I probably didn't need to rewatch Air Force One to give it a review, even though I hadn't seen it since its 1997 release in theaters - Die Hard on a plane, right? But sometimes, you want to watch something dumb. It's also interesting to look at older "patriotic" films (the 90s gave us TWO WHOLE blockbusters in which the president of the USA is a combat pilot) in the context of more recent history. Right away, President Harrison Ford is selling us on the idea of ethical American interventionism, hand in hand with the Russian president, and I'm whaaaaaaa?! Maybe they had it coming. The success of these Die Hard wannabes often lies in using the chosen environment well, and there's a definite sense of geography to the plane, which gives the film some legitimacy (in a way that the realpolitik does not - Ford is more believable as an action hero than a politician) and allows for a couple of crazy mid-air sequences. For most of the runtime it's just machine guns blazing though, which is much less interesting. Air Force One is a check-your-brain-at-the-door entertainment, formulaic (throw Ford's Jack Ryan movies into the pot for the full recipe), but not without its charms, though also, questionable motivations (we never find out what the traitor's deal is, and they make too much hay out of the VP not wanting to be president for a day).
Add your comment
Comments 1 - 8 of 8
Dieguito
Typical mid 90's. One-hero-man-movies!Siskoid
I probably didn't need to rewatch Air Force One to give it a review, even though I hadn't seen it since its 1997 release in theaters - Die Hard on a plane, right? But sometimes, you want to watch something dumb. It's also interesting to look at older "patriotic" films (the 90s gave us TWO WHOLE blockbusters in which the president of the USA is a combat pilot) in the context of more recent history. Right away, President Harrison Ford is selling us on the idea of ethical American interventionism, hand in hand with the Russian president, and I'm whaaaaaaa?! Maybe they had it coming. The success of these Die Hard wannabes often lies in using the chosen environment well, and there's a definite sense of geography to the plane, which gives the film some legitimacy (in a way that the realpolitik does not - Ford is more believable as an action hero than a politician) and allows for a couple of crazy mid-air sequences. For most of the runtime it's just machine guns blazing though, which is much less interesting. Air Force One is a check-your-brain-at-the-door entertainment, formulaic (throw Ford's Jack Ryan movies into the pot for the full recipe), but not without its charms, though also, questionable motivations (we never find out what the traitor's deal is, and they make too much hay out of the VP not wanting to be president for a day).fetzu
Oh, my. The writing and acting is so abysmal at times it rejoins with the sublime.On cinema at the cinema
Air Force One was basically shit. Not even Harrison Ford could save this.porscheguy19
"Get off my plane."Awesome movie. One of Harrison Ford's classics.
Most wanted
Also a great movie. The special effects are not well compared to what we are used to today, but despite that a GREAT movie!IreneAdler
Not a bad action movie, although I didn't really like the whole propaganda thing they had going on... but great acting by Gary Oldman.foxdanger
Score: 3/5Legend:
1/5 - Please, DON'T see this movie... NEVER!
2/5 - Bad
3/5 - Good
4/5 - Excellent
5/5 - Perfect! The Masterpiece! Epic!