Air America (film)

Infobox_Film
name =Air America

---

caption =Promotional movie poster for "Air America".
director =Roger Spottiswoode
writer =Christopher Robbins
John Eskow
Richard Rush
starring =Mel Gibson
Robert Downey Jr.,
Nancy Travis
David Marshall Grant
Michael Dudikoff
Lane Smith
producer =Mario Kassar
distributor =TriStar Pictures
released =August 10, 1990
runtime =112 minutes
country = USA
language =English
budget = $ 35,000,000
amg_id =
imdb_id =0099005

"Air America" is a 1990 film starring Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. as Air America pilots during the Vietnam War flying missions in Laos. They discover that the planes are being used by other government agents to smuggle heroin, and then must avoid being made patsies in a frame-up. The fictional plot is adapted from Christopher Robbins's non-fiction book of the same name. The Hollywood screenplay differs greatly from Robbins's work in its heavy anti-war political spin, focus on the opium trade, and a pejorative portrayal (played by actor Burt Kwouk as "General Lu Soong") of Royal Laotion General Vang Pao.

One key non-fictional item from Robbins's book which was faithfully incorporated into this dark comedy screenplay about the absurdity of war was the "Golden BB" concept. While the covert Air America contract pilots, crews, and passengers daily braved incredibly hazardous peril under hostile fire, with potential death or capture by communist North Vietnamese Army insurgents or Pathet Lao forces, they often walked away from extraordinary crash landings and mishaps resulting from heavy enemy fire. However, being struck down by the "Golden BB" was an almost legendary freak accident that some of the covert aviation warriors feared. It was that one tiny bullet in the whole war would have the pilot's name written on it. As the screenplay opens, a lone Laotian farmer takes casual aim and fires his ancient flint-lock rifle at an Air America C-123 cargo aircraft flying overhead. Smoke begins billowing out of the aircraft, the Laotian farmer casually walks on, and the aircraft crashes and burns at Laos' Long Tieng airbase as a passive backdrop to Mel Gibson's opening entry on screen.

Production

Development

The film "Air America" is loosely based upon the 1979 non-fiction book by Christopher Robbins about the officially non-existent airline Air America that the CIA financed during the Vietnam War to transport weapons and supplies within Laos and other areas of Indochina subsequent to the North Vietnamese invasion of Laos. Director Richard Rush first tried to develop the project in 1985 as the first comedy about Vietnam. Carolco Pictures bought the project and Rush wrote a script and found locations. Sean Connery was attached to play the older pilot Gene Ryack, and the younger flier Billy Covington was at different times to be played by Bill Murray, Jim Belushi and Kevin Costner. After Connery and Costner became too expensive, the project was sold to producer Daniel Melnick, who hired screenwriter John Eskow to write a new script and director Richard Rush first with Bob Rafelson, then with eventual director Roger Spottiswoode. The production took off when Mel Gibson was cast for a reported $7 million plus gross points. Although offered the role of Billy Covington, Gibson opted instead to play the veteran Gene Ryack, with the younger role going to Robert Downey, Jr. Nancy Travis was cast as Corinne Landroaux (replacing Ally Sheedy), and Michael Dudikoff was cast as General Lee.

The film was conceived as a dark comedy about the absurdity of war. Said director Spottiswoode, "We had a serious and strange subject. We didn’t make up most of the events in the movie, from the planes crashing to the condoms and psychological warfare tapes. And we didn’t make up the pilot’s attitude to all the bullshit. Twenty years ago, for a higher motive, to get rid of communism in Vietnam, certain deals were made, bargains were made with the devil and it was decided that it was better to smuggle the local crop – opium and heroin - than to get help to fight the war. Our film reflects that world, There's a long tradition that the more serious the subject, the more funny the film can be, from "Catch-22" to "Dr. Strangelove" and "M*A*S*H"."

Filming

The budget of "Air America" increased to $35 million as the production involved a 500-member crew that shot in 49 different locations between Thailand, London, and Los Angeles, operating between eight and 15 cameras at a time. The production was plagued by two earthquakes and a typhoon. The producers rented 26 planes from the Thai military, and some of the stunt flyers hired refused to perform some of the tasks, with 60-year-old veterans being drafted for the more demanding turns.

Pepsi-Cola wanted the filmmakers to use a fictional soda rather than show opium being refined at their abandoned factory. Therefore, the producers added a line about wondering if Pepsi knew what was going on.

Plot

In late 1969, Billy Covington (Downey) is a pilot working for a local radio station in LA, who is fired when his hot-shot antics break a large number of regulations (although he was trying to save lives by breaking up a traffic jam that was preventing an ambulance from getting to a traffic accident). His piloting skills, daring, and disregard for the law are noticed by a mysterious stranger (strongly implied to be a CIA agent) who arrives and offers him a job in Laos, working for a "strictly civilian" company called Air America, and insisting that "there is no war in Laos, you can take that to the bank". With no other job, Billy takes the job and flies to Laos.

Upon arrival, he is introduced to the staff of Air America, and partnered up with veteran pilot Gene Ryack (Gibson.) By the end of his first day, he's learned that almost every pilot has his own side business, and Gene is an arms merchant (and uses official flights to buy black-market weapons for his private cache). That night at a local bar/brothel he quickly realizes what a strange and dangerous group he has gotten involved with.

The next day, Senator Davenport arrives in Laos on a "fact finding mission". Rumors are rampant in Washington that Air America is actually a heroin smuggling operation (which are true), and Davenport is there to verify this. However, Major Lemond and Rob Diehl, as the CIA leaders of Air America have a coverup already in place to deceive the Senator from finding out what is going on. Senator Davenport is shown around refugee camps, shrines & temples, and major cities in a careful deception to keep him out of the loop.

At the same time, Covington and Jack Neely are shot down in their C-123 cargo plane while airdropping livestock into rural villages. Air America stages a large rescue effort, although more effort is placed by General Soong and Air America itself to salvage his cargo (opium). They leave Covington and Jack in hostile territory while taking their cargo. Gene risks his life to pick him out in his UH-1 "Huey" helicopter, although it is so damaged in the effort that it also crashes (leading to Covington crashing twice in one day). Lost and out of touch, Ryack and Covington are stranded in the jungles of Laos when they are captured by a rural tribe. Facing hostile natives who apparently want to shoot them, Gene lets his business instincts shine through when he notices they are using obsolete and unreliable guns, and manages to convince them to spare their lives in exchange for him selling them better weapons (at his brother-in-law's house) several days away.

Back at Gene's family home, Billy and Gene discuss philosophy and why they fight. Billy decides he is going to quit Air America, but not before he gets even with General Soong for betraying him when he crashed. At the same time, Senator Davenport is getting upset that he is not being shown what is actually going on, and demands to know who is actually smuggling heroin. Soon after returning to Air America the pilots are informed that Jack was found dead, leading to the further dissociation of Billy as to why they are there. Later that same day he buys some grenades on the black market and uses them to blow up the heroin factory. Unfortunately, the guards see him running away, and General Soong and Major Lemond have their fall guy.

The next day, Gene has found a buyer for all his weapons, and is going to finally sell his arsenal, get out of gunrunning, quit Air America and take his family out of the country. Billy is making a flight before he actually quits, and he is promptly called to land at an airstrip for "routine inspection", which is unheard of and certainly not routine. Expecting a trap, he searches his cargo to find several kilos of heroin hidden in flour sacks, and a large armed force waiting for him at the airstrip. He refuses to land and tries to fly away, only to find his fuel gauge has been tampered with and he's almost out of gas. He crashes his small plane on the same airstrip he crashed a few days earlier and uses the wreckage to hide in.

At this point, a slip of the tongue by Rob about not having enough fuel to escape gives the Senator a clue of what is really going on. The Senator tells Major Lemond he knows that the entire scenario is a set-up and he suspects who is really the heroin smugglers. Major Lemond dares the Senator to actually repeat his theories back in Washington, insisting he has enough political clout to survive any allegation.

Gene rescues Billy, yet again, from the abandoned airstrip. However, as he's picking up the last of his weapons, he receives a distress call from a refugee camp. Nancy Travis plays Corinne Landreaux, a female USAID (Peace Corps-type) voice of conscience and charity who bargains with Gene. Corinne, as USAID patron of the refugees, explains their dire situation and appeals for Gene's cargo space. Dozens of refugees are in mortal danger from being caught in the crossfire of two opposing armies, and they are the only plane in range which can evacuate them in time. Gene (with some help from Billy) decides to rescue the refugees and dump his cargo (using the explosion of his weapons cache to cover their escape). With no nest egg on which to retire, Gene comes up with the idea of selling their plane to retire on (since technically the US government has no presence in Laos, the plane can't be government property).

Cast

*Mel Gibson as Gene Ryack
*Robert Downey Jr. as Billy Covington
*Nancy Travis as Corinne Landreaux
*Ken Jenkins as Major Donald Lemond
*David Marshall Grant as Robert Diehl
*Lane Smith as Senator Davenport
*Art LaFleur as Jack Neely
*Michael Dudikoff as General Lee
*Ned Eisenberg as Nick Pirelli
*Marshall Bell as Q.V.
*David Bowe as Saunders
*Burt Kwouk as General Lu Soong
*Tim Thomerson as Babo
*Harvey Jason as Nino
*Sinjai Hongthai as May Ling
*Natta Nantatanti as Gene's Daughter
*Purin Phanichphant as Gene's Son

References

*Empire Magazine, 1991, “Welcome to Air America,” by Anne Thompson
* [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PD&s_site=twincities&p_multi=SP&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB5DA06287D2116&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM St. Paul Pioneer Press: August 10, 1990, Page 1A]

Further reading

* [http://www.dcothai.com/product_info.php?products_id=382 Air America ] by Christopher Robbins
* [http://www.dcothai.com/product_info.php?products_id=362 The Ravens, Pilots of the Secret War in Laos] by Christopher Robbins
*Eugene DeBruin
*Jane Hamilton-Merritt (1999). "Tragic Mountains". ISBN 0253207568
*Robert Curry (2004). "Whispering Death", "Tuag Nco Ntsoov": ...Our Journey with the Hmong in the Secret War for Laos ...Lub caij peb thiab Hmoob koom tes ua ntsug rog ntsiag to nyob Los Tsuas teb. ISBN 0595318096

External links

* [http://www.air-america.org Air America Association web site]
* [http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/virtualarchive/redirects/air.htm Online Archive Materials about Air America in the Vietnam Archive at Texas Tech]
* [http://www.specialforcesroh.com/browse.php?mode=viewc&catid=58 Air America] - Roll of honour and images.
*imdb title|id=0099005|title=Air America