In 1914, "The Great War" - WWI - began in Europe. America chose at first not to fight, but some altruistic young Americans disagreed. A handful of volunteers decided to learn how to fly. The first of them - a squadron of only 38 - became known as the Lafayette Escadrille. In time, America joined their cause. The Escadrille pilots became legendary. Flyboys is inspired by their story.
Blaine Rawlings (James Franco) along with the other young Americans arrives in France, unable to speak the language and challenged by learning to operate a device that was only invented 10 years prior to the war-the airplane. At this point in time, France has been in battle for three years and has lost millions of men in battle.
Blaine and his squadron are trained under the command of the French Captain Thenault (Jean Reno). He and the other French pilots put the boys under vigorous training to prepare them for aerial combat. What they didn't realize was that they were about to embark on a great, romantic adventure, becoming the world's first combat pilots.
But it is when Rawlings falls in love with a local French woman named Lucienne he learns firsthand the costs of war as it has affected her and her family. When Lucienne finds herself behind enemy lines, Rawlings risks everything to save her and her family. Fighting a war that wasn't theirs, these young, na?ve adventure-seekers slowly learn the true meaning of love, brotherhood, heroism, courage, tolerance and, in return, gain a true reason to risk their lives.
Cast: James Franco, Jean Reno, David Ellison, Martin Henderson, Jennifer Decker
Directed by Tony Bill
English language with latvian and russian subtitles.