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List Price: $9.98 | | Label: Republic Pictures
Salesrank: 19633
Released: May 16, 2000 |
| Our Price: $3.98 |
| Used Price: $1.97 |
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MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Wayne stars as squadron leader of the American Volunteer Group of Flying Tigers, who fought for China's freedom from the Japanese before the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: NR
Release Date: 26-MAR-2002
Media Type: DVD
Description of Flying Tigers:
John Wayne plays the tough commander of Flying Tigers, the famous fighter squadron that fought to save China from the Japanese. Wayne finds he is fighting a war on two fronts: he's taking on the enemy with only a handful of inexperienced men and patched-up planes while keeping a cocky new pilot from stealing his girl. The story has little in common with real history, and lots of classic post-Pearl Harbor propaganda fills the script. Regardless, the movie is all Wayne's, and Wayne fans will enjoy seeing the prototype for what would become the Duke's trademark portrayal of the military fighting man.
Although the pressure of making life-and-death decisions in wartime may be more maturely explored in Twelve O'Clock High, Flying Tigers still has enough characterization and action to keep the viewer's attention (not to mention special effects by the pioneering Howard Lydecker). --Mark Savary
Flying Tigers Reviews:
A peek at the AVG 
2009-10-19 - OK, in retrospect not a good movie to learn history by (the American Volunteer Group was primarily made up of U.S. military pilots "loaned" to China) nor was it a special effects spectacular (the cockpits of those P40s sure were roomy!) but it did tell the story of brave Americans trying to hold off the tide of the Imperial Japanese air forces. The story of American pilots flying against the Japanese at odds which would make most pilots think twice is a true one. This movie was produced after Pearl Harbor and helped to focus American attention on Japan's aggression, a subject which got little play until after bombs actually began falling on U.S. territory. Well worth finding and watching!
Warhawks Over China
2009-07-21 - Mad magazine once provided a great skit on movies made during the war versus movies made after the war. When it comes to "Flying Tigers", it is DEFINITELY part of the first group! Why? Well, we get to see every Japanese pilot as unfair flyboys who shoot the enemy, shout a war cry when attacking, and generally behave like barbarous primitives attacking innocent victims in their campaigns.
Opposing this fight are honest heroic volunteer pilots, mostly American, who fought against overwhelming odds to defend Chinese food relief areas and Children's hospitals. Great stuff! The film gets into the action almost immediately with diving P-40 Warhawks taking on Japanese bombers with cockpit shots of heroic blue eyed pilots chewing gum and showing their serious "dealers of death" faces during combat. (Actually the British also had volunteer pilots in the battle as well and there was more than one type of allied fighter flying in this campaign.)
It was a movie that was necessary at the time due to the serious setbacks that we were encountering at the hands of the Axis powers in 1942. Positive results had to be found and it was found in the defenders of China.
It is a bit of a "Cowboys in the Air" drama. The leadership provided by John Wayne is excellent, but truthfully John Carroll has almost equal billing in this flick. Really excellent scenes of Japanese pilots and the seeming necessity of every one of them to be shot in the eyes as they are going down makes for a war bond and stamp rally in the back of the theatre after it is over. I myself was ready to buy at the back of my den after watching this film!
Anyway, it's a period piece. Enjoy the entertainment value, it's certainly cheap enough to buy and you will be getting a real classic from the war era.
Fightin' Jap's in China
2008-12-26 - 'Flying Tigers' is a classic, and I like the movie a lot. I've watched the movie quite a few times over the years. But there are some inaccuracies, like when the P-40's attack 'Nakajima's', they are actually Buffaloes(!), but some planes are Japanese. And when the P-40's make head on passes, they always manage to shoot the Japanese pilots/gunners in the face. With a few mistakes here and there, I still like the movie.
Nice film, but I wish there was a colorized version on DVD!
2008-03-19 - This review is from: Flying Tigers; Flying Tigers
Although purists that enjoy this film as it was originally released in black & white may hate me for this, I think the colorized version that was released on VHS actually, looks quite good. The flying tiger airplanes are a very colorful airplane (my all time favorite vintage, war plane) and the colorized version of "Flying Tigers" on DVD would make these colorful planes look great! Just a suggestion!
Not much history 
2008-02-12 - Was in hopes of learning more about the Flying Tigers. Kind of hokie story line. Not worth the time. Hubby likes the flying but he always does.
