Where to Watch Fire Birds
- Rob MacKinnonJuly 23, 2026This is a pretty terrible movie. It’s basically “Top Gun”, but with helicopters, but it has none of that film’s style, dramatic tension or charm. In “Fire Birds”, Both Nicolas Cage and Tommy Lee Jones are the best at what they do and they keep telling each other that. “You’re the best. No, you’re the best. No, no it’s you. You’re the best.” In fact, there’s a sequence in which Cage keeps repeating, “I am the greatest! I am the greatest!” And Jones doesn’t deny it. The impediment to Cage’s inevitable success in his training is very minor, and the final mission holds no surprises whatsoever. The entire movie is very predictable and rather dull as a result. Sean Young is along as another helicopter pilot and token female love interest (apparently she and Cage had a prior relationship that he’s trying to rekindle), but they have zero chemistry together and are completely unbelievable as a couple. The only mildly interesting thing is that you can see Cage attempting to do something a little different with his underwritten cocky flyboy character, but even he cannot rise above the generic by the numbers material the script provides.
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Fire Birds was released on May 25, 1990.
Fire Birds was directed by David Green.
Fire Birds has a runtime of 85m.
Fire Birds was produced by Bill Badalato.
The U.S. Government is willing to help any country that requires help in ridding themselves of drugs with support from the Army. Unfortunately, the drug cartels have countered that offer by hiring one of the best air-combat mercenaries and have armed him with a Scorpion attack helicopter. The army decides to send in its best people from its Apache Air Combat school. But first they have to be taught how to fly air-to-air combat missions
The key characters in Fire Birds are Jake Preston (Nicolas Cage), Brad Little (Tommy Lee Jones), Billie Lee Guthries (Sean Young).
Fire Birds is rated PG-13.
Fire Birds is an Action, Adventure film.
Fire Birds has an audience rating of 3.5 out of 10.
Fire Birds had a budget of $22M.
Fire Birds has made $14.8M at the box office.