Air America (1990): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1990, Air America is an action, comedy, drama and adventure film directed by Roger Spottiswoode, running about 112 minutes. “The few. The proud. The totally insane.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Air America was the CIA's private airline operating in Laos during the Vietnam War, running anything and everything from soldiers to foodstuffs for local villagers. After losing his pilot's license, Billy Covington is recruited into it, and ends up in the middle of a bunch of lunatic pilots, gun-running by his friend Gene Ryack, and opium smuggling by his own superiors.

Who’s in it. Air America stars Mel Gibson as Gene Ryack, Robert Downey Jr. as Billy Covington, Nancy Travis as Corinne Landreaux and Ken Jenkins as Major Donald Lemond, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.8/10, Air America has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response. It went on to earn $57.7M at the box office.

Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Air America page.

If you liked it. Fans of Air America tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.