DVD Release Date:  January 30, 2007 
Theatrical Release Date:  September 22, 2006
Rating:  PG-13 (for war action violence and some sexual content)
Genre:  Action
Run Time:  139 min.
Director:  Tony Bill
Actors:  James Franco, Tyler Labine, Abdul Salis, Michael Jibson, David Ellison, Martin Henderson, Jean Reno, Jennifer Decker

Earlier this year, James Franco starred in “Annapolis” – ostensibly a movie about the military, but, in reality, a dopey coming-of-age drama merely draped in a military uniform. Now Franco takes the lead in “Flyboys,” another film that uses a war backdrop (World War I in this case) as window dressing for a formulaic story of love, honor and defeating the enemy.

“Flyboys” is, we’re told, “inspired by a true story,” but it’s hard to see how adherence to actual facts could have made for a less interesting story. An intriguing historical premise – a French effort to recruit Americans to fly combat missions against the Germans – gives way to a by-the-numbers story about a ragtag group of young Americans with checkered pasts, who find refuge from their domestic troubles by volunteering to fight on behalf of the French during World War I prior to official U.S. involvement in that war.

These include a boy who wants to earn his father’s respect (Tyler Labine); an African-American (Abdul Salis) who has to prove himself to his Caucasian comrades; a religious man (Michael Jibson) who paints Bible verses on his airplane; a man with a suspicious past (David Ellison); a hardened vet (Martin Henderson) who keeps the young recruits from getting overconfident; and a commanding officer (Jean Reno) who, when confronted with punishable offenses by those in his command, offers the violators a second chance. These men are part of the Lafayette Escadrille – fighter pilots who took on the Germans over the skies of Europe.

James Franco stars as Blaine Rawlings, a young tough chased out of town by local law-enforcement and into the arms of the Lafayette Escadrille. Infatuated with the idea of flying airplanes, Rawlings and the other American volunteers are quickly brought down to earth by Reed Cassidy (Henderson), an ace pilot whose number of “kills” (marked with X's on a tavern wall) commands the respect of the novice fighters. Cassidy calmly informs the men that the life expectancy of fighter pilots is three to six weeks. Joined in a common cause, the men battle the Germans for control of the skies over Europe.