Red Tails was a smash box office hit, grossing more than $20 million during its debut weekend in late January.

The film, directed by George Lucas, tells a story of Tuskegee Airmen American heroism during WWII. They were the first African American aviators to fight in the war, breaking the military segregation bubble during the 1940s at the peak of civil rights.

Lucas approached Hollywood several times and said he was told the film would not be supported because of its all African American cast, Lucas said to Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show.”Undeterred, Lucas funded this $58 million production out of his own pocket. As of Feb. 3, 2012 Red Tails has
grossed an estimated $37 million.

The film received a lot of support as people and celebrities pushed to promote by word-of-mouth through Twitter and Facebook accounts. Even the White House supported the film. President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama hosted a group of Tuskegee Airmen at a private screening.

The Tuskegee Airmen was an experiment, and without any real combat opportunity, the Army saw no reason to keep their operation at flight. Col. A.J. Bullard, played by Terrence Howard, restores faith and accepts a risky escort mission that encapsulates the legacy of the African American fighter pilots.

The Tuskegee Airmen were ace pilots, the very best. Not given the opportunity to fly in battle yet and handed beat-up old fighter planes, they became more experienced and trained. This is truly a film of American heroism.

Nate Parker, well known for his role in the Great Debaters film, plays Martin “Easy” Julian. “Easy” leads the first African American fighter squad into combat along with his daring friend Joe “Lightning” Little, played by David Oyelowo. Easy struggles with drinking and Lightning falls in love with an Italian woman.

These characters make for a well-rounded plot, since no heroic film is complete without internal conflict in life and love.

Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr.’s characters both give an uplifting pep talk to the Tuskegee Airmen during their first combat escort mission. Col. A.J. Bullard – “Nothing is difficult. Everything is a challenge. Through adversity to the stars. From the last plane. To the last bullet. To the last minute. To the last man. – We fight! We fight!” Huddled up every time before a mission the Airmen say this repeatedly in unison.

Red Tails, with its talented roster of young African American actors and booming box office figures, this film soared above the original doubts of Hollywood. Lucas expects to turn Red Tails into a trilogy of prequels and sequels.

While this film is action packed and thrilling, it’s a lot like Star Wars with that same great aerial flight experiences. I have seen it twice, and each time I’ve been at the edge of my seat. The film inspires a great sense of American pride; the audience applauded in theatre at the end of a film.