Birdy (1984) R - 3½ Stars

Alfonso "Al" Columbato (Nicholas Cage) and Birdy (Matthew Modine) become friends after Al wrongfully accuses Birdy of taking a knife. After sparing with each other, they gain new respect and become the best of friends. Birdy is a quiet boy that keeps to himself and has and obsession with birds. He yearns to fly and become one of them. Al helps him build a coop and the two go on a mission to capture new birds. He studies them closely and learns how to make wings that behave like theirs. He and Al test them out and he gains the sensation of flight. Eventually it is Birdy who has been captured by the birds - spiritually that is. Al starts to notice a difference in his friends behavior and scorns him to snap out of it.

The two are separately sent to Vietnam Nam and Al's face is badly burned when a grenade goes off next to him. Birdy crash lands right in the center of battle and amidst all the death and flames, looses his mind and thinks he's a bird. Birdy is hospitalized and doesn't speak only stares out the window. While Al is healing, he tries to help save Birdy from a life long sentence of insanity.

Man Nicholas Cage has a 12 pack in this movie.

TriStar Pictures
Director: Alan Parker
Writers: Alan Parker, Sandy Kroopf, Jack Behr
Producer: Alan Marshall

I viewed 4/07