand , Lex Shrapnel , Keith McErlean , Michael Jibson , Christien Anholt , Pip Pickering , Kyle Hesner Smith , Alain Boublil , Lauren Downing , Hayley Downing , Tcheky Karyo

As World War I rages in Europe and Allied forces in France, Italy, and England find their resolve quickly diminishing due to the overwhelming force of the German juggernaut, a handful of brave America... read more read more...n soldiers volunteer to join their French counterparts in learning to fly and fighting for freedom from above as the true story of the legendary Lafayette Escadrille comes to the screen in a breathtaking war adventure from Academy Award-winning director Tony Bill and famed producer Dean Devlin. They have come from all over the United States, ready and willing to put their lives on the line despite their country's initial pledge to not get involved with the all-consuming war that rages throughout Europe. Few could have foreseen the challenges faced by the world's first fighter pilots, however, and upon arriving at their aerodrome in France, the aspiring aviators are assigned to a new squadron under the command of war-ravaged Captain Thenault (Jean Reno) and battle-weary American pilot Reed Cassidy -- the sole survivor of his devastated former air brigade. With little encouragement from their fellow aviators and nothing to drive but their unifying goal of taking to the skies and offering up their lives in the name of freedom, the determined airmen of the Lafayette Escadrille set out to make history by embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. James Franco, Martin Henderson, and David Ellison star in a script penned by Phil Sears, Blake T. Evans, and David S. Ward. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

68% liked it

86,262 ratings

Critics

33% liked it

127 critics

PG-13, 2 hr. 19 min.

Directed by: Tony Bill

Release Date: September 22, 2006

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DVD Release Date: January 30, 2007

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Stats: 4,798 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (4,798)

  • jmanard52
    May 19, 2007
    jmanard52
    Solid special effects and good acting by Franco make this film good enough to be worth multiple watches. A story about WWI flying aces with todays special effects was long past its due.
  • phubbs1
    October 11, 2011
    phubbs1
    This is a great movie about flying aces during WW1. A small group of Americans go to France to join the flying corps and battle the German flying aces, alittle cliched in places, alittle smoochy here and there and rather predictable to be honest but this is good boys own Biggles ... read moretype stuff based on fact.

    The effects are great and do the job, the dogfights are really excellent and quite tense whilst the acting is ok, not great but worthy enough. The story sucks you in with its brash tale of young aces and romance and its not hard to get behind the heroes and cheer as they bring down the bosh haha. Overall its not really graphic with the bloodshed and not extreme in any way but it does the job of showing how the pilots fought and what they went through, with alittle Hollywood sparkle of course ;)

    Think 'Memphis Belle' with better effects and abit more realism, good fun with a caring heart to the facts. Scarfs on and chocks away chaps.
  • liquidchick76
    February 20, 2010
    liquidchick76
    It really wanted to be good, but it was just too cheesy. The dialogue, acting and plot cliches were just too annoying for me to enjoy the movie as a whole, despite the fact that some of the dogfight scenes were pretty cool.
  • fb733768972
    January 13, 2010
    fb733768972
    What a wonderful film! Right from start to finish I enjoyed every bit of it!
  • DerekA101
    October 14, 2009
    DerekA101
    Flyboys is a movie I really wanted to like, but it was too slow and awfully predictable to be enjoyed. The great action and special effects couldn't mask the cheesiness of the plot.

    The dogfights in the air were entertaining, but too many of the fights looked the same. ... read moreIt was like 2 hours of the same fight over and over again... it got a little redundant.

    It wasn't a horrible film, but it was too predictable and was a little too heroicly campy to be totally enjoyable.
  • flutieman07
    September 30, 2009
    flutieman07
    Once again, perfect proof that an awesome movie trailer can be made from even the crappiest of movies...The dogfight scenes were decent, but overall, the movie just went way too slow.
  • sanjurosamurai
    March 25, 2009
    sanjurosamurai
    really good flick. had some over the top scenes and some things happen outside of reality, but the acting was great, the action was good when it was believable, and the story was very good.
  • bhobbs1985
    April 16, 2008
    bhobbs1985
    This movie is truly five-star material.
    Great actors, great flying scenes, and a historic story that will keep you watching from start to finish. I have not seen a better flying movie ever produced. James Franco did a crazy good job. This movie is classic.
  • barrys
    February 15, 2007
    barrys
    Its an entertaining movie,, it has romanticism, some action aswell and a little bit of humor. Although the story is kinda predictable and the acting is barely good even for Jean Reno who a great actor, its a film worth to watch because its based on real facts
  • gator681
    November 1, 2007
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]Even in its infancy, the military could see the potential of the airplane being used as a killing machine. In "Flyboys," it is 1916, before the United States officially entered World War I, and American men are volunteering for service in Europe to fly the n... read moreew fighter planes. Rawlings(James Franco) leaves Aberdeen, Texas one step ahead of the law. Skinner(Abdul Salis) left earlier because of racism, boxes in France and wants to fight for his adopted country. Lowry(Tim Pigott-Smith), a rich kid, has something to prove to his father. All are under the command of Cassidy(Martin Henderson), the sole survivor of a previous group of pilots. Their life spans are now at six weeks, and that's if the lion does not eat them, first And they are advised that if they do crash-land, please do it near a bordello...[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]"Flyboys" is almost a good movie with spectacular action sequences(and I'd like to thank the Germans for flying the distinctive Fokker Triplanes), while at the same time not avoiding the harsh realities of war and the racism of the day. But it lacks a quality cast. I'm not talking famous names here, just performers with enough charisma to carry an action movie and that's certainly not James Franco who also gets trapped in an awkward romantic subplot. It is also one-sided against the Germans(I do suppose I should be grateful that it does not bash the French) and ends badly with some of the more predictable action of the movie.[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]I'm going away for the weekend and will return to these pages on Monday, November 5.[/font]

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Critic Reviews

Jack Mathews
September 30, 2006
Jack Mathews, New York Daily News

Aafter a while -- there must be six major fights against unending numbers of German planes -- it feels like special effects run amok. Full Review

Richard Roeper
September 25, 2006
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

Why make such a corny and incredibly predictable film? Full Review

Peter Howell
September 22, 2006
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

This is old-school moviemaking, for better or worse, which means rat-a-tat dogfights in the sky combined with overripe romantic and social clichés on the ground. Full Review

Walter V. Addiego
September 22, 2006
Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle

Besides some fine dogfight sequences, it often feels threadbare, just an exercise in recycling. Full Review

Steven Rea
September 22, 2006
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Flyboys has computer imaging and a fleet of vintage aircraft on its side, but it remains considerably less convincing than Wings (1927), and less exciting.

Roger Moore
September 22, 2006
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

It's watchable, but this was an epic tale deserving of a huge canvas and, frankly, a better director and actors. And a less simplistic script. Full Review

Stephen Whitty
September 22, 2006
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

The high-altitude combat is thrilling, and aviation buffs will thrill to all the pretty biplanes sailing through the clouds. But the characters are corny and the situations are clichéd. Full Review

Kyle Smith
September 22, 2006
Kyle Smith, New York Post

The computer-generated flying effects are the only reason to see the movie, but at some point somebody left the computer on too long, so it went ahead and spat out the script.

Amy Biancolli
September 22, 2006
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

This is spectacle in the grand old style, a bygone shot of adrenaline and grace. Full Review

Kate Taylor
September 22, 2006
Kate Taylor, Globe and Mail

The creators of Flyboys know no image too clichéd, no narrative convention too exhausted and no psychological motivation too pat that it can't do service. Full Review

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