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Harrison Ford lines up beside John Wayne and Clint Eastwood, rather than Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, as a no-nonsense president who cuts terrorists no slack in Sony's "Air Force One".
As a man-of-action commander-in-chief who follows his principles rather than public-opinion polls, Ford is inspirational and electrifying, bravely taking on a gang of terrorists who have commandeered his plane, Air Force One.
Chart a course of $100 million-plus grosses for this taut, high-flying film from director Wolfgang Petersen, and count my write-in ballot for Ford in the next presidential election. Although its carry-a-big-stick theme may cause limousine liberals to squirm, this pulsating political actioner should prove cathartic for mainstream viewers who yearn for a decisive, gutsy executive branch of government.
As seems to be tradition in recent president-centered entertainments, Ford stars as a Midwestern-bred chief executive who, like Michael Douglas in "The American President", finds that the only drawback to his job is that he can't keep track of his alma mater's gridiron conquests in a timely fashion. Undeniably, he's from jock stock and has nailed down a number of medals for his heroic service in Vietnam. In short, don't tread on this guy, and especially, don't mess with his family, namely the first lady (Wendy Crewson) and first daughter (Liesel Matthews).
Andrew W. Marlowe's scenario is crafty and well-crafted from the post-Cold War front pages, credibly emanating from the chaos in the former Soviet Union. In this narrative extension, terrorists posing as Russian journalists take over Air Force One as it heads back to Washington following the president's from-the-heart speech to Russian dignitaries promising that the USA will no longer tolerate human-rights violations and will not negotiate with terrorists.
That promise is immediately tested when Air Force One is taken over by terrorists demanding the release of the fascist general in Kazakhstan (Jurgen Prochnow) who has been captured and imprisoned as a result of joint U.S. and Russian cooperation. Although Marlowe's dialogue contains some expositional clunks, it also sizzles: An honorable mention in the "Make My Day" category of best macho one-liners for Ford's snarl -- "Get off my plane".
No director can generate more thrust in a contained space than the German-raised Petersen. He packs as much explosive wallop in the enclosed space of a jet plane as he did in the cramped confines of a submarine ("Das Boot"). Petersen's direction is kinetically charged, using every inch of space and every aesthetic to jet- propel this small-set actioner into big-screen dimension.
While there's no discounting the thermodynamic power of the technical team, it's the players who make this story-load fly. Let's start with a hail to the chief: It's hard to remember when someone acted so presidential. As the chief executive, Ford is forthright, charismatic, brave and honorable.
Similarly well-cast is Gary Oldman, who layers his role with just the right amount of megalomania and martyr-envy.
Packed and tightly wired with no narrative slack, Petersen and his expert technical team have fused an explosively powerful human drama. Highest praise to cinematographer Michael Ballhaus for the tight framings and sharp slants and editor Richard Francis-Bruce for triggering the white-knuckle cadence.
AIR FORCE ONE
Sony Pictures Releasing
Beacon Pictures and Columbia Pictures
present a Radiant production
A Wolfgang Petersen film
Producers Wolfgang Petersen, Gail Katz,
Armyan Bernstein, Jon Shestack
Director Wolfgang Petersen
Screenwriter Andrew W. Marlowe
Director of photography Michael Ballhaus
Production designer William Sandell
Editor Richard Francis-Bruce
Visual effects supervisor Richard Edlund
Costume designer Erica Edell Phillips
Music Jerry Goldsmith
Casting Janet Hirshenson, Jane Jenkins
Sound mixer Keith A. Wester
Sound designers/supervisors Wylie Stateman, Peter Michael Sullivan
Color/stereo
Cast:
President James Marshall Harrison Ford
Ivan Korshunov Gary Oldman
Vice President Kathryn Bennett Glenn Close
Grace Marshall Wendy Crewson
Alice Marshall Liesel Matthews
Chief of Staff Lloyd Shepherd Paul Guilfoyle
Agent Gibbs Xander Berkeley
Maj. Caldwell William H. Macy
Defense Secretary Walter Dean Dean Stockwell
NSA adviser Jack Doherty Tom Everett
Gen. Alexander Radek Jurgen Prochnow
Press Secretary Melanie Mitchell Donna Bullock
Running time -- 118 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
As a man-of-action commander-in-chief who follows his principles rather than public-opinion polls, Ford is inspirational and electrifying, bravely taking on a gang of terrorists who have commandeered his plane, Air Force One.
Chart a course of $100 million-plus grosses for this taut, high-flying film from director Wolfgang Petersen, and count my write-in ballot for Ford in the next presidential election. Although its carry-a-big-stick theme may cause limousine liberals to squirm, this pulsating political actioner should prove cathartic for mainstream viewers who yearn for a decisive, gutsy executive branch of government.
As seems to be tradition in recent president-centered entertainments, Ford stars as a Midwestern-bred chief executive who, like Michael Douglas in "The American President", finds that the only drawback to his job is that he can't keep track of his alma mater's gridiron conquests in a timely fashion. Undeniably, he's from jock stock and has nailed down a number of medals for his heroic service in Vietnam. In short, don't tread on this guy, and especially, don't mess with his family, namely the first lady (Wendy Crewson) and first daughter (Liesel Matthews).
Andrew W. Marlowe's scenario is crafty and well-crafted from the post-Cold War front pages, credibly emanating from the chaos in the former Soviet Union. In this narrative extension, terrorists posing as Russian journalists take over Air Force One as it heads back to Washington following the president's from-the-heart speech to Russian dignitaries promising that the USA will no longer tolerate human-rights violations and will not negotiate with terrorists.
That promise is immediately tested when Air Force One is taken over by terrorists demanding the release of the fascist general in Kazakhstan (Jurgen Prochnow) who has been captured and imprisoned as a result of joint U.S. and Russian cooperation. Although Marlowe's dialogue contains some expositional clunks, it also sizzles: An honorable mention in the "Make My Day" category of best macho one-liners for Ford's snarl -- "Get off my plane".
No director can generate more thrust in a contained space than the German-raised Petersen. He packs as much explosive wallop in the enclosed space of a jet plane as he did in the cramped confines of a submarine ("Das Boot"). Petersen's direction is kinetically charged, using every inch of space and every aesthetic to jet- propel this small-set actioner into big-screen dimension.
While there's no discounting the thermodynamic power of the technical team, it's the players who make this story-load fly. Let's start with a hail to the chief: It's hard to remember when someone acted so presidential. As the chief executive, Ford is forthright, charismatic, brave and honorable.
Similarly well-cast is Gary Oldman, who layers his role with just the right amount of megalomania and martyr-envy.
Packed and tightly wired with no narrative slack, Petersen and his expert technical team have fused an explosively powerful human drama. Highest praise to cinematographer Michael Ballhaus for the tight framings and sharp slants and editor Richard Francis-Bruce for triggering the white-knuckle cadence.
AIR FORCE ONE
Sony Pictures Releasing
Beacon Pictures and Columbia Pictures
present a Radiant production
A Wolfgang Petersen film
Producers Wolfgang Petersen, Gail Katz,
Armyan Bernstein, Jon Shestack
Director Wolfgang Petersen
Screenwriter Andrew W. Marlowe
Director of photography Michael Ballhaus
Production designer William Sandell
Editor Richard Francis-Bruce
Visual effects supervisor Richard Edlund
Costume designer Erica Edell Phillips
Music Jerry Goldsmith
Casting Janet Hirshenson, Jane Jenkins
Sound mixer Keith A. Wester
Sound designers/supervisors Wylie Stateman, Peter Michael Sullivan
Color/stereo
Cast:
President James Marshall Harrison Ford
Ivan Korshunov Gary Oldman
Vice President Kathryn Bennett Glenn Close
Grace Marshall Wendy Crewson
Alice Marshall Liesel Matthews
Chief of Staff Lloyd Shepherd Paul Guilfoyle
Agent Gibbs Xander Berkeley
Maj. Caldwell William H. Macy
Defense Secretary Walter Dean Dean Stockwell
NSA adviser Jack Doherty Tom Everett
Gen. Alexander Radek Jurgen Prochnow
Press Secretary Melanie Mitchell Donna Bullock
Running time -- 118 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 7/18/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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