This movie is an adaptation from the book written by Cristopher Robbins. This is a light take on the Vietnam War that speaks of the covert & corrupt American air force that operated in Laos during the war. This movie came at a time when Downey was still at the nascent stages of his career & Mel was riding high on his popularity for his role in Lethal Weapon.
Mel Gibson (Gene & Robert Downey Jr. (Billy) make a good pair & have a cracking chemistry. After reading Downey's biography & getting to know him, I find that there is a slight since of detachment in the way Downey looks and acts in the movie. He probably did not have the best of time. The line spoken by Billy resonates this aspect perfectly - 'I'm used to being the weirdest guy in the room and now I'm not even in the running.'
Billy gets a gig as a pilot in Vietnam when he loses his licence to fly after a dangerous stunt he pulls while at work. He meets Gene and his team and Gene slips into the role of a mentor for Billy. Billy and Gene find themselves involved in a drug smuggling scheme run by corrupt CIA officials. Billy and Gene work to avoid being framed. The rest of the movie is about how they deal with the situation.
What probably kills this movie is the disjointed script and one dimensional characters. In my opinion the director probably was not really sure if this was to be a comedy or drama or a complete action movie. It is definitely not a terrible movie but it fails to go a step ahead to make it memorable for you.
Mel Gibson (Gene & Robert Downey Jr. (Billy) make a good pair & have a cracking chemistry. After reading Downey's biography & getting to know him, I find that there is a slight since of detachment in the way Downey looks and acts in the movie. He probably did not have the best of time. The line spoken by Billy resonates this aspect perfectly - 'I'm used to being the weirdest guy in the room and now I'm not even in the running.'
Billy gets a gig as a pilot in Vietnam when he loses his licence to fly after a dangerous stunt he pulls while at work. He meets Gene and his team and Gene slips into the role of a mentor for Billy. Billy and Gene find themselves involved in a drug smuggling scheme run by corrupt CIA officials. Billy and Gene work to avoid being framed. The rest of the movie is about how they deal with the situation.
What probably kills this movie is the disjointed script and one dimensional characters. In my opinion the director probably was not really sure if this was to be a comedy or drama or a complete action movie. It is definitely not a terrible movie but it fails to go a step ahead to make it memorable for you.