Falling from the Sky: Flight 174

From the grabber opening in a flight simulator, till the electrifying landing, William Devane and his flight crew are trying the impossible. Never before had a jumbo commercial aircraft been landed from a free fall. While the passenger's personal dramas may seem overdone, everything about the impending disaster is tense and realistic. There are even a few moments of sharp humor to interrupt the extreme anxiety. William Devane carries "Freefall : Flight 174" to greatness with a terrific performance as the cool headed captain. If you enjoy realistic disaster films, this is a must see, and I guarantee you will be cheering at the end. - MERK

This is a good movie for made-for-TV. A true story about Canada World Airways' Boeing 767 that runs out of fuel, due to a miscalculation by the ground staff in Montreal. The Captain Bob Pearson (William Devane) and First Officer Maurice Quintal (Scott Hylands) must think of something fast before the plane and its 60 passengers fall from the sky.

The acting is great, as each main character's live stories are depicted in the movie, as his/her own personal issues are worsened by the plane's untimely misfortune. The movie is fast pace, leaving little room for mundane scenes and plot lines that drag. We see a movie where people turn from despair to hope as they struggle to find their will to help each other to survive as their plane comes falling. Again, a great TV movie that is worth your time watching.

Grade A

What an adventure. Based on a true story. If you don't like to fly, though, I wouldn't recommend you watching it! I agree with the reviewer below, you feel like you're part of the action. The acting is all good, especially William Devane as the brave pilot. I also enjoyed Shelley Hack as a stewardess, who has the best line: she snarks to a rude passenger, "Sir, shut your stupid mouth!"

This was a very watchable film with lots of authentic cockpit time. I've spent lots of hours in jet cockpits and this was more realistic than most. Some criticisms : 1) The Captain (William Devane) and his first officer seemed a little weak on aircraft systems. Sure, this was a new Boeing 767, but most crewmembers I knew had a deep knowledge of every system on the plane, including fuel. There is no flight engineer... the pilots have to know it! 2)This LARGE abandoned airfield just outside Winnipeg was not on ANY chart and NO ONE knew where it was?? I found this hard to believe. 3)The ending didn't cover anything about culpability in this incident. What happened to the numbskulls who mis-fueled the plane in the first scenes? Were they fired or sued? None of them had a clue! And isn't it the Captain's responsibility for taking off with sufficient fuel? I felt they glossed over all the "legal" stuff. Devane was convincing... lots of great one-liners. Great flick.

If you ever feel downhearted or depressed, consider watching this uplifting film (no pun intended)! Based upon an actual event, it demonstrates the ability of people to contend against seemingly impossible odds. This movie, originally produced for TV, offers talented performances by William Devane, Scott Hylands, Winston Rekert, Shelly Hack, Mariette Hartley, and many others. It benefits from a superbly crafted script and talented direction and filmography. Unlike many air disaster epics, this movie reports about an event which- amazingly- actually occurred in Canada's airways several decades ago. (Anyone who suffers from a phobia about air travel may find the content difficult to watch.) However, the film does pay tribute to the capabilities of talented pilots and airline attendants. Captain Bob Pearson makes a cameo appearance in this film portraying an airline test simulator examiner. This inspiring film reinforces the importance of studying aviation in comprehensive terms. It offer riveting entertainment value, too. Not for the faint of heart!