For the share of the audience that thinks - with all the reason - that airplanes are the most majestical machines ever made, Les Chevaliers du Ciel (France, 2005) is practically a guarantee of satisfaction. Sort of a french version of Top Gun, the movie has, off course, pilots so photogenic as their jets. One of them, inclusive - is actor worthy of his name - the Benoít Magimel from The Bridesmaid and The Piano Teacher. There are female pilots too (even so this attempt of sexual equality breaks down when one of them makes a striptease standing on a Mirage). The title is kind of fake, since in the subject of marketing it is common knowledge that the europeans don't compete very well with the Americans. As is of custom of french cinema, has dialogues even more wordy then expected in the genre and tries to stage a believable scenery for the action. But for certain it isn't for the intrigue or the inevitable romance that Les Chevaliers du Ciel distinguishes itself: it is because of the spectacular aerial scenes, that kicks down badly with their hands tied its American predecessor.
During an aerial show, a Mirage 2000 runs away in the middle of the demonstration, hides from the radar flying above a passenger Airbus 340 and opens fire on the pilots that goes to investigate the occurrence. The film proposes that this is going to be the new plan of terror: graduate from civil to military aviation - and, if somebody thinks that it will be used bearded man wearing turbans for this kind of operation, better think again. All the action sequences of Le Chevalier du Ciel were made on the heat of the moment, with real jet fighters and no digital additives. They are, besides that, singularly well-planned, and make great use of the clouds, mountains and cities (including Paris) - reference points that accent to the limit the sensation of vertigo proportioned by the extreme high speed maneuvers. With a propaganda so efficient as the common European product, it is not admiring that the movie counted with all the good will of the military and french aerial trusts. What is weird is that the Americans were the only ones that didn't had any interest in acquiring the right to distribution of Chevaliers. Must be of shame.
During an aerial show, a Mirage 2000 runs away in the middle of the demonstration, hides from the radar flying above a passenger Airbus 340 and opens fire on the pilots that goes to investigate the occurrence. The film proposes that this is going to be the new plan of terror: graduate from civil to military aviation - and, if somebody thinks that it will be used bearded man wearing turbans for this kind of operation, better think again. All the action sequences of Le Chevalier du Ciel were made on the heat of the moment, with real jet fighters and no digital additives. They are, besides that, singularly well-planned, and make great use of the clouds, mountains and cities (including Paris) - reference points that accent to the limit the sensation of vertigo proportioned by the extreme high speed maneuvers. With a propaganda so efficient as the common European product, it is not admiring that the movie counted with all the good will of the military and french aerial trusts. What is weird is that the Americans were the only ones that didn't had any interest in acquiring the right to distribution of Chevaliers. Must be of shame.