Fire Birds (DVD, 2003)

Fantasically filmed movie. Several areas made me reminence about my own flying days with Military. Purchased as gift for son in law who has passion for flying

I have "Firebirds" in my library but... The premise is okay, but barely okay. And then there's the acting: Tommy Lee Jones is his stereotypical rapid fire, motormouthed military character who clearly seems out of place when he has to play a family man. And Nick Cage... Whew. The sequence where he's reporting to some higher-ups in the Pentagon is the by far the worst piece of acting I've ever seen him do. In fact I have to say that just about every scene he's in is waaay below anything else he's done. And Sean Young? It sounds like she's phoning in her lines from her motorhome. David Green did a great job as director but it looks as though he just didn't have any material to work with, story-wise. The set design, lighting and photography are great, the pyrotechnics and minatures work is outstanding (some of the most realistic minature explosions I've ever seen) and the cutting is great, but overall the show simply falls flat.

This is a great seller. It was a perfect description and My dad loved it as a fathersday gift A+++++++++++++++

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I had seen this movie several years ago. Unfortunely no one else liked it so it hadn't play in long time. I wanted to see it again. It was priced right and I wanted it.

One of my Favorite Movies of all time. Can't seem to find it around my local area, not even at the rentals. I had a friend who got a bad copy of a movie on Ebay and was hesitant to bid. Now I have no regreats. Great Quality DVD, perfect transaction with seller and quick shipping. First time I saw Nicolas Cage act was in this movie, and he did a wonderful performance. Tommy Lee Jones was classical as always and the beautiful Sean Young... well you know. Great lines and supurb arial combat.

I bought this movie because I'm a helicopter pilot, an Apache helicopter fanatic, a modern war movie fanboy, and a fan of all three main actors, including Nicholas Cage, Sean Young, and Tommy Lee Jones. This movie has a lot going for it. It has high aspirations, seeking to satisfy fans of this genre who suspended their disbelief enough to enjoy the high-fiving, supersonic roller-coaster that is Top Gun. Unfortunately, a frustrating, poorly edited, combination of three separate story lines causes it to fall somewhere between the feel-good transparent adventure of The Last Starfighter and the flat melodrama of Iron Eagle. The plot device that moves the overall story is the US Army's pride and joy, the AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter. The overall story though is really three subplots; namely, a window into the lives of the Army's "Top Gun" Apache pilots, a love story between characters played by Cage and Young, and a hastily thrown-together antagonist, in the form of the good ol' action movie standby: a South American drug cartel - whose avatar is the star villain in the form of an ace mercenary pilot with a history of ties to global terrorist organizations. This evil ace flies the Scorpion (the helicopter analog to a Russian MiG) against Nicholas Cage's and his Apache helicopter (the helicopter analog to the highly maneuverable and deadly A-10 Warthog). The climax of the movie and the confrontation between these two forces is a predictable outcome via a soulless attempt at the standard action movie payoff. I want to be clear that I'm not being harsh at all on the superior firepower of the US Army's amazing Apache, but rather the nose dive the character arcs take shortly after takeoff.

What could have made this movie Amazing instead of just Average would have been more focus on the hastily resolved conflicts and poorly explained history of the love between Cage and Young. This would have made us invest more emotion in those characters so that more was on the line when Cage showed his prowess in the cockpit. Also, the little details of life as an Army pilot would have been interesting to see. The US Air Force and US Navy get a lot of positive press, but we see so little about life as an Army aviator. It's like looking at the ocean from high above, where the big waves are visible but you miss out on all the interesting ripples, the structure that gives the sea its very character. Instead we're treated to brief, voyeuristic glimpses of pilot briefings with all the standard bravado and pre-battle morale boosting we're already familiar with from movies such as Top Gun or Battlestar Galactica. It would have been nice to see something new, or at least something that felt more genuine.

But enough with the negative. On balance, this movie is fun. If you're a pilot, and you like action movies, then get out the popcorn and have a little fun with this one. It's not a high budget action flick, but rather an exciting window into a world about which most people don't have the clearance to see. I give it an average rating of 3 stars. I'm tempted to add another star because of the highly satisfying engineer/pilot geek quotient of the movie, but I'll keep it honest and leave it at 3. Definitely worth purchasing or renting!

This movie is the "Top Gun" for helicopter fans. I bought it because I am a fan of Nicholas Cage and Tommy Lee Jones, and it was amazing to me to see how they looked in movies almost 20 years ago. The aerial shots in the movie were good, and I enjoyed the film. It didn't keep me on the edge of my seat, but it was well worth seeing, and I am glad to add it to my collection.

This Movie Makes My Heart Pound with excitement a must for the AirFighter!++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I've loved this movie since it came out, and it holds a special place in my son's heart ever since he was 2. I mean, who wouldn't want another Top Gun, only for helicopters? When I discovered it had been released on DVD, I jumped at the chance to own it, and even bought one for my son. The only reason I did not rate this item as Excellent is small, but significant. The manufacturer decided to change the cover art, and it turns out that a picture of Nicholas Cage isn't as neat as the sight of Apache attack helicopters flying into the sunset. Ah, well. 4 out of 5 ain't bad!

This was a rough "Top Gun" copy, but with Helicopters. I bought it because I love heli's, particularly of the military kind, and I also enjoy Nick Cage. The acting and videography was sad, but the arial acrobatics and special effects were great. There is wonderful footage of the "Apache" and "Little Bird" (called a "Scorpion" in the movie) heli's that made it worth it for me.
All in all, not a terrible movie, unless you're just not into military heli's.

Nick Cage and Tommy Lee Jones are top notch in this movie. Although Sean Young leaves something to be desired, as she does in every movie I've seen her in. Great story, effects, the works. Does have kind of a "Top Gun" feel to it so if you like that you'll like this one. Not the greatest movie for either actor but their talent pulls it off. The one thing the movie really lacks is a quaility soundtrack. Overall I would give an 8 out of 10.

I love this movie! The cast is great and I would recommend this movie to anyone who loves all sorts of movies and those that like action/war type movies! Tommy Lee Jones, Nicolas Cage and Sean Young are great! It is an older movie but it is still cool! I bought because I collect DVD's and also because I like the movie!

Like the movie very much, it is entertaining and exciting with the action. I do not care at all for the lead actor, he is terrible and I still wonder who he knows, that he got into movies. He dead pan, lifeless, no emotion or excitement in his voice or actions, he is terrible. But the story line and theme of this movie gets by without him, His presence in this movie is probably why it never did well. Cage is terrible, there I said it again.