THE PLOT THUS FAR
Capt. Jim Gordon’s command of the famed American mercenary fighter group in China is complicated by the recruitment of an old friend who is a reckless hotshot.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“Flying Tigers” was a technical marvel back in its day. The film was released on the heels of the unit being disbanded, but the level of FX and sound design are some of the best in American movie history. The kills when the Japanese soldiers are shot and begin to die in a realistic fashion are groundbreaking. That’s now to mention the aerial acrobatics that would later serve as the templates for films to come in the 70s and beyond. For a film so revolutionary, why isn’t it remembered more? Hell, it usually doesn’t get brought up in conversations among John Wayne fans. Hell, I hear “Angel and the Badman” get more play than this film.
A lot of new viewers will try to read into Wayne’s vicious attacks on the Japanese. But, this film was in production and release less than a year after the attack on Pearl Harbor. America was angry and Hollywood took advantage of that anger with a War film that showed them how we retaliate. The film took a lot of bumps and bruises over the decades in terms of accuracy. It was only in later documents that we learned how “Flying Tigers” actually played down a lot of the brutality that Japanese fighters inflicted on their enemies. If anything, the film should’ve shown Japanese pilots shooting down people in parachutes.
The Blu-Ray comes with no special features. The DTS-HD 1.0 master audio track is lossless. While staying true to the film’s origins, it might not impress in a big home theater. However, the 1080p transfer looks amazing regardless of the size of your viewing space. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.
RELEASE DATE: 05/13/2014