Better off ‘Red’

George Lucas’ decades-old labor of love Red Tails finally lands theaters Friday with the story of the heroic Tuskegee airmen, a group of African American pilots during WWII. Directed by Treme veteran Anthony Hemingway and produced by the Star Wars legend, Red Tails follows the pilots as they overcome racial prejudice and segregation to fly for their country and help defeat the advances of Hitler’s Nazi forces. Convincing their superiors to shift them from behind-the-lines duty to daredevil assignments protecting Air Force bombers, these successful young pilots changed the way our military looks at race. Bryan Cranston, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Terrence Howard star. Rated PG-13.