Air Force One

Marshall is the kind of President referred to a change in the U.S. foreign policy… He took a great risk when he stated that America will no longer tolerate any terrorist government… His policy is soon put in practice when he boards his plane on his way home…

Once is in the sky, 'Air Force One' is hijacked and currently controlled by Russian radicals who ask for the release of their leader or they'll execute a prisoner every half hour…

Harrison Ford is the action hero making his way through the plane taking out few terrorists, managing to free several hostages, trying to get to his wife and daughter who are prisoners on board…

Gary Oldman almost steals the show as the head terrorist Ivan Korshunov who takes over the president's plane…

Beautifully directed by Wolfgang Petersen who controls the action with his usual extreme intelligence, building the challenge with captivating, tense sequences from every compartment of the huge aircraft to the White House contingent in Washington

I know what you're thinking, "What the hell is he saying?" It's true that we've had so many biographies about presidents in which some of the movies told about historic incidents, why not have a fictional president that could kick ass and take names? Harrison Ford is the man for the job.

"Air Force One" is a thriller that involves Russian terrorist Ivan Korshunov (Gary Oldman) and his gang of criminals hijacking the first plane along with the president's wife and child and his staff. Meanwhile, President James Marshall (Harrison Ford) is hiding after an attack on the ship where he must reunite with his family before they end up victims to Ivan's plan if the president doesn't release a Russian prisoner who happens to be a general and a terrorist.

The film itself is a nail bitter thriller with an all star cast as Ford and Oldman play their usual good guy/villain roles with Glenn Close, Wendy Crewson, Xander Berkerly and William H. Macy in supporting roles. If there was such thing where Harrison Ford had a nomination for president, I would vote.

Harrison Ford plays a president who refuses to negotiate with terrorists. But after one terrorist (Gary Oldman) hijacks the Air Force One and the president's wife and daughter, maybe he will have to rethink his position.

Allegedly, Kevin Costner was supposed to be playing the president. Boy am I glad he was too busy making "The Postman" for this movie. Not only did he make a great Postman, but he would have made a horrible president. When you want drama, you call Costner. When you want action, you call Bruce Willis. When you want the perfect blend of drama and action, you call Harrison Ford (think "The Fugitive", for example... don't think "Star Wars").

Ford is great as a diplomat, but equally as good with a gun and in a fight. But the real star of this is Gary Oldman, who plays an evil and soulless terrorist determined to get his old general freed from prison. Oldman plays it like he means it, killing mercilessly while still appearing cold and calculated rather than insane. The writer even had the decency to have Oldman deliver lines condemning the president for bombing villages while being against terror.

Glenn Close and Dean Stockwell made great supporting stars, and even William H. Macy seemed a little less flamboyant than usual in his role as a military man.

This film is especially interesting in the context of our current president, George W. Bush. Bush has also gone on record many times for not negotiating with terrorists and takes a hardline approach similar to Harrison Ford. What would Bush do if terrorists hijacked his plane or kidnapped his family? Even giving me that visual image made this film worth the viewing.

There are two reasons that Air Force One succeeds: Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman. Their performances alone keep this political action flick in the air. However, the decades haven't been kind to the visual effects-the exterior flying scenes look really cheesy now. Also, this film feels excessively violent. Nevertheless, I'd still vote to watch it again one day.

An Action movie is made to entertain, and should always be taken at face value. With this in mind Air Force One hits the mark, despite some minor flaws it still delivers tension, drama and action in abundance.

The cast is strong and full of believable characters, the story is compelling and the traditional dose of sentiment is added sparingly and to good effect. Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman both put in solid performances and they are well supported by the likes of Glenn Close and Wendy Crewson.

Overall Air Force One is an safe bet for the average movie fan and should entertain most, without ever really excelling.

7/10