FLYBOYS **

Some judicious editing and a half hour of film on the cutting room floor could have easily turned this feature into one I could recommend. Sadly, what we get instead is a turgid plot with several subplots that could easily have been removed. The cast does fine and the production values are top notch. The aerial action scenes, and there are several, are exciting and save this production from being a disaster.

The story is about a mixed bag of Americans who fought as pilots for the French in the years before the United States entered WWI. While the setting is supposed to be in France, the production was centered in England and on a British soundstage.

To get the impact of the action scenes you need to see this on a big screen with top notch surround sound. Anything less and you've got a real snoozer.