Air Force One (1997)

Air Force One, the US Presidential aircraft, is en route from Moscow with President Marshall (Harrison Ford), his wife, his daughter and his top government officials aboard, when it is hijacked by Communist radicals lead by Ivan Korshunov (Gary Oldman), a ruthless terrorist, who is threatening to kill passengers unless General Radek, the self-proclaimed leader of Kazakhstan, is released from prison. Faced with no choice, President Marshall must fight back against the terrorist to secure the safety of everyone aboard.

Overall Review Score

10 out of 10

Review

Air Force One opens with a gusto that surprises the audience and sets the tone for the film in earnest. While en route from Moscow, President Marshall is aboard Air Force One and is feeling somewhat muted after a Special Forces team has captured General Radek, the self-proclaimed leader of Kazakhstan, little does he know that this Presidential flight will shortly descended into mayhem. As his, and the audiences, in-flight entertainment consists of armed terrorists – who want General Radek released from Prison. After this whirlwind opening that has the audience on their edge of their seats ready for more, the film serves up good acting from the main cast with a side order of explosive action scenes, a deadly game of cat and mouse around the entire interior of Air Force One and a hostage negotiation like none other. This film does not insult the audience by dumbing down the politics or the action – it’s a gritty, in your face thriller that goes from strength to strength as the script unfolds. The film delivers some meaningful and memorable lines including: "When you talk to the President, you might remind him that I am holding his wife, his daughter, his chief of staff, his national security advisor, his classified papers - and his baseball glove!", "Never again will I allow our political self-interest to deter us from doing what we know to be morally right. Atrocity and terror are not political weapons. And to those who would use them, your day is over. We will never negotiate. We will no longer tolerate and we will no longer be afraid. It's your turn to be afraid." and, of course, the infamous "Get off my plane!". Wolfgang Petersen the director, Andrew W. Marlowe the writer and the Jerry Goldsmith the composer have created an instant classic with this film – the action and suspense are supported well with a heart pounding, adrenaline filled soundtrack, which leaves you wondering why more Presidents cannot be like Marshall. Similarly, the use of real F-15s, a real 747s and Gary Oldman physically, with force, hitting Harrison Ford makes it both exciting and equally shocking at the same time. Overall, Air Force One combines multiple elements together in an effortless manner to create a special, unique and fresh film worthy of the plane, and name, it is using. It is a film that should feature in the ‘must watch list’ of every filmgoer and the ‘top 10’ list of greatest films ever for film enthusiasts.

Reviewer 1's score & comments:

Score: 10 out of 10

Comments:

Director Wolfgang Petersen delivers an instant classic with Air Force One, its story, cinematography, musical score and mix of tension and action oriented scenes hooks the audience and keeps them entertained throughout. Superb acting is shown by Harrison Ford, who commands attention as the President of the United States and Gary Oldman, who plays a very convincing radical terrorist. Mix this with the drama associated with the film's dramatic turn of events, as one of the President's staff turn against him, and the suspense surrounding the moral choices faced by the Vice President , played by Glenn Close, easily makes Air Force One a real delight to watch time and time again.

Reviewer 2's score & comments:

Score: 10 out of 10

Comments:

What to say about this? Apart from amazing from start to finish. Air Force One starts with a big action set piece and ends in equally spectacular fashion. More aptly named as Air Force Fun by Director Wolfgang Petersen, it sees an all-star cast including five Oscar nominees: Harrison Ford, Glenn Close, Gary Oldman, William H. Macy, and Dean Stockwell deliver stellar performances that quickly engulfs the audience and takes them through a rollercoaster of emotions, as every twist and turn of this political action thriller unfolds. Air Force One features everything you would expect from a big Hollywood blockbuster. It has explosive action set-pieces; gun fights; Machiavellian enemies; fighter jets; human elements, such as, a father wanting to protect his family and a thrilling game of wits between Vice President Kathryn Bennett (Glenn Close) and Ivan Korshunov (Gary Oldman) and much more. It is a film that is visually beautiful, musically scored to perfection, and will leave the audiences on the edge of their seats. Overall, Air Force One is a political action thriller that is grossly engaging, stupendously entertaining and staggeringly good from start to finish.

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