Air America: Steelbook Edition - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Air America: Steelbook Edition



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
In the early 1990s, Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. were at the top of their game. Gibson was a powerhouse action star with several massive hits under his belt, and Downey Jr. was the '80s heartthrob who was transitioning to more adult roles. So when the powers that be cast him opposite Gibson in an anti-war action/comedy film, you can bet there was a lot of hype for the flick. Sadly, Air America became one of those films that is just lost to time for the most part, with fans of both actors almost forgetting that it exists. While billed as a comedy with some action elements, Air America played out more like a finger-wagging anti-war drama with a few chuckles along the way, straddling the fence and pleasing no one in the process. And, as much as I ADORE Mel Gibson as an actor, this was just not the best of his collection by far, and I remember why I haven’t watched my Blu-ray since it was released in 2009.

It’s the year 1969 and the CIA are using a group of civilian pilots under the “Air America” label down in Laos, Cambodia and Burma in order to fund bits of the Vietnam war, as well as keep an eye on the locals down there in fears of them joining up in the conflict. It has also been alleged (if not outright almost proven) that the CIA was using General Vang Pao of the Laos Army to smuggle drugs into the United States (as a way to keep money flowing into their operation, much like the infamous Iran-Contra debacle during the Reagan Administration).

Entering into this fictional retelling is baby-faced Billy Covington (a 25-year-old Robert Downey Jr.), a bored helicopter pilot who has just had his flying license revoked due to grandstanding for an altercation involving his copter and a semi-truck. The CIA noticed his stunt and sent one of their guys over to offer him a sweet deal. Fly for them in Air America and get to do all the crazy stunts you want on Uncle Sam’s dime. Don’t worry, we’re not doing anything war-related! And we’ll pay you a lot! Turns out that the CIA are about as trustworthy back then as they are today, throwing him straight into the thick of things where poor Billy finds out that everything he was told was a lie. The ex-Air Force Major running things down there (Ken Jenkins) is blatantly running dope for General Lu Soong (Burk Kwouk, best known for playing Cato in the Pink Panther films) to fund the operation.

Veteran pilot Gene Ryack (Mel Gibson) takes young Billy under his wing, teaching him the ropes of living down low in the jungle with no pension plan, and doing what it takes to formulate their little nest egg if things go south. Simultaneously, Senator Davenport (Lane Smith) has come down to make sure everything is operating above board, causing the major and General Soong to look for an obvious scapegoat in the pilots to pin the whole drug smuggling ring on.

The film itself is fairly mediocre and rote, acting as a weak facsimile of shows like M.A.S.H., while still being good enough to be at least moderately entertaining. The Air America plot line with drugs and political machinations falls flat, though, with very little oomph behind it. But to counter that, Mel and Robert’s camaraderie elevate a boring film into something worth seeing, even if it’s not enough to really make the movie good. This was at a time when Gibson could do no wrong, and Robert Downey Jr. was on top of the world as America’s heartthrob. The two working together make for some good chemistry, but sadly, it just can’t keep the rest of the movie from just sputtering out.




Rating:

Rated R By the MPAA




4K Video: Video

By all estimations, Lionsgate is either using the same master as the Studio Canal release used back in 2024 with their own encode, or else it’s a direct clone of that disc, depending on what Studio Canal gave Lionsgate. Either way, the results are rather good. The Blu-ray from back at the beginning of the format war (which is included here as the combo pack portion) was never the best-looking disc, and by modern-day standards, it looks even worse. Back in the early days of the format, it was an easy 4/5, but now that we have more modern masters and encodes, it certainly isn’t a 4/5. Comparing this disc against said Blu-ray makes it VERY clear that there was a lot more to be gleaned from the source, as evidenced by the new scan from the 35mm negative that this was derived from.

Clarity and detail levels are way up over the Blu-ray, with facial details and backgrounds alike showing the benefits. The first scene with Mel and Robert up in the plane, where you get to see their faces, is jaw-dropping. Blu-ray is a soft mess, while the 4K discs allow you to see all the stubble and pores on the actors' faces. Green foliage looks fantastic with the Dolby Vision upgrades, and I noticed that the grain structure looks a TON better. The Blu-ray always had problems with chunky grain that varied from scene to scene, thanks to the DNR, while the 4K UHD looks a lot better resolved and more consistent. One thing to note is that the colors look a bit different than what I remember. Faces are a bit more pale, and the ruddiness is not nearly so prevalent in up-close shots. I’m not sure if that was a problem with the old BD or whether some digital tinkering has been done for this release, but it’s not a big deal in my personal opinion, as the benefits outweigh the cons here. While not perfect, this is still a solid disc. I wanted to give it a 4.25/5 if I could, but I felt that a 4.5/5 was just a LITTLE too high, so I rounded down to 4/5 just to be safe.







Audio:

Unlike the Studio Canal disc that had the 7.1 DTS-HD MA track from the Blu-ray AND a 2.0 theatrical mix, Lionsgate has opted to simply use the 7.1 mix for this disc (no other audio tracks on board). The 7.1 mix is a bit of an overkill encoding for the film, as Air America never had a massively bombastic mix. It was sourced from an original 2.0 mix and expanded out, but it was never a wild difference. The mix is a bit forward-heavy, with decent surround usage for the sequences involving the planes or a small shootout. Bass is pretty mild, though, and only comes into play outside of the airplane throbbing in the air once or twice. One minor thing to note, though. In the scene where Mel is talking to the “hillbilly” Laos natives negotiating an arms trade, the subtitles aren’t present. Something which is different from all the other versions of the movie out there, including the Studio Canal release (according to my sources). Again, a minor nitpick, but I noticed it.






Extras:

• Commentary by Screenwriter John Eskow
• Return Flight - Revisiting Air America
• Short Interviews with Cast and Crew
• Pre-Flight - The Storyboards of Air America
• Feature Clips
• Flight Log
• Making Of Featurette
• Theatrical Trailer
• 2024 Trailer

Final Score: ​

Air America was never the best of the anti-war films, nor was it one of the better Mel Gibson movies, either. It was still a solid comedy/action film with Mel and Robert Downey Jr. before their unfortunate career demises (for much different reasons, I might add). The 4K UHD is a solid effort with good picture and the same solid audio from the Lionsgate Blu-ray from years ago. The movie overall is pretty forgettable unless you’re a fan, but the tech specs make this a solid upgrade over the Blu if it tickles your fancy. Like Law Abiding Citizen, it is an Amazon exclusive, so expect to pick it up there only at the moment. Solid Watch.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Mel Gibson, Robert Downey Jr., Nancy Travis, Ken Jenkins, Lane Smith, Art LaFleur
Directed by: Roger Spottiswoode
Written by: Christopher Robbins, John Eskow, Richard Rush
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 7.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Studio: Lionsgate
Rated: R
Runtime: 113 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: June 10th, 2025

Recommendation: Entertaining Enough

 

[Asere]

Wow, I had forgotten about this one. Another childhood film for me. Thanks for the review.