RED TAILS

RED TAILS honors the Tuskegee Airmen with a rousing story of courage, sacrifice, and service. The film follows African American fighter pilots who begin in minor support duty before receiving the chance to escort B-17 bombers behind enemy lines. Their dangerous assignment puts them at unusual risk while protecting the men aboard the bombers.

The movie’s Christian, patriotic spirit gives its heroism added weight. Several men openly live out their faith, and the film includes positive references to Jesus Christ and prayer. It also recognizes the racial barriers these pilots faced while showing those barriers being rebuked.

The cost is real: about 51 obscenities, five strong profanities, three light profanities, strong war violence, and an affair that occurs before a marriage proposal. You should see it with teenagers and adults, not younger children. For families with viewers ages 13 and up, RED TAILS is worth the trip.

During World War II, the Tuskegee Airmen are relegated to minor support duty, bombing trains and roads while their commander, Col. Bullard, presses the Pentagon to give them a larger role.

Eventually, the pilots receive new P-51 planes and a chance to escort B-17 bombers behind enemy lines. The story focuses on the men flying these missions, including hotshot pilot Joe Little and their immediate superior, Major Stance.

Four stars means RED TAILS is a highly entertaining and effective film. It is exciting, inspiring, and well acted, with a strong focus on the bravery of the pilots and the danger of their missions.

The movie has a few clunky moments and brief corny dialogue, but those flaws do not overwhelm its rousing story or its honoring of the Tuskegee Airmen. Its action and performances make the film a stirring tribute.

RED TAILS presents a strong Christian, moral, and patriotic worldview. It shows several men living out their Christian faith, includes many positive references to Jesus Christ, and centers an important moment on the pilots praying in the Name of Jesus Christ. The film also honors sacrificial service: the pilots draw German fire away from the bombers, risking their lives to save the ten men aboard each bomber.

The movie rebukes racism while showing the courage and competence of African American pilots who were initially confined to minor support duty. It also depicts white bomber officers toasting the black officers who risked their lives to protect them.

The film’s moral vision is complicated by romantic rebellion and pagan immorality. Capt. Little has an affair with an Italian woman before asking her to marry him, and the story includes a range of less Christian or non-Christian behavior. Still, the film’s central emphasis on courage, service, and sacrifice aligns with biblical virtues.

Jesus teaches, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). That truth gives the film’s sacrifice a clear biblical echo.

RED TAILS is a stirring, well-acted war movie that honors courage, faith, and sacrifice. Its strong language, violence, and pre-marital affair call for parental discernment, but teenagers and adults can find much to admire. For viewers ages 13 and up, our answer is WORTH THE TRIP — AGES 13 AND UP.