Air Force One
1997 Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
Synopsis
The fate of a nation rests on the courage of one man.
Russian terrorists conspire to hijack the aircraft with the president and his family on board. The commander in chief finds himself facing an impossible predicament: give in to the terrorists and sacrifice his family, or risk everything to uphold his principles - and the integrity of the nation.
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All the best action movies have a very strict formula that they have to stick to in order to be considered a success. With regards to Air Force One, I’d like to briefly tackle this formula by breaking it down into its five constituent parts. These are:
1. A ludicrous storyline / situation.
2. A neoconservative backdrop, into which said storyline can comfortably slot.
3. A pantomime villain and a hero whom it is impossible to dislike.
4. A cliché-ridden and jingoistic, yet hugely quotable script.
5. An epic soundtrack.Allow me to begin, as one should, with the first two points on the above checklist. Dragged kicking and screaming out of the eighties, Air Force One is a…
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So Harrison Ford over the years has played Han Solo, Indiana Jones, Jack Ryan, AND The President of the United States?!
I think somebody deserves their BAMF wallet and license...
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Brilliantly ridiculous.
Great credit has to go to the director Wolfgang Peterson for stopping all out laughter from Air Force One's viewers.
It's ridiculous.
And the special effects have dated.
But it's also fucking great.
Air Force One is an adrenaline, and fist, pumping, well executed, action thriller.
Dodgy Accented, yet Brilliantly Evil Gary Oldman on a Plane.
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Scott Mendelson from Huffington Post did a pretty cool write-up of this film the other day, which made me want to revisit it, and it turns out it's slightly better than I remember it from the four or five times I saw it on TV as a child, but not by much.
As an action movie, it's competent, but not much more. It's one of the better "Die Hard on an X" movies I can think of in terms of stakes, claustrophobia, vulnerability of hero, and especially affability of villain. Gary Oldman's Ivan Korshunov is already the most interesting part of the movie on paper, but since it's Gary Oldman he completely steals the movie up until his very Hans…
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It's nice to see a movie that portrays the President Of The United States as a man, more than a figure.
It's also nice to see the President kick ass and take names, but that's just me.
"Get off my plane!"
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Air Force One is a terrific film. It boasts some strong performances by everyone, Gary Oldman is terrific as the villain. He is just jaw dropping. I think that Gary Oldman is seriously an underrated talent, and he deserves more praise than he gets. Both Harrison Ford and Oldman keep this film afloat by bringing some believable acting to the table. Also worth mentioning is the performance of Glenn Close who was great as the vice President. Air Force One is a superb action film brilliantly directed by Wolfgang Peterson director of Das Boot (one of the best War films ever made) and In The Line Of Fire. Overall this is a solid work cinematic action and is a very enjoyable popcorn flick, Air Force One is one bad a$$ed thrill ride!
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This is appallingly written with obvious plots, a tedious over-accented villain, hokey confected drama and an unearned earnestness, no doubt pitched as Die Hard On A Plane... With A President. Its only value is so that one can marvel at the lax security of a plane in 1997, a time when - if this film is to be believed - people would cheer at a fax machine.
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Patriotic drivel that's well-served by nearly everyone involved: the acting, editing, and music are especially instrumental in making it as good as it is. Ford's commanding presence is perfect for his American president-turned-action hero.
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Air Force One is a terrific film. It boasts some strong performances by everyone, Gary Oldman is terrific as the villain. He is just jaw dropping. I think that Gary Oldman is seriously an underrated talent, and he deserves more praise than he gets. Both Harrison Ford and Oldman keep this film afloat by bringing some believable acting to the table. Also worth mentioning is the performance of Glenn Close who was great as the vice President. Air Force One is a superb action film brilliantly directed by Wolfgang Peterson director of Das Boot (one of the best War films ever made) and In The Line Of Fire. Overall this is a solid work cinematic action and is a very enjoyable popcorn flick, Air Force One is one bad a$$ed thrill ride!
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This may have been my first R rated film I watched without my parents knowing.
Han Solo is on a plane with bad men
Gary Oldmen is the bad man. -
Tight and effective, Harrison Ford makes for the most badass President on film to date. But it's truly Gary Oldman that steals this plane, I mean show. His turn as a Russian terrorist allows this film to never release my attention.
This is an American film (seriously, that music, man). And I love it.
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Die Hard is my all time favorite film and the amount of poo-ey rip-offs often annoys me, however, every now and then, amongst the dung there is a diamond, this is one of them. Air Force One is, as many have referenced as, Die Hard on a plane with Harrison Ford in the role of John McClane as the president of the United States. Its fast paced, its tense, its exciting, it is true nostalgic action and its a lot of fun. The effects may be a little dated and I would have liked to have seen a bit more of Ford, but Air Force One is a magnificent but ridiculous action film. The music is very American and throughout…
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Brilliantly ridiculous.
Great credit has to go to the director Wolfgang Peterson for stopping all out laughter from Air Force One's viewers.
It's ridiculous.
And the special effects have dated.
But it's also fucking great.
Air Force One is an adrenaline, and fist, pumping, well executed, action thriller.
Dodgy Accented, yet Brilliantly Evil Gary Oldman on a Plane.
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Old actors trying their best to act with green screen. AND GARY OLDMANS IN IT!
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It's good to compare this to Olympus Has Fallen, and seeing just how badly Antoine Fuqua missed the mark. I had forgotten that Air Force One was Rated-R, and while the violence is harsh, it never feels brutal. It's also willing to really push the envelope when it comes to killing people you didn't think would die, but it always works to keeping the tension going. It really is "Die Hard on an Airplane, and John McClane is the President", and it works.
It's also notable for being Harrison Ford's last great movie (He's fine in K-19 and What Lies Beneath, but not particularly memorable), and another stellar turn by Gary Oldman. Immediately after watching Air Force One, I wanted to re-watch The Professional, which I didn't know I could rent on Amazon Prime (cue The Price Is Right failure music).