Alerte à la bombe

Had this been made by Universal Studios instead of MGM, they might well have called it AIRPORT '72, so closely does it follow the template of that popular disaster movie series; it even casts Charlton Heston as a pilot two years prior to his playing a similar role in AIRPORT 1975. The film introduces us to the personal lives of several passengers, including a U.S. Senator (Walter Pidgeon), a jazz cellist (football legend Roosevelt Grier), a smart-mouthed teenage girl (Susan Dey from The Partridge Family), and a very pregnant lady (Mariette Hartley, who used to do those cute Polaroid commercials with James Garner)who probably shouldn't be flying to begin with at this late stage. There's also an unusually twitchy Vietnam vet on board (hammily played by James Brolin) which should remove all doubt as to who is leaving scary notes on the bathroom mirror and threatening to blow up the plane if his demand to be flown to Moscow isn't met. Yvette Mimieux and Leslie Uggams appear as two of the best-looking flight attendants in aviation history (they were called stewardesses back then, but then again that was a time when you could also smoke openly on a commercial airplane.) TV's Claude Akins shows up in the control tower, essentially playing George Kennedy. This sounds pretty ridiculous, and in some ways it is, but director John Guillermin (The Blue Max, The Towering Inferno) keeps up a brisk pace and makes this quite watchable, for what it is.

The movie is another jetliner epic with tough hero Charlton Heston . A Boeing commercial airline (the 'Global Airways' plane used in the movie was a World Airways Boeing 707 , N374WA) is hijacked . Commandant Charlton Heston along with crew and flight attendant (Ivette Mimieux ) taking on a dangerous bomber . The film is detailing hectic flighty hijacked by a dangerous terrorist and passengers' relationship . All clichéd and stock characters with regurgitation of all usual stereotypical situations from disaster films such as the musician , the pregnant girl (Mariette Hartley) , a nervous , crazed vet Vietnam (James Brolin), the senator (Walter Pidgeon) and his son (Nicholas Hammond). Taking place on fateful storm and freeze skies and the airplane heading to Russia . If you've seen the original ¨ Airport ¨ (George Seaton ) , the daddy of them all , you've seen them all , in fact , the terrorist character is likeness to Airport's Van Heflin.

The picture contains thriller , suspense , drama , moderated tension and is quite entertaining although with some flaws and gaps . Filmed at the height of the disaster genre from the 7os , this entry in the spectacular series profits of a strong acting by Charlton Heston , bringing conviction to character , he also starred a similar role at ¨ Airport 1975 ¨ (Jack Smight) . Look quickly to Claude Akins, John Hillerman , Jeanne Crain , among others , though doesn't appear the classic character Patroni (George Kennedy) , a saga usual . The motion picture was professionally directed by John Guillermin , habitual of disaster films (Towering inferno, King Kong , Kong lives) and airplane movies (Blue Max ) . The film is classified ¨parents guide¨ for a certain violence . It's an inoffensive diversion but is sometimes tediously unspooled . The film will appeal to Charlton Heston fans and disaster genre enthusiasts.

"Skyjacked" is an okay, if somewhat dated, watch. It's not much of a whodunnit because anyone who is paying attention can figure out who the villain is in about ten minutes. That doesn't really matter because the movie is pretty suspenseful most of the way through. "Skyjacked" does run out of gas towards the end but it's not a deal breaker. The movie is a little dated. It has a few too many flashbacks but that was not uncommon is the early 1970s. The cover of the DVD of "Skyjacked" that I own tried selling the movie as a "camp classic". This movie may be a little corny at times but it is not campy. For the most part, "Skyjacked" is a well made, exciting movie.

Commercial airliner piloted by Charlton Heston is hijacked by someone claiming to have a bomb. Whether you consider it a knockoff of Airport or not, it's very much in the same vein as that film and its sequels. I see IMDb gives away the identity of the hijacker in their summary which is weird since the first 40 minutes of the movie is about that mystery. No spoilers here though.

Full of the stereotypical cast you might expect from an Airport movie: the pilot and stewardess who used to have a thing (Charlton Heston, Yvette Mimieux), aging stars (Walter Pidgeon, Jeanne Crain), up-and-coming youngsters (Susan Dey and future Spider-Man Nicholas Hammond), professional athlete (Rosie Greer), pregnant lady (Mariette Hartley), and a troubled soldier (James Brolin). The tension aboard the plane is pretty good but the dated flashback sequences are silly. Not bad of its type. First 45 minutes or so is best. If you like the Airport movies you'll surely like this.

"Skyjacked," one of many "air disaster" films from "The High and the Mighty" to "Airport", is one of the best in the genre. Featuring a star-studded cast headed by Charlton Heston (as the pilot, of course) and Yvette Mimieux (head stewardess), it's a fast-paced, efficient study in suspense. Basically a story involving the attempted hijacking of a commercial airplane, it focuses on a small group of first class passengers who provide both the drama and occasional (intended) humor. Among them are a middle-aged couple (Ross Elliot and Jeanne Crain) worried about yet another job transfer, a senator and his son (Walter Pidgeon and Nicholas Hammond) a "hippie girl" (Susan Dey, on leave from "The Partridge Family" in her screen debut), a jazz musician (former football great Rosey Grier) and of course, a pregnant woman (Mariette Hartley), who is due any minute (apparently, the nun missed this flight). Also aboard is a young sergeant (James Brolin, who fit this in between seasons of "Marcus Welby MD). Last, but not least is Leslie Uggams making her film debut, as an assistant stewardess.

Despite the occasionally unintentionally funny dialogue and predictable situations which, let's face it, go with the territory, the film has enough action and melodrama to be consistently entertaining. The cast give it their all. Far more interesting than the love triangle between Heston, Mimeux and co-pilot Mike Henry (which is established in a few ludicrous, but mercifully short flashbacks) are the performances of those who play the passengers. Crain, as lovely as ever, (in her first film in five years,and her last) gets to assist in the delivery of Hartley's baby,(neither she, nor ''Co Midwife'' Mimieux can sing, and Grier won't turn his guitar loose, so we are spared an in-flight, improvised ballad) as well as a chance to attack the villain. Pidgeon doesn't have to say much to give his character authority, Hartley is charming, and Susan Dey is both natural and appealing. As for Grier, he displays a genial screen presence while Brolin even evokes a bit of viewer sympathy.

"Skyjacked" was a big hit when it was first released and got a big audience rating when it was shown on television as "Sky Terror". The photography is excellent, the music by Perry Botkin, Jr. ("Nadia's Theme") is unobtrusively effective, and the main theme is beautiful. Although "Airport 1975" was waiting in the wings, so to speak, "Skyjacked" holds it's own. It will be released this June on DVD in it's original Panavision aspect ratio. I for one, can't wait!