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''Air America'' is a 1990 American action comedy film directed by Roger Spottiswoode, starring Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. as Air America pilots, during the Vietnam War, flying missions in Laos.〔Curry 2004, p. 158.〕 When the protagonists discover their aircraft are being used by other government agents to smuggle heroin, they must avoid being framed as the drug-smugglers. The plot of ''Air America'' is adapted from Christopher Robbins' 1979 non-fiction book, chronicling the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency financed airline during the Vietnam War to transport weapons and supplies in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam in the 1960s, subsequent to the North Vietnamese invasion of Laos.〔Hamilton-Merritt 1999, p. 8.〕 The publicity for the film, advertised as a light-hearted buddy movie, implied a tone that differs greatly with the actual film's tone, which includes such serious themes as an anti-war message, focus on the opium trade, and a negative portrayal of Royal Laotian General Vang Pao (played by actor Burt Kwouk as "General Lu Soong").〔Gilvear, Kevin. ("Air America." ) ''DVD Video Review'', October 10, 2004. Retrieved: January 4, 2015.〕 ==Plot== In late 1969, Billy Covington (Robert Downey Jr.) works as a helicopter traffic pilot for a Los Angeles radio station, but after breaking several safety regulations on the job, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration suspends his pilot's license. His piloting skills, bravery and disregard for the law are noticed by a mysterious government agent, who tells Billy that he can get his license back if he accepts a job in Laos, working for a "strictly civilian" company called Air America. The stranger indicates the air mission in Laos is "Top Secret" and the fact that American soldiers are stationed in Laos is a cover-up. Unemployed and unable to find work, Billy takes the job. In Laos, he is introduced to Air America's unorthodox pilots and aircraft, being taken under the wing of Gene Ryack (Mel Gibson), a cynical and eccentric pilot and an arms dealer who uses official flights to buy black market weapons for his private cache. His dream, which he refers to as his "retirement plan", is to make a sale big enough so that he can afford to quit his job at Air America. The next day, Senator Davenport (Lane Smith) arrives in Laos on a "fact finding mission" to determine if Washington, D.C. rumors are true about Air America's drug smuggling business. Major Lemond (Ken Jenkins) and Rob Diehl (David Marshall Grant), CIA leaders of Air America, have a cover-up in place. Senator Davenport is shown around refugee camps, shrines, temples, and major cities in a careful deception to keep him out of the loop. At the same time, while airdropping livestock into rural villages in their C-123 cargo aircraft, Billy and Jack Neely (Art LaFleur) are shot down. The Air America rescue effort turns out to be nothing but a cover for the transport of opium. When the Pilatus PC-6 of General Soong (Burt Kwouk) arrives at the crash site, his soldiers load bags of opium on board, but leave Billy and Jack behind with Communist forces moving in. Gene and another pilot arrive and while he boards Gene's helicopter, Billy's crew escapes in the other aircraft. When Billy and Gene's helicopter takes fire and crashes, they are captured by a rural tribe. Gene notices that the tribe is using obsolete and unreliable guns, striking a deal to trade for better weapons. Allowed to go free, Billy and Gene retreat to Gene's house, where Billy is surprised to discover that Gene has a wife and children. Already disillusioned with US actions in Laos, Gene convinces Billy to quit his job with Air America, but Billy wants to get even with General Soong for betraying him when he crashed. Meanwhile, Senator Davenport upset with Air America officials, demands to know who is smuggling heroin. Soon after their return to base, the pilots learn that during his search for Billy and Gene, Jack was killed and is now being blamed as the ring leader behind the drug trafficking. Enraged, Billy purchases grenades on the black market and uses them to blow up the heroin factory but guards see him running away, and General Soong and Major Lemond use him as their fall guy. The next day, Gene finds a buyer for his arsenal, allowing him to leave gunrunning, quit Air America, and take his family out of the country. Meanwhile, Billy accepts one more flight before he actually quits. With co-pilot Babo (Tim Thomerson) assigned to transport flour to a refugee camp but they are instructed to land at an airstrip for "routine inspection". Billy immediately suspects a set-up, as a search reveals several kilos of heroin hidden in flour sacks. With his fuel gauge tampered with, Babo and Billy crash-land on the same airstrip where Billy crashed a few days earlier, and use the wreckage of the previous crash to hide the smaller aircraft. Gene, on his way to make his final, largest weapons delivery, flies in to rescue Babo and Billy after wondering why Billy can't seem to keep anything in the air. Billy convinces him to respond to a distress call from the refugee camp, caught in the crossfire between General Soong's men and a band of local rebels. Gene tries to rescue the United States Agency for International Development official (Nancy Travis) in charge of the camp, however, she refuses to leave without the refugees. After some initial resistance, Gene dumps the weapons to make room for the refugees, blowing up the weapons cache to cover their escape. In the air, Gene and Billy come up with a scheme to sell the aircraft to give Gene his money back. Despite Diehl and Lemond's efforts to implicate Billy, the Senator threatens to reveal their operation to Washington. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Air America (film)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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