This is a bit of a curiosity. The fact that this crime thriller apparently aired on the Hallmark Channel is wild enough; that it starts out as a conventional crime drama and twists into the more niche genre of mid-air madness, well, that's a bit more substantively striking. That plot thread in and of itself, from ground to air, feels a little contrived; it's a maneuver of Movie Magic to say that an FBI agent would be contacted to liaison with Australian authorities, on the continent instead of over long-range communications, and at that before the Aussies have done some basic police work. It's also a little leap of logic to say that extreme measures wouldn't readily be taken, in the confined space of one aircraft, to ensure the safety of passengers by restricting everyone's movement (the captain need not even be specific about any incident). Why, for that matter, other characters needn't have done anything more than Stay Put of their own volition. Admittedly these are considerable hurdles to overcome as a viewer to get to the heart of the feature, though in fairness it's nothing that other pictures haven't struggled with. If we can just focus on that core, though, then this is modestly enjoyable. 'Code 11-14' is hardly an essential barnburner, but to my pleasant surprise, it's not half bad.
Engaging our suspension of disbelief as much as we can, the thriller airs that dominate the proceedings are pretty decent. In most regards this isn't anything very special; writing, direction, cinematography, production design, and all other such basic facets of the film's craft are Just Fine, in accordance with what is typical for the genre. The CGI employed to provide exterior shots of the plane in flight are less than seamless, and the feature also doesn't do a very good job of keeping the identity of the killer a secret. But you know what, again, so it goes. I do like J. Peter Robinson's score, and some of the editing is unexpectedly sharp. I think the cast give solid performances. Why, most notable of all in 'Code 11-14' may be the inclusion of Terry Farrell and Stephen Lang among the ensemble; both carry no small amount of name recognition, and they lend star power to a TV flick that might easily go completely unnoticed.
For any advantages it might claim, though, and anything about the film that might to any degree help it to stand out, still it's just passably entertaining on a basic level. There's nothing here that we haven't meaningfully seen before, just slight variations. Earnest acting from the cast is counterbalanced by the more questionable aspects of the writing. It looks okay, it sounds okay, we have spent our time thusly. When all is said and done this is pretty much squarely average; if you're a particular fan of someone involved there might be a compelling reason to watch - otherwise, you can probably do without. If you happen to come across 'Code 11-14,' there are worse ways to spend your time; just recognize that there are many other titles you should be prioritizing in its stead.
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