Air America

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Air America

R

Released Aug 10, 1990

1h 52m

Action

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

12%

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17 Reviews

34%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Despite having just had his Los Angeles pilot's license revoked, Billy Covington (Robert Downey Jr.) is hired by Air America, a clandestine airline operating out of Laos run by the CIA. He soon discovers that his mission is to covertly transport illicit goods in and out of Southeast Asia and that his copilot will be the wild-flying Gene Ryack (Mel Gibson). But when Covington begins expressing doubt about the dubious morality of their operation, the two hotheaded pilots become at odds.

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Jeff Beck

The Blu Spot

For all its attempts to be a number of genres & sub-genres, the somewhat odd result is that it ends up not doing any of them particularly well, turning the film into a kind of strange mix where nothing really stands out.

Rated: 2.5/5

Jul 10, 2025

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Air America is irresponsible as it is confusing. [Full review in Spanish]

Nov 11, 2022

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: D+

Sep 7, 2011

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Brian Orndorf

BrianOrndorf.com

Air America never finds a righteous pace -- it's an expensive ghost town mood with two handsome leads spending their screentime mentally cashing their paychecks.

Rated: D

Aug 12, 2010

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Rob Thomas

Capital Times (Madison, WI)

Everybody on-screen seems awfully bored.

Rated: 1/5

Aug 31, 2006

Full Review

Chuck O'Leary

Fantastica Daily

Rated: 3/5

Oct 8, 2005

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thiago s

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

06/16/25

Full Review

J H

It certainly passes the time.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/26/25

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Jason A

I've always loved watching it since I was little. Great cast and some humor and good memorable lines, too. "Excuse me, is that an Uzi?"

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/29/24

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Ryan S

Exciting, amusing 1990s comedy and action film. Great cast.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/14/24

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Stephen F

It's not the most cerebral and the plot meanders, but it's a great flying-themed movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/02/23

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Audience Member

I had read the Book, so the movie was obviously a travesty!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

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Roger Spottiswoode

Director

Mel Gibson

Gene Ryack

Robert Downey Jr.

Billy Covington

Nancy Travis

Corinne Landreaux

David Marshall Grant

Rob Diehl

Lane Smith

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Synopsis

Despite having just had his Los Angeles pilot's license revoked, Billy Covington (Robert Downey Jr.) is hired by Air America, a clandestine airline operating out of Laos run by the CIA. He soon discovers that his mission is to covertly transport illicit goods in and out of Southeast Asia and that his copilot will be the wild-flying Gene Ryack (Mel Gibson). But when Covington begins expressing doubt about the dubious morality of their operation, the two hotheaded pilots become at odds.

Director: Roger Spottiswoode
Producer: Daniel Melnick
Screenwriter: John Eskow, Richard Rush
Distributor: TriStar Pictures
Production Co: TriStar Pictures, Carolco Pictures Inc.
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 10, 1990, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 26, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $29.2M
Runtime: 1h 52m
Sound Mix: Surround, Magnetic Stereo 6 Track

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