President Han Solo is Passenger 57
Thanks to a series of events, Oldman and his gang of merry terrorists take over the 747 called Air Force One. Will they get their way? Will Close stay close to the phone? Will Oldman's accent slip?
Petersen directed In the Line of Fire, so when it comes to political thrillers, the man has his stuff together. AF1 begins with a daring raid on a villa carried out by paratroopers. The way this sequence is photographed with you floating down to the palatial digs along with them. A masterful cinematic sequence.
One could whine that the flick is nothing more than Die Hard on a 747. Well, that's true. But about any movie which pits the Hero against overwhelming odds could be described as Die Hard on a ------, so get over it.
The key to the movie experience is how well does the director pull off his story. Do you believe the premise? Are there only minor plot holes that a truck could not drive thru? Does the dialogue flow naturally?
The answers are yes. Petersen takes an excellent script and delivers the goods. The movie builds early to a satisfying level of tension and does not let up till the expected ending. Everyone pulls their lines off with aplomb. Kudos to nearly everyone.
The CGI was good, but not outstanding. There was a notable lack of creativity with the "camera" angles chosen for the 747 (and other planes) as it lumbered thru the night sky. What happens to the 747 at the end was especially poor.
But if you want a good, solid, tension-filled thriller, then all I can is Air Force One delivers. Not a masterpiece, but not a turkey either.
Movie's suitability for: