Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
True story of African Americans in WWII has language, grief.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Tuskegee Airmen
What's the Story?
In THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN, Hannibal Lee (Laurence Fishburne) travels to Alabama during World War II, meeting other African Americans, including Billy "A-Train" Roberts (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and Leroy Cappy (Malcolm-Jamal Warner), who are hoping to become pilots in the U.S. Army Air Corps. The men demonstrate great skill but are kept away from the front lines, instead assigned to bomb ground targets. Worse, a White senator (John Lithgow) wants to shut the whole program down, citing "medical evidence" that African Americans aren't capable of being pilots. Fortunately, after success in North Africa, the squad is sent to Italy to become escorts for B-17 bombers, where they achieve a flawless record and break barriers.
Is It Any Good?
Originally produced for cable, this drama smacks of a low budget, cutting corners and skimming through history. But The Tuskegee Airmen's director, Robert Markowitz, does the best with what he has, making excellent use of a strong cast and using real war footage to help illustrate the flying and battle sequences (and save money on visual effects).
The actors are the movie's best asset, filling in the blanks for what might have been, in a longer, deeper movie, strong characters. In only a few short scenes, heavyweights such as Fishburne, Gooding Jr., Courtney B. Vance, and Andre Braugher suggest deep desires and complicated lives lived. The result is undeniably rousing and ultimately moving. It's hard to deny the power of the true story and the effectiveness with which the movie tells it.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the movie's violence. If The Tuskegee Airmen had shown more plane crashes or bloodier deaths, how would it have impacted the viewing experience? How does it portray the casualties that do appear?
Many feel-good movies about Black history and racial reconciliation can come across as overly simplistic. Where does The Tuskegee Airmen fall within the genre? Does the script feel nuanced? Why, or why not?
What did these characters have to prove? How emotionally and physically intense must this experience have been for them?
Which characters demonstrate courage, perseverance, and self-control? Why are these important character strengths?
Movie Details
- In theaters : August 26, 1995
- On DVD or streaming : January 23, 2001
- Cast : Laurence Fishburne , Cuba Gooding Jr. , Malcolm-Jamal Warner
- Director : Robert Markowitz
- Inclusion Information : Black Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : HBO
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : History
- Character Strengths : Courage , Perseverance , Self-control
- Run time : 106 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : thematic elements and brief strong war violence
- Award : NAACP Image Award - NAACP Image Award Winner
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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