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| Air Force One |
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  (8/10)
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Runtime: 124 |
| Public Rating: 8.36 (125 votes) |
Director: Wolfgang Petersen |
MPAA Rating:  |
| Genre: Action/Thriller |
Year: 1997 |
| Writer(s): Andrew W. Marlowe |
| Distributor: 1 |
| Reviewed by: Scott S. |
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There seems to be hundreds of movies where a plane is hijacked by international terrorists, but not many of them can compare to "Air Force One." A good script and strong actors help this movie with an unoriginal plot, stick out from the rest.
President of the United States, James Marshall, (Harrison Ford) has finished his stay in Russia and is headed home on the Air Force One, the presidential Boeing 747 aircraft. A gang of Russian terrorists disguise themselves as reporters, and soon seize the plan after take off. On board along with the president, is his wife and daughter, and several members of the president's cabinet.
One the ground, the situation is run by the vice president, (Glenn Close) as she does her best to appease the Russian terrorists. Their main demand is the release of a Russian prisoner, who was charged for a slew of international crimes.
The terrorists are much crueler in "Air Force One" than in other hijacking movies, say for example Executive Decision. The group is led by Egor Korshunov, (Gary Oldman) who doesn't put up with people who don't take him seriously, or fail to do things when their deadline they set, passes. They kill at will, and make conditions tight for the hostages. At the right opportunity, the president's guards sneak him in the emergency escape pod, which will parachute to the ground upon release. But when the rescue team opens the hatch when it lands, guess who isn't inside. C'mon, like we would expect the president to leave his family on board while he parachutes to the ground safely in his little pod! Of course, all the staff members, including the Vice President, back at the white house are surprised when President Marshall didn't escape when he had the chance.
The terrorists do believe, however, that Marshall has evacuated, which gives him an advantage as he hides in the plane, eventually getting into a struggle with one of the hijackers. After winning his first match, Marshall has a gun, and is ready to get rid of the terrorists, and to get his plane back. But as he soon finds out, that won't be as easy as he had hoped. It’s hard to imagine any recent modern day president take on the role of Rambo, but then again, this is Hollywood.
"Air Force One" is an intense thriller, as these terrorists aren't as stupid as many are in some of the other movies. The plot is also stronger as this isn't one of those movies where a flight attendant winds up landing the plane herself (cough, Turbulence), and saves the lives of everybody on board. Harrison Ford is solid, and is the poster of what every President should be. Too bad that will never happen.
There are a few cool dog fights in the air, as American Air Force pilots battle the Russians as they try to shoot down Air Force One. More complications arise such as lack of fuel, little patience of the terrorists, and staff members that appear to be good guys, when they are actually terrorists themselves.
"Air Force One" isn't the first hijacking of a plane movie, but it is one of the better ones. It's a fun ride, and doesn't stop until the plane lands, or does it?
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