Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Pluskylang Great Film overall

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Fluke_Skywalker 'American Flyers' features a strong cast who gamely (and yet sadly unsuccessfully) attempt to breathe life into a script that is leaden with an overflow of 80s melodrama; the most egregious of which is a third act switch-a-roo that feels every bit the cheap storytelling gimmick that it is.The race action is well shot, but dull and un-engaging. If director John Badham thought he was delivering a rise to your feet and cheer sports movie, he was sadly mistaken.Despite the best efforts of the impressive assembled talent, 'American Flyers' gets a flat long before it crosses the finish line.

Mr-Fusion "American Flyers" makes for some decent sports entertainment if you fancy competitive cycling; but even as sports movies go, the '80s offered better options. I have to admit, it was on-the-cusp-of-stardom Kevin Costner's confidence in the role that kept me in this game. It wasn't until the 90-minute mark that things actually got pretty good. Not just with those scenic mountain passes, but it also finally attains some of the emotional weight it's been dancing around all this time (which has been mostly McDonald's commercials and a soundtrack right out of a beer commercial). And then it just . . . stops. There wasn't really anything in that last race to get all tense about.

derekryter OK. not a cinematographic masterpiece, but there are some great nuggets from a lost period in American bike racing. The film came out in 1985, the year that Greg Lemond broke into the Tour de France and beat his teammate Bernard Hinaut, though The Badger got to win it (Lemond won his first the following year). And the Coors Classic was the best racing outside of Europe, with Team 7-eleven breaking into the continent. The Muzzin character with 7-11 was modeled directly after Alexi Grewal, who won gold in the 1984 Olympics and won the Bob Cook Memorial race up Mount Evans twice. He also had emotional/anger problems. The Soviet team was brought in after the cold war tensions and the Olympics, though they should have been a French team to make it accurate.You might even see a banner in the first stage south of Boulder with a Denver TV station logo and "Coors Classic" that didn't quite get hidden.A mushy movie, predictable turns, geographic mistakes in the footage, and some weak acting, but a good movie if you are in, or love, American road racing--and remember how it started in the Rockies.

TJPhotoGuy This is one of my top 30 movies of all time. This movie is mainly about competition - digging down as deep as you can, and putting it all on the line - which sometimes still isn't enough to win against someone next to you. Yes watching it today it seems a bit corny, but the plot and story is excellent. There's also love, tragedy, drama and beautiful scenery in this one. For the uninformed, the twist at the end will send you in a whirlwind.Also noteworthy is the fantastic music in this movie.Highly recommended.-TJ