Air Force One (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Ever pictured Harrison Ford as the President of the United States? Now you can in 'Air Force One', directed by Wolfgang Petersen. A military partnership btwn. Russia & the U.S. resulted in the capture of the dangerous Gen. Alexander Radek (Jurgen Prochnow), the self-appointed dictator of Khazakstan. A group of terrorists, led by psychotic Ivan Korshunov (Gary Oldman), comes up with an elaborate plan to get aboard Air Force One for a trans-Atlantic trip from Moscow to D.C.. Once above the clouds, Korshunov (and his Russian hi-jacking crew) seize the plane; having disguised themselves as newspaper reporters. Their goal? To terrorize the President (plus his family & staff) into calling Moscow for release of General Radek.
Back on the mainland, the VP (Glenn Close) is doing her mightiest to diffuse the dangerous situation in the sky. But Korshunov is relentless in his malice; claiming he'll kill 1 hostage for every half hour that Radek is still imprisoned. All that said, however, being an ex-soldier, the President has a trick or two up his own sleeve. And with 6 bad guys holding 50 passengers at gun point (including his 12 yr. old daughter, & the first lady, played by Wendy Crewson), can the President defeat his foes? Can he regain control of the plane & rescue everyone? You find out in 2 breathless, action-filled hours.
'Air Force One' is simply a powerhouse movie. As a meat & potatoes action/thriller, it succeeds wonderfully; containing 3 essential components: tension, suspense & unpredictability. The story isn't that original (picture Die Hard in the sky), but Wolfgang Petersen (as he did with Das Boot) makes what could have been a preposterous premise become both reasonably realistic & exciting. And what's more thrilling than having the President of the United States be the hero? Haha. While this may be a crowd pleaser (due to the cast & film genre), there is great skill on display, as well. The dialogue has moments of wit, the editing is stellar, the set design (plane) is cool, the sound editing & special effects are great (tons of gunfire, explosions, etc.), & the score gets your heart pumping.
Harrison Ford's James Marshall is charismatic, competent, tough, gritty, & almost too-good-to-be-believed. He's sometimes a bit ham-fisted in his line delivery. But it works because he's Harrison Ford. Gary Oldman is exceptional as our unhinged villain; using a Russian accent and nuance-laden body language to great effect. If we hate him (and we do), then he'd done his job well. And Glenn Close is riveting to watch as she juggles tons of dire phone calls & opinions on what to do (from a plethora of the U.S.'s top political advisors). Now, the film goes on a tad too long. And as mentioned, parts of the plot verge of preposterousness/implausibility. I mean, think about it. But overall, 'Air Force One' is a dynamic popcorn movie. The climax may raise you out of your seat. It should do well at the box office. And your $$ will be well spent if you choose to see this on Friday night.
Back on the mainland, the VP (Glenn Close) is doing her mightiest to diffuse the dangerous situation in the sky. But Korshunov is relentless in his malice; claiming he'll kill 1 hostage for every half hour that Radek is still imprisoned. All that said, however, being an ex-soldier, the President has a trick or two up his own sleeve. And with 6 bad guys holding 50 passengers at gun point (including his 12 yr. old daughter, & the first lady, played by Wendy Crewson), can the President defeat his foes? Can he regain control of the plane & rescue everyone? You find out in 2 breathless, action-filled hours.
'Air Force One' is simply a powerhouse movie. As a meat & potatoes action/thriller, it succeeds wonderfully; containing 3 essential components: tension, suspense & unpredictability. The story isn't that original (picture Die Hard in the sky), but Wolfgang Petersen (as he did with Das Boot) makes what could have been a preposterous premise become both reasonably realistic & exciting. And what's more thrilling than having the President of the United States be the hero? Haha. While this may be a crowd pleaser (due to the cast & film genre), there is great skill on display, as well. The dialogue has moments of wit, the editing is stellar, the set design (plane) is cool, the sound editing & special effects are great (tons of gunfire, explosions, etc.), & the score gets your heart pumping.
Harrison Ford's James Marshall is charismatic, competent, tough, gritty, & almost too-good-to-be-believed. He's sometimes a bit ham-fisted in his line delivery. But it works because he's Harrison Ford. Gary Oldman is exceptional as our unhinged villain; using a Russian accent and nuance-laden body language to great effect. If we hate him (and we do), then he'd done his job well. And Glenn Close is riveting to watch as she juggles tons of dire phone calls & opinions on what to do (from a plethora of the U.S.'s top political advisors). Now, the film goes on a tad too long. And as mentioned, parts of the plot verge of preposterousness/implausibility. I mean, think about it. But overall, 'Air Force One' is a dynamic popcorn movie. The climax may raise you out of your seat. It should do well at the box office. And your $$ will be well spent if you choose to see this on Friday night.