Rent Air Force One on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Andrew W. Marlowe
Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen
Starring: Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, Wendy Crewson, Paul Guilfoyle, William H. Macy, Liesel Matthews, Dean Stockwell
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
Demanding the release of a political prisoner, a terrorist and his gang hijack the U.S. president's plane.
Verdict
It doesn't reinvent the genre, but it adds enough shocks and thrills to go along with a more than credible cast. A president who doesn't negotiate with hostages has his plane hijacked, and they've taken his family. This time it's personal. Chaos in a tight space with the gravitas of Gary Oldman provides a reason to watch, but it's bested by movies that have done this thriller premise better.
It depends.
Review
An action packed opening starts the movie with soldiers infiltrating a Kazakhstan building to capture a rogue general. That's followed by our introduction to U.S. President James Marshall (Harrison Ford) who goes off script during a speech to denounce terrorists, reaffirming his position that he won't negotiate with them. His staff worries that will hurt him in the upcoming polls.
Marshall returns home on Air Force One, the presidential plane. We're suspicious of several men also boarding the plane claiming to be a journalists might be a plant. Being played by Gary Oldman ensures that Korshunov is a main character. After everyone is on board and the plane takes off the President's head of security executes security and provides Korshunov and his crew guns. They're shooting the plane and people with automatic weapons. I wasn't sure how that didn't create problems. While it wouldn't create explosive decompression, the bullets could certainly burst a window or affect the extensive wiring in the hull. The loudness might be the most prominent problem in an enclosed cabin. They unleash a lot of bullets to no ill effect, but I suppose it was just a different time.
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| Harrison Ford, Gary plays President James Marshall |
The pilots nearly land the plane as an emergency response before the hijackers force their way into the cockpit and divert the landing. Meanwhile the President's security shuffle him to an emergency evacuation craft, but we don't see him get in. Guess what, he didn't. He's on the plane, and the hijackers don't realize that.
This movie has to be inspired a bit by Die Hard (1988). It follows a very similar pattern though it pales in comparison. Ford is a fan favorite, though his character doesn't have the charm of Indiana Jones or Han Solo. Oldman brings gravitas to any role. He was fresh off playing the villain in The Fifth Element (1997). While he's unhinged in this, I suspect he has a plan.
Marshall tries to call the White House, but the operator doesn't believe it's really him, providing a moment of levity. Marshall is temporarily detained by one of the intruders but keeps the phone going in his pocket and relays a message to the VP to fire on the plane. It's a temporary diversion that while shocking doesn't change the situation.
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| Gary Oldman plays Egor Korshunov |
Korshunov believes it's just a secret service agent hiding in the cargo hold, not realizing who it is. He threatens to kill a hostage if the 'agent' doesn't surrender. Marshall is torn, but he doesn't react soon enough. It's a shock, but Korshunov isn't messing around. Marshall in turn manages to dump fuel, hoping that will force them to land. Instead the plane refuels in mid-air while Marshall helps some of the hostages escape via parachute.
Korshunov finally corners Marshall, threatening his family. At that, Marshall agrees to release the Kazakhstan general. On the ground, his staff tries to oust Marshall based on the personal nature of this negotiation. Even when Marshall gets control of the plane, they still have to make it to the ground. That's not an easy feat without a pilot and Russian jets attacking them.
This provides more than a few credible and exciting moments, but I could also instead watch Speed (1994), the Die Hard series, or The Rock (1996),
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