Fire Birds (1990)
Average Rating: 3/10
Reviews Counted: 16
Fresh: 1 | Rotten: 15
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 2.2/10
Critic Reviews: 6
Fresh: 0 | Rotten: 6
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 2.8/5
User Ratings: 6,705
My Rating
Movie Info
Nicolas Cage stars in the below-par action film Firebirds -- a dying ember from Reagan-era nationalistic jingoism. In this Top Gun retread, Cage plays Jake Preston, a hotshot Army helicopter pilot who is being trained to use the U.S. Army's Apache aircraft to destroy the drug fields of a South American drug cartel. It up to his taskmaster instructor Brad Little (Tommy Lee Jones) to teach Jake humble lessons before he can be trusted to launch into the skies against the drug dealers. While Jake is
May 24, 1990 Wide
Feb 3, 2004
Cast
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Nicolas Cage
Jake Preston -
Tommy Lee Jones
Brad Little -
Sean Young
Billie Lee Guthrie -
Bryan Kestner
Breaker -
Bert Rhine
Stoller -
Dale Dye
A.K. McNeil -
Mary Ellen Trainor
Janet Little -
J.A. Preston
Gen. Olcott -
Nicole Kristin Barnes
Sam Little -
Cylk Cozart
Dewar Proctor -
Samuel Hernandez
Latino Pilot -
Charles Kahlenberg
Oscar DeMarco -
Charles Lanyer
Darren Phillips -
Harrison Le Duke
Broker -
Garth Le Master
Waiter -
Robert Lujan
Steward Rives -
Peter Michaels
Lt. Steve Dobbs -
Peter Onorati
Rice -
Illana Shoshan
Sharon Geller -
Judson Spence
Singer -
Marshall R. Teague
Doug Daniels -
Phillip Troy Linger
Dance Partner -
Gregory Vahanian
Tom Davis -
Scott Williamson
Scott Buzz -
Kristin Wynn
Jesse Little -
Mickey Yablans
Butch Tippet -
Richard Soto
Capt. Tejada -
-
-
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All Critics (16) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (1) | Rotten (15) | DVD (1)
Fire Birds resembles a morale booster project leftover from the Reagan era.
With a gung ho script, sometimes rudimentary editing and uninvolving relationships, the whole effect is rather flat.
Top CriticFire Birds has one director (David Green), two writers (Nick Thiel and Paul F. Edwards) and many laughs, all of them unintentional.
Cage is a magnetic presence, for sure, but little things -- like making an actual connection with his costar -- are beyond him.
In a certain way, with the help of insomnia and perhaps the closure of one eye, Fire Birds actually works in a minor key. Let's just say it's the best 77-minute Apache helicopter actioner starring Nicolas Cage I've ever seen.
What makes Birds truly riveting entertainment is not the conflict between good and bad guys, but the clash between the film's apparent intent and the loony subversiveness of its performances.
Cage's worst movie to date.
We get five minutes of halfway-decent action that hardly makes up for the other 90 minutes of this lukewarm diarreah-fest.
Nicolas Cage and Tommy Lee Jones in a helicopter adventure. You've been warned.
The actors try hard, but only Jones manages anything approaching sympathy; Cage seems to be doing a bizarre John Agar imitation and Young is terribly miscast.
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I thought "Fire Birds" was a good action movie. It might not be the best of its kind, but it's certainly not a bad movie. The training sequences and the final showdown between the Fire Birds and their major enemy is exciting. If you like action movies and especially if you like flying movies, I recommend getting "Fire Birds." NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2000. Underrated action/flying flick to me.