Con Air

"Con Air" is just one of those action movies that was great back in the day when it was first out and still holds its own today. And that is even despite the fact that it is a Nicolas Cage movie.

The story is quite straight forward, a plane transporting the most dangerous and deadly of criminals gets hijacked by the very same prisoners it was supposed to transport. Amongst the prisoners is Cameron Poe who is on his way home to his family and tries his best to see to it that it happens.

There is a lot of action in the movie, almost from start to end, and it nicely choreographed and executed. But there is also a lot of really interesting and detailed characters in the movie.

But even more impressively is the ensemble of cast which is nothing short of amazing. And "Con Air" holds some impressive performances by John Malkovich and Steve Buscemi in particular.

"Con Air" has a lot of one-liners, of course, throughout the movie. You can't have a proper action movie without those. And then there is Nicolas Cage's hair, are you kidding me? "Con Air" is well-worth a place in any movie fan's or collector's collection.

I will end my review here, before the bunny gets it...

You couldn't ask for much more even when it delivers much more than it should. This is one of those Action Movies that throws everything at you but the kitchen sink and then decides to do just that.

The ridiculous ending may be too much but once it starts you can't get off the speeding ride. After all, you are already on board so there's not much choice. Not only is there enough action and mayhem, the over the top characters fit right in with the over the top action.

Anyone who patronizes a Movie of this sort cannot complain because it is everything that is advertised. This is a frantic, loud, occasionally funny, Hoot. It has a number of quotable lines that would make any Comic Book fan proud.

This is quite a trashy triumph of Hollywood excess and is better than most of its type because of its outrageous audacity and unrestrained recklessness. The talent here from the Director to the Stars all contribute.

This is in a special category of Ultra-Budget escapism and it ranks in the upper echelons of mind-numbing madness with an atmosphere of testosterone and whimsy that is undeniably utter entertainment for those seeking this sort of thing.

"Con Air" can best be described as "The Rock" in the sky. The film deals with a Gulf War veteran (Nicolas Cage) who becomes a victim of circumstance and is sentenced to eight years in prison. He is going home via a gigantic prison plane which is also carrying some very unsavory characters (John Malkovich, Ving Rhames, and Steve Buscemi among others). Of course the evil prisoners take over the plane and it is up to Cage to save the day. Overall this is a fine action film which keeps its focus on the characters. 4 out of 5 stars.

Con Air is what I've come to expect of a standard Hollywood action flick, nothing more, nothing less. It's got plenty of action, big explosions, one-liners and pure entertainment value. The plot is pretty good, somewhat original, and fairly fast-paced. The acting is good, and the film has a surprisingly large amount of well-known good actors; Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, Danny Trejo, Steve Buscemi, Ving Rhames and John Malkovich. They all give good performances, as do most of the supporting actors. The characters are well-written and credible. I found it interesting how most of the characters aren't all black or white in their actions and personalities; many of them have a shade of gray or two. The action is well-done, exciting and intense. The special effects(the few there are) are good enough. The ending may be a little extreme, but it's a good climax, and the good things in the film make up for the bad; granted, there are a few downright lame parts, but there are far more good parts than bad. All in all, everything you'd expect from a Jerry Bruckheimer action film, and nothing else. I recommend it to fans of standard action films. 7/10

Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage) is released from the Army Rangers and reunited with his pregnant wife (Monica Potter). He is challenged by 3 drunks outside of a bar and kills one. He is sentenced to 7 to 10 years in prison. He gets paroled and he's hitching a plane ride until his release. The plane has his friend cellmate Baby-O (Mykelti Williamson) as well as many dangerous supermax prisoners on their way to a new prison. Vince Larkin (John Cusack) is overseeing the transfer with DEA wildman Duncan Malloy (Colm Meaney) running a sting on a drug lord. Malloy sneaks a gun with his undercover agent onto the plane. Cyrus 'The Virus' Grissom (John Malkovich) masterminds an escape plan with Pinball (Dave Chappelle) stealing the keys from Guard Sally Bishop (Rachel Ticotin). Diamond Dog (Ving Rhames) is a militant black prisoner.

This is an over-the-top ridiculous cartoon action thriller. One has to leave all reasonable logic behind. There is a lot of unnecessary overacting by Meaney. With all the great action, the movie should be a lot more thrilling and intense. The jokey irreverent feel makes it less intense. After awhile, it's not about the plot or whether Baby-O gets the help. It's what other ridiculous things are they going to pull. I have to roll my eyes when Steve Buscemi arrives as Hannibal Lecter. However it is so ridiculous that it's kind of fun.