On the plus side, the movie doesn't shy away from showing the importance of religion in the lives of these pilots. We see them pray before battle and as a part of their regular routine. They acknowledge the role God plays in their lives and how his presence can sustain someone in a time of war. These pilots talk about how every time they close that canopy on their plane, they know they just might be closing the lid on their coffin. How could one possibly face that without knowing what comes next?

In fact, in war time or peace, I don't think any of us can truly face death without asking those big questions: what happens when we die, where to we go, and what if the Bible is right? The way all of this is presented in the film is done quite well. Where many other movies might make this material more humorous or controversial or something else, here it just is. It's just a part of who some of these men were, no more, no less, no commentary necessary.

Red Tails should have been an easy story to tell. Having talked to some WWII vets myself who knew some of the Tuskegee Airmen, I know for a fact that this is a compelling story, yet somehow in this movie it doesn't really feel that way. There are moments that are interesting, compelling, entertaining, exciting and even on occasion rather moving; but the pieces don't come together to form a worthwhile whole. Is Red Tails worth seeing? If you can catch at the dollar theater or on Netflix, sure. Otherwise, I'm afraid that a film I had such high hopes for is just too much of a disappointment to justify paying full price for at the boxoffice

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