The Flyboys (film)
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''The Flyboys'' (released Internationally as ''Sky Kids'') is a 2008 American
aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot a ...
adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme ...
film starring
Reiley McClendon Reiley McClendon (born Eric Reiley McClendon II; March 11, 1990) is an American actor. He has appeared on such television shows as ''Will & Grace'', ''Zoey 101'', and ''Medium'', as well as in Disney Channel films such as '' Eddie's Million Do ...
, Jesse James,
Stephen Baldwin Stephen Andrew Baldwin (born May 12, 1966) is an American actor, producer and director. He has appeared in the films '' Born on the Fourth of July'' (1989), '' Posse'' (1993), '' 8 Seconds'' (1994), ''Threesome'' (1994), ''The Usual Suspects'' ...
and Tom Sizemore. ''The Flyboys'' revolve around a "coming-of-age" story of two boys from a small town who find their courage tested when they accidentally stow away aboard an aircraft owned by the mob. This was the final film for actor
Harrison Young Harrison Richard Young (March 13, 1930 – July 3, 2005) was an American character actor and known for playing old Ryan in ''Saving Private Ryan''. Career Young gained recognition for his role as the elderly Private James Ryan in Steven S ...
, who died three years before the film was released.


Plot

In a small
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
town, the new kid, Kyle, finds himself saving one of his classmates, Jason, from a group of bullies and they quickly become friends. Jason takes Kyle to the local airport where his uncle Ed works, and they all go on a flight. Thrilled about the adventure, they plan to meet again the next morning at the airport. On their own they check out some planes, first sitting inside a small light aircraft before Jason leads them to a mysterious hangar with a larger plane. While trying out the controls of the silver colored twin-engine airliner, the hangar doors unexpectedly open and the boys immediately hide to avoid getting in trouble. They hope that whoever it is will simply leave shortly so they hide in the rear baggage compartment but to their dismay the plane gets started and heads for takeoff. Jason sneaks a peak to see who is on board and is startled to see that one of the men has a gun. At a stopover at an unknown airport, a small bag gets placed into the boys' compartment. The plane takes off again and after a while the boys discover the bag contains a bomb. They burst into the cabin to report their discovery but are shocked to see that the plane is empty. Kyle throws the bomb out of the door while Jason gets in the cockpit to maneuver the plane away from a mountainside. Together they then manage to safely land the aircraft. The two are regarded in the news as heroes, but their troubles have now caught up to them. Jason and Kyle soon realize that they are embroiled in a criminal effort to steal millions of dollars from the mob. In the process of staying one step ahead of gangsters, they find their courage to come out on top. They are taken to a mansion where they had a gunfight with the owner Angelo Esposito. There they also meet Angelo’s brother Silvio and his partner Lenny Drake, who are secretly the two men that were in the plane. After Angelo thanks the boys for saving his plane, he orders Silvio and Lenny to take them home. On the way, Jason speaks through Kyle’s walkie talkie which caused Lenny to hear it from the walkie talkie he took from the plane which was Jason’s and attempted to shoot them with his gun. However, he is stopped by Silvio and is forced to step out of the car. Silvio berates Lenny for his lack of intelligence and that he betrayed Angelo just for the money. Lenny shoots Silvio and starts a chase with the boys which ends with Kyle getting captured by Lenny. Lenny orders Jason to meet him at the hangar in 15 minutes, otherwise, he would kill Kyle. When Kyle and Lenny reach the hangar, they meet Ed, and Lenny orders him to get in the plane, which Ed complies to. Jason made it to the hangar and got in the plane in the nick of time before it took off. Meanwhile, Silvio tells Angelo that Lenny shot him and thanks him for looking after him before succumbing to his injuries. Lenny orders Ed to fly high enough for him to escape with the money. When Kyle tells Lenny that Angelo would punish him, Lenny attempts to throw Kyle out of the plane. Ed turns the plane to prevent Lenny from doing that. Lenny tries to shoot Ed, but Kyle stops him. This gives Ed enough time to beat up Lenny, while Jason takes control of the plane. When Kyle threw the gun to Ed, he and Lenny fight over it. During the fight, Kyle throws the money out of the plane, much to Lenny's frustration; Kyle suddenly slipped out of the plane. Ed beats up Lenny and tells Jason to get the parachute, and they both jump out of the plane. Ed puts on the parachute and Jason holds on to him. Ed manages to save Kyle from falling and they land safely. Angelo then comes in a helicopter and asks if Kyle and Jason are all right, while Lenny, still on the plane, crashes into a mountain and the explosion kills him. Angelo then asks Kyle and Jason where Silvio is. When they reach Silvio, they found out he already died from his injuries. Jason returns home and his grandpa gives him one of his medals for his bravery. Meanwhile, one of the bullies was busy fixing his car, until two of Angelo’s guards named Manny and Sal, picked him up and threatened him. Angelo gives Kyle and Jason a new plane as their wish, and they, along with Ed and Kyle's mom, Samantha, fly off into the sunset.


Cast

*
Reiley McClendon Reiley McClendon (born Eric Reiley McClendon II; March 11, 1990) is an American actor. He has appeared on such television shows as ''Will & Grace'', ''Zoey 101'', and ''Medium'', as well as in Disney Channel films such as '' Eddie's Million Do ...
as Kyle Barrett * Jesse James as Jason McIntyre *
Stephen Baldwin Stephen Andrew Baldwin (born May 12, 1966) is an American actor, producer and director. He has appeared in the films '' Born on the Fourth of July'' (1989), '' Posse'' (1993), '' 8 Seconds'' (1994), ''Threesome'' (1994), ''The Usual Suspects'' ...
as Silvio Esposito * Tom Sizemore as Angelo Esposito * J. Todd Adams as Lenny Drake * Dallen Gettling as Ed Thomas * Jennifer Slimko as Samantha Barrett *
Robert Costanzo Robert Jason Costanzo (born October 20, 1942) is an American film, television and voice actor. He has an acting career spanning over 40 years and is often found playing surly New York City types such as crooks, low-level workers and policemen, a ...
as Carmine * Vince Cecere as Manny *
Frank D'Amico Frank D'Amico (December 20, 1955 – June 1, 2008) was an American actor and stand-up comedian. He was perhaps best known for playing Armond in the 2007 film '' The Dukes''. D'Amico was born in Mount Vernon, New York, and attended Mount Vernon ...
as Sal *
Harrison Young Harrison Richard Young (March 13, 1930 – July 3, 2005) was an American character actor and known for playing old Ryan in ''Saving Private Ryan''. Career Young gained recognition for his role as the elderly Private James Ryan in Steven S ...
as Grandpa Thomas * Blaire Baron as Susan Thomas * Tommy Hinkley as John McIntyre * Joanne Baron as Ms. Poulson * Dylan Kasch as Rick * Jesse Plemons as Bully #1 * Travis Whitney as Bully #2


Production

Producer, director and screenwriter Rocco DeVilliers worked with a $2.4 million budget, meagre for a major production. Including pre-production, work on the film took over seven years. Once production was complete, the film was shopped around to major studios and distributors but was not successful in making any headway. Ultimately, despite 21 wins at numerous film festivals, ''The Flyboys'' was relegated to a DVD release, re-titled as ''Sky Kids''. Promotional efforts then centered on the new title. The film was broadcast on Sky Movies UK on August 15, 2009. It was released on DVD in the UK titled Sky Kids on May 25, 2009. ''The Flyboys'' was filmed in parts of Southwestern Utah, mainly in
Hurricane, Utah Hurricane ( ) is a city in Washington County, Utah, United States. Its population was 20,036 as of the 2020 United States Census estimates. The Hurricane valley makes up the easternmost part of the St. George Metropolitan area and is becomin ...
,
St. George, Utah St. George is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Utah, United States. Located in southwestern Utah on the Arizona border, it is the principal city of the St. George Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The city lies in the northe ...
,
Washington, Utah Washington is a city in south central Washington County, Utah, United States and is a part of the St. George Metropolitan Area. The area is also known as Utah's Dixie because the Mormon pioneers who settled the St. George area came to the ar ...
and
Zion National Park Zion National Park is an American national park located in southwestern Utah near the town of Springdale. Located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert regions, the park has a unique geography and a variety of ...
. Principal photography took place at
Mesquite Airport Mesquite Airport is a public use airport located two nautical miles (4  km) north of the central business district of Mesquite, in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is owned by the City of Mesquite. The National Plan of Integrat ...
, in
Clark County, Nevada Clark County is located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,265,461. Most of the county population resides in the Las Vegas Census County Divisions, which hold 1,771,945 people as of the 2010 Census, acros ...
, United States. The aircraft used in the film included: a Bullock Bu-180 (N145BB), Beech 18S (CZ -265, N476PA), Beech A36 Bonanza,
Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil The Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil (or Squirrel), now Airbus Helicopters H125, is a single-engine light utility helicopter originally designed and manufactured in France by Aérospatiale and Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters). In North America, ...
(N410JC), and Piper PA-34-220T Seneca III (N83878).


Reception

In 2008, Devilliers embarked on an odyssey of film festivals all over the United States, with ''The Flyboys'' picking up 21 individual awards. A total of 14 awards were for best feature film while Steven Baldwin was also nominated for best supporting actor."Awards: Sky Kids (2008)."
''IMDB''. Retrieved: May 19, 2019.


See also

* List of American films of 2008


References


Notes


Citations


Bibliography

* Beck, Simon D. ''The Aircraft-Spotter's Film and Television Companion''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company, 2016. .


External links

* (website down) * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Flyboys, The 2008 films 2000s adventure films 2008 independent films American aviation films American children's adventure films American independent films Films about children Mafia films Warner Bros. films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films