Review for Air America

Introduction

They say good things come to those who wait, but would you be prepared to wait ten years for something you really wanted? I certainly wasn’t. When I first belatedly got onto the Blu-ray bandwagon, I went on the usual double-dip upgrade frenzy, looking for my favourite movies in HD, and once I’d done that, I started looking for those I couldn’t get in the UK, and tried to import them. Air America has long been a favourite of mine, and I imported the US Lionsgate release in 2014. It’s now 2024, and the UK is finally getting Air America in high definition courtesy of Studiocanal.


Actually 2024 has been something of a good year when it comes to those missing gaps in my collection being filled, even if I have long since imported other versions. The UK has finally gotten Tank Girl on Blu-ray, a few months ago we got The Last Starfighter, and earlier this year, the world finally saw a couple of James Cameron Classics, True Lies and The Abyss. The irony is that for most of these, it’s actually UHD which has made this possible. Fans of this niche format demanded their favourite movies, and the studios took the opportunity to create new 4k masters. On the back of the UHD debuts in the UK, we also got new Blu-ray transfers as well for all of these films except Tank Girl (2k only) and The Abyss, which got BBFC’d out of a UK release. It’s the new transfer that got me double dipping on Air America.


It’s 1969 and the United States is involved in a nasty little brush war in South East Asia. As evil communists fight to take control of Vietnam, the US will stop at nothing to prevent the world being dominated by the colour red. The neighbouring country of Laos becomes embroiled in a hidden war as communist insurgents try to gain a further foothold in South East Asia, while the CIA attempt to keep the country nice and capitalist. Air America is a CIA funded outfit that flies supplies and weapons to the local forces. The local forces grow opium and sell the narcotic to fund their little war, all under the auspices of the CIA. But as President Nixon says, there are no American forces in Laos.


When ace pilot, Billy Covington gets a little overzealous while flying his helicopter during a traffic report, he finds himself sacked and grounded. He doesn’t have to worry too long about his next pay-check though, as a mysterious figure soon turns up to recruit him into a private airline expanding the frontiers in Laos. In Laos though, he sees that the story is a little more complex, when he is introduced to a brotherhood of pilots who make him look a little tame. Gene Ryack immediately befriends him, a pilot turned native who shows him the ropes, and introduces him to the hypocrisy and insidious nature of the CIA. When Senator Davenport turns up to see what the CIA is up to, it rapidly becomes apparent that food isn’t the only cargo that Air America carries. Someone is going to take the fall and it sure isn’t going to be the CIA. Meanwhile Gene has got his own sideline running guns and building up his retirement fund. He’s ready for the biggest deal of his career, as long as that pesky conscience of his doesn’t get in the way.

The Disc

Air America gets a 2.35:1 widescreen 1080p transfer on this disc with the choice between DTS-HD MA 7.1 Surround and PCM 2.0 Stereo English, as well as PCM 2.0 Stereo German all with English and German subtitles. The transfer is sourced from a new 4k restoration from the original negative, supervised by director Roger Spottiswoode. I was happy with the Lionsgate release, but this new transfer goes one step further when it comes to clarity and detail. The film looks crisp and brand new. As directors are wont to do when it comes to revisiting their work, they tend to change things like colour grading, and Air America does get a distinct, if subtle orange-and-tealing. Normally I’d object to this kind of thing, but here, it actually plays up the humid sweatiness of South East Asia, and the jungle foliage really does pop off the screen, giving the film the kind of 3D immersion that the Lionsgate release lacked. I was happy with the surround audio, putting the action across well, making the most of that period music soundtrack, while keeping the dialogue clear and centred. The stereo is there if you want the original cinematic experience. The disc generates subtitles for non-English dialogue in the film, rather than burning them into the print.

Extras

You get one disc in a BD Amaray style case, wrapped in an o-card slipcover. On insertion, you get the choice between English and German menus. The film begins with the standard ‘snowflake’ warning that Studiocanal seem to put on all their back catalogue discs these days, keeping you safe from dated societal attitudes. The following extras on the disc are much the same as those on the old Lionsgate release.


Commentary by Screenwriter John Eskow
Return Flight: Revisiting Air America (22:04)
Pre-Flight – The Storyboards of Air America (5:19)
Feature Clips (12:15)
Cast and Crew Interviews (2:12)
Making Of (3:53)
Flight Log (5:36)
Theatrical Trailer (1:25)
Trailer 2024 (1:00)

Conclusion

I remember when I reviewed the film on DVD that while I certainly appreciated what it accomplished as an action comedy, I came down rather strongly against it being a biting indictment of the actual Air America, the CIA funded airline that operated in South East Asia as another element in the war in Vietnam. It seemed far too trivial, and entertaining to really serve as a comment on what is really a dark and sordid period in US foreign policy. There is still an element of that, but the more I watch Air America, the more that its satire becomes more effective. As discussed in the commentary, the filmmakers had the choice between going dark and realistic to tell their story, or to play it light and comic, and having the observations on the issues coming out in the humour. The wily Lemond, the party line toeing Rob Diehl, the disingenuous Senator Davenport all become effective caricatures when you watch the film in that light. The same goes for General Soong, getting high on capitalist dreams.


Also in the commentary, it’s stated that the film aimed to capture the same satire and wit of films like Catch 22 and M*A*S*H. It doesn’t quite manage that, as the boys own adventure, the action sequences and the stunts, and indeed the broader comedy tends to detract from that aspect. And it’s still easy enough to partake of the great screen chemistry between Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr as Gene Ryack and Billy Covington, the heart of a very entertaining action buddy movie and not pay attention to all that subversive political comment.


Air America is still great entertainment, a fun action movie that’s a blast to watch. But I can appreciate the satire now, which I totally missed out on the first few times I watched it. It may not be a classic in the same vein as the films it sought to emulate, but it certainly is effective at getting its message across. And who knows, it might get even better with age. I thought I was happy with the old US Lionsgate disc, but this new Studiocanal Blu-ray, struck from a 4k re-master is a revelation compared to the older release. The film has come up a treat, offering more detail, depth and colour than before, and even the new colour grade has been sympathetically applied. Air America looks and sounds fantastic, and the only reason not to get this Blu-ray is if you’re getting the UHD instead.