10 Most Intense Aerial Dogfights In War Movies
6. These Jets Aint Nothin' - Red Tails
George Lucas' passion project was based on the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American Air Force pilots that served in the Second World War. The 2012 film received mixed critical notices due to its profound subject matter being let down by cliches and a lack of well-rounded characters.
The aerial setpieces are well shot and allow for visual clarity, although the VFX work leaves a lot to be desired in terms of the planes' and backdrop's realism (especially egregious given that this is a LucasFilm production). The initial clash between the titular protagonist team and German Luftwaffe is emblematic of the film's strengths and weaknesses.
That said, director Anthony Hemingway handles the sequence fairly well and is able to differentiate the opposing forces despite the large number of planes involved. Due to this, the sequence has a sense of scale that is rarely seen in ''real-world'' blockbusters and is thrilling in its own right.