Air America (1990)

Director:

Roger Spottiswoode

Writers (WGA):

Christopher Robbins (book)
John Eskow (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

10 August 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy

Tagline:

The Few. The Proud. The Totally Insane.

Plot:

A young pilot finds himself recruited into a covert and corrupt CIA airlift organization operating in Vietnam War Era Laos.

Plot Keywords:

Pilot | CIA | Vietnam | Laos | Helicopter

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Mel Gibson	...	Gene Ryack
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Billy Covington
Nancy Travis	...	Corinne Landreaux
Ken Jenkins	...	Major Donald Lemond
David Marshall Grant	...	Rob Diehl
Lane Smith	...	Senator Davenport
Art LaFleur	...	Jack Neely (as Art La Fleur)
Ned Eisenberg	...	Nick Pirelli
Marshall Bell	...	Q.V.
David Bowe	...	Saunders
Burt Kwouk	...	General Lu Soong
Tim Thomerson	...	Babo
Harvey Jason	...	Nino
Sinjai Plengpanit	...	May Ling (as Sinjai Hongthai)
Natta Nantatanti	...	Gene's Daughter
Purin Panichpan	...	Gene's Son
Yani Tramod	...	Gene's Brother-in-Law
Chanarona Suwanpa	...	Kwaka
Chet Vimol	...	Tribal Warrior
Wasun Uttamayodhin	...	Nightclub Singer
Meeson Macakharat	...	Nightclub Singer
Ernie Lively	...	Truck Driver, Rubio Moving & Hauling
Burke Byrnes	...	Recruiter
Greg Kean	...	Steve, DeeJay for KLCA 1080 AM
Roger Welty	...	Ambassador Barlow
Graham Osborn	...	Refugee Camp Organiser
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michael Dudikoff	...	General Lee
John Ladalski	...	Air America pilot (uncredited)

Directed by
Roger Spottiswoode

Writing credits (WGA)
Christopher Robbins		(book)
John Eskow		(screenplay) and
Richard Rush		(screenplay)

Produced by
John Eskow	....	co-producer
Michael J. Kagan	....	line producer
Mario Kassar	....	executive producer
Daniel Melnick	....	producer
Allen Shapiro	....	co-producer
Andrew G. Vajna	....	executive producer (as Andrew Vajna)
Jon Jashni	....	associate producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Charles Gross

Cinematography by
Roger Deakins		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
John Bloom
Lois Freeman-Fox

Casting by
Janet Hirshenson
Jane Jenkins

Production Design by
Allan Cameron

Art Direction by
Lek Chaiyan Chunsuttiwat

Costume Design by
John Mollo

Makeup Department
Lois Burwell	....	makeup department head
Tricia Cameron	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Paul Lawrence	....	aerial unit manager
Gerry Levy	....	unit production manager
Michael R. Sloan	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ronald Chong	....	dga trainee (as Ronnie Chong)
Garth Craven	....	second unit director
Marcia Gay	....	second assistant director: second unit
Mark Hansson	....	dga trainee
Mike Katzin	....	second assistant director: second unit (as Michael Katzin)
Terry Madden	....	assistant director: second unit
Callum McDougall	....	second assistant director
Artist W. Robinson	....	first assistant director (as Artist Robinson)
Albert M. Shapiro	....	first assistant director
Sompol Sungkawess	....	assistant director
Marc Wolff	....	director: aerial unit

Art Department
Andrew Ackland-Snow	....	draughtsman
Ellen Freund	....	property master: USA
Bill 'Kauhane' Hoyt	....	stand-by painter
Giles Masters	....	assistant art director
Dave Midson	....	chargehand dressing prop
Brad Shoemaker	....	propmaker
John Wells	....	stand-by props

Sound Department
David W. Alstadter	....	foley mixer
Karen M. Baker	....	first assistant sound editor
David Baldwin	....	sound effects editor
Lon Bender	....	supervising sound designer
David E. Campbell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Avram D. Gold	....	adr editor
Devon Heffley Curry	....	adr supervisor
Simon Kaye	....	sound mixer
Larry Kemp	....	dialogue supervisor
Mark Lanza	....	sound effects editor (as Mark A. Lanza)
Glenn T. Morgan	....	dialogue editor
John Rotondi	....	sound engineer: Y4
Michael R. Sloan	....	post-production sound supervisor
Sandy Buchanan	....	post-production sound assistant (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Neil Corbould	....	special effects senior technician
Terence J. Cox	....	special effects senior technician
Michael Dawson	....	special effects technician
Peter Fern	....	special effects technician
George Gibbs	....	special effects supervisor
Sasisupa Sungvaribud	....	special effects coordinator: Thailand

Visual Effects by
Rob Dickinson	....	matte plates
Roy Field	....	visual effects supervisor (uncredited)

Stunts
Andy Armstrong	....	stunt coordinator
Vic Armstrong	....	stunt coordinator
Dickey Beer	....	stunts
Jake Brake	....	stunts
John Cenatiempo	....	stunts
Doug Coleman	....	stunts
Simon Crane	....	stunt double: Mr. Gibson
Simon Crane	....	stunts
Graeme Crowther	....	stunts
Vince Deadrick Jr.	....	stunts
Ronnie Dunnett	....	stunts
Donna Evans	....	stunts
Dana Dru Evenson	....	stunts (as Dana Evenson)
Ralph Garrett	....	stunts
Marcia Holley	....	stunts
Robert Jauregui	....	stunts
Jeff Jensen	....	stunts
Peter Kent	....	stunt double: Art LaFleur
Peter Kent	....	stunts
Hubie Kerns Jr.	....	stunts
Steven Lambert	....	stunts
Billy D. Lucas	....	stunts (as Billy Lucas)
Mike H. McGaughy	....	stunts (as Mike McGaughy)
Chere Rae	....	stunts
Burt Reynolds	....	stunts
Debby Lynn Ross	....	stunts (as Debbie Lynn Ross)
Julian Spencer	....	stunts
Michael M. Vendrell	....	stunts (as Mike Vendrell)
Raliegh Wilson	....	stunts
Dickey Beer	....	stunt double: Robert Downey Jr. (uncredited)
Adam Dale	....	stunt camera operator (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Ashley Bond	....	clapper loader
Bob Bridges	....	assistant camera: second unit
Robin Browne	....	director of photography: second unit
Frank Connor	....	still photographer
Adam Dale	....	aerial director of photography
Roger Deakins	....	camera operator
Rob Dickinson	....	video assist operator
Mike Frift	....	camera operator: second unit
Gordon Hayman	....	camera operator
John Higgins	....	gaffer
Angus Hudson	....	focus puller
Simon Mills	....	focus puller: second unit
Bill O'Leary	....	electrician
Henk Prins	....	aerial camera assistant
Nick Schlesinger	....	assistant camera
Nigel Seal	....	assistant camera
Scott Williams	....	rigging electrician

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Peter Edmonds	....	set costumer
Barbara Rutter	....	assistant costume designer
Gilda Texter	....	costume supervisor: USA

Editorial Department
Tim Craig	....	assistant editor
Noori Dehnahi	....	post-production coordinator

Music Department
Gary Anderson	....	orchestrator
Becky Mancuso-Winding	....	music supervisor (as Becky Mancuso)
Thomas Milano	....	assistant music editor
Bruce Nazarian	....	score recording engineer
Curtis Roush	....	music editor
Timothy R. Sexton	....	music supervisor (as Tim Sexton)
Gary Anderson	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
Bruce Nazarian	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Art Bauer	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Michael Barnes	....	legal attorney
Frawley Becker	....	location manager
Tom Danaher	....	pilot
Robert Dawson	....	title designer
Patsy de Lord	....	production coordinator
Terri Depaolo	....	assistant: Mel Gibson
Cathy Doubleday	....	script supervisor: third unit
Ronnie Dunnett	....	ariel coordinator
Sue Field	....	script supervisor: second unit
Mark Hanna	....	pilot
Rob Harris	....	unit publicist
Harry Hauss	....	pilot
Steven E. Housewright	....	production assistant
Mario Kassar	....	presenter
Russell John Kern	....	pilot
David Kurz	....	pilot
Frank Lang	....	pilot
Sally Pardo	....	production coordinator (1990)
David Paris	....	assistant coordinator: aerial unit
David Paris	....	pilot
Duncan Prentice	....	helicopter pilot
Duncan Prentke	....	pilot
Burton Sharp	....	adr group coordinator
Andrew G. Vajna	....	presenter (as Andrew Vajna)
Angela Wharton	....	script supervisor
Jeff Winn	....	craft service
Marc Wolff	....	aerial unit coordinator
Marc Wolff	....	aerial unit director
Marc Wolff	....	pilot

Production Companies

• Carolco Pictures
• IndieProd Company Productions

Distributors

• TriStar Pictures (1990) (USA) (theatrical)
• AMLF (1990) (France) (theatrical)
• Scotia International Filmverleih (1991) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Avid Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (VHS)
• IDA films (2009) (Spain) (video)
• IPA Asia Pacific (2009) (Thailand) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• LK-TEL Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• LK-TEL (199?) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Live Home Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Live Home Video (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Live Home Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Maple Pictures (2007) (Canada) (DVD)
• Pioneer (1992) (Germany) (video) (laserdisc)
• Pioneer (1992) (UK) (video) (laserdisc)
• RCV Home Entertainment (200?) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• RTL Entertainment (2005-) (Netherlands) (TV) (airing rights) (RTL7)
• VCL Communications (2001) (Germany) (VHS)
• Video Film Express (199?) (Netherlands) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Pinewood Studios  movie studio
• Bill Dance Casting  extras casting
• Buena Vista Sound  sound re-recording (as Buena Vista Sound Studios)
• Cherokee Studios  music recorded at
• Cinema Research  titles and opticals
• Entertainment Medical  medical services
• Flying Pictures  aerial filming services provided by
• Grip House  grip equipment
• Joe Dunton & Company  camera equipment provided by
• MCA Records  soundtrack
• Michael Samuelson Lighting  lighting
• Michaelson's  catering
• On Tour Productions  aircraft and pilots
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals

Runtime:

112 min | Argentina:115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Lao

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Norway:10 | Finland:K-11 (re-rating) | Portugal:M/12 | USA:R (Certificate #30290) | New Zealand:PG | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-10 | Germany:12 | Iceland:L | Netherlands:AL | Norway:11 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Chaing Mai Airport, Thailand

Company:

Carolco Pictures

Trivia:

The film is dedicated to Mike Katzin.

Goofs:

Continuity: Air America's plane side number 238 passes by in the background when Senator Davenport arrives at the airport in Laos when at the same time it is being flown by Ryack and Covington to the hill top air strip where they meet Ryack's brother in law.

Quotes:

Rob Diehl: You know more about it than American intelligence Gene!
Gene Ryack: Rob, I wish you wouldn't use the words American Intelligence to describe what it is you do!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Radar Secret Service (#6.20)" (1993)

Soundtrack:

Love Me Two Times

I give it a 6 for the action.

This is not a very good movie. The script is poor, the comedy part of it is weak. The only thing that makes it OK is the acting and the action. The action sequences are nicely done and keep you entertained, but other than that its not very good. I can recommend it for those who are (big) fans of someone in the cast, but other than that its just not worth much. Also there is one thing noteworthy, and that it seems that some of the jokes are sexist. Nothing big, but it was a little offensive and just made the script weaker, but even without those jokes it was still terrible.

My rate is 6/10-good for the acting and action, but for the movie as a whole. R-Action Violent Content and Language