| Air America | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Air_America_(film).jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Roger Spottiswoode |
| Screenplay by | |
| Based on | Air America by Christopher Robbins |
| Produced by | Daniel Melnick Mario Kassar |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Roger Deakins |
| Edited by | John Bloom Lois Freeman-Fox |
| Music by | Charles Gross |
Production companies | Carolco Pictures IndieProd Company |
| Distributed by | Tri-Star Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 113 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $30–35 million[1] |
| Box office | $57.7 million[citation needed] |
Air America is a 1990 American action comedy film directed by Roger Spottiswoode and starring Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. as Air America pilots flying missions in Laos during the Vietnam War.[2] When the protagonists discover their aircraft is being used by government agents to smuggle heroin, they must avoid being framed as the drug-smugglers.
The plot of the film is adapted from Christopher Robbins' 1979 non-fiction book, chronicling the CIA-financed airline to transport weapons and supplies in Cambodia, Laos and South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.[3]
The publicity for the film, advertised as a lighthearted buddy movie, implied a tone that differs greatly from the actual film, which includes such serious themes as an anti-war message, focus on the opium trade, and a negative portrayal of Royal Laotian General Vang Pao (played by actor Burt Kwouk as "General Lu Soong").[4]
- ^ "THE MOVIES : The fine art of MAKING THE DEAL". Los Angeles Times. 27 May 1990.
- ^ Curry 2004, p. 158.
- ^ Hamilton-Merritt 1999, p. 8.
- ^ Kevin Gilvear (October 10, 2004). "Air America". DVD Video Review. Retrieved January 4, 2015.