Ground Control

"Ground Control" tells the story of Jack Harris, a former air-traffic controller who quit after a "situation" with a flight he was handling. Jack is pressed into service as an ATC again during a staffing crisis at the control center. Needless to say, Jack has brief "flashbacks" at work. Also needless to say, he steps in to "save the day" during an extraordinary problem at the control center. Predictable? Heavens, yes. Oddly enjoyable? Yeah, sure...keep your expectations low, though...

Five years after he was kicked off the job after being on shift during a plane crash, Jack Harris is called back into the job to cover a busy Christmas period (if only to run the printer tags). However, Jack takes over from a rookie and gets back into it despite flashbacks. However his skills are pushed to breaking point when the traffic control system suffers several major failures and power cuts.

Like the vast majority of viewers, I came to this film on the back of Sutherland's recent return to the spotlight in 24. In the advertisement this film appeared to be a tense film about the tight world of air traffic control, however in reality this film fails to ever really get going or have anything which grips or engages. The plot is pretty full of holes and episodic, it relies on the characters speaking jargon really quickly more than making the danger and urgency of any of the situations seem real. Some have said that this film is not realistic - I don't know, but I suspect they are right. Certainly it fails to make any valid points about a system that (in the UK) many acknowledge is starting to show cracks at best.

The film's episodic nature suggests it lacks any sense of focus other than the general situation that made up the film's pitch. This sucks any momentum out of it and leaves it stuttering a lot. The cast look like they will prevent this - at least on paper they do, in reality they are bogged down by a film that must have looked like it had potential to be as taut as an elastic band. Sutherland does OK but can't find the tension any better than I could. Comparisons with 24 are null and void, even if his character here is called Jack. Leonard is pretty good in support but not even a cast that includes faces like McGill, McGillis, Swanson and Winkler can raise this above average.

While it is not awful, it is just really unmemorable to say the least. The plot isn't sure where it is going and goes nowhere as a result. With this the tension falls away to zero and the well-known cast only serves to remind that potential is being lost in all areas with this film.

i was bought this film as a gift and was not expecting much from it. After 10 minutes of the film i was hooked. The story line is a little predictable however, its done very well. Keifer Sutherland is at his best and delivers a great performance. It just goes to show that just because a film is not packed with special FX and CGI doesn't mean its not a top notch film.

If any airport in the US were this badly maintained, it would be shut down before you could say 'Thrust Reverser'. The number of thing that go wrong here and the jury-rigged way this tower is put together is almost comical.

Having said that, Keifer's acting is rock solid as always. Kelly McGillis is not so bad, and Buffy takes an unusual turn as a nerd. Not anything I would go out of my way to see, but not bad if you come across it on TV either...

Note: The steering by way of using the thrust on the engines was a real life incident. Unfortunately, the results were not quite so good.

BTW, why didn't Fonzie just bang his fist on the computers to fix them? Ayyyy!!!

General Synopsis of the movie is that after a crash, a top rated Air traffic controller leaves the business. Then 5 years later is brought back for one night due to the facility being understaffed and too many planes coming in....

This movie actually should have been pegged as a drama instead of action/adventure...but be that as it may, it was rather good. One could go on and on about how it isn't realistic, but in truth...how many movies really are?

The title role of Jack Harris is played by Kiefer Sutherland. This is a key factor to the movies success. His uncanny ability to visibly portray emotions is essential to the role. As usual, he brings the "I'll do anything to make me a human on film" trademark with him. (Anyone for getting sick in the bathroom sink?) This trademark is what has endeared him over the years to so many fans and critics alike.

Also Staring were Robert Sean Leonard as the cocky hotshot air traffic controller; Bruce McGill as the overworked supervisor who pleads with Jack to come back, even if just for one night; Kelly McGillis as the politically minded administrator (she ends up being a good guy in the end); Kristy Swanson as the "newbie" air traffic controller fresh out of the academy; and our beloved Henry Winkler as the facility mechanic who keeps everything running, even though the equipment is old and some without replacement.

Although the movie is meant to "entertain", the whole crux of the movie is to tell a story about being an Air Traffic Controller and the absolute stress behind that job. This is something they did quite well.

All in all, it was a rather good film. It will hold interest up until the end and has a very climatic, edge of your seat, finish.

Who will like this movie? 1. Probably air traffic controllers (even though it might not be completely factual) 2. People who like a good human interest story 3. The over 40 crowd. 4. Kiefer fans

Who will not like this movie? Those whose mentalities require constant barrages of special effects, action, cussing, sex, violence and/or blood…pass on this one, it won't fill your needs.

Ending notes: If you fall into the "who will like this movie" group…definitely give it a try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.