The Plane

This is a lean and yet solid 7 star shopping mall cinema action film starring the ultimate.throwback shopping mall cinema action hero, the modern day Gerard Butler. Not 300 Gerard Butler. The Gerard Butler now. Gerard Butler 2023, here equal parts Snake Plissken and Ben from Leaving Las Vegas. Unshaven, puffy and pale. I don't know if I want him flying my airplane but I still love him even after all these years, and I'm along for another ride. Heck, I even got frequent flyer miles.

Here on Flight 119, Butler as Captain Brodie Torrance, does what he always does best. He makes you believe, and he kicks a little butt.

Dare I say that his character participates in a one-on-one fight scene so intimate and visceral that it could hang with anything seen in a Raid film (major compliment!) or even, yes, the new Avatar sequel. It's true.

There are other actors, longtime veteran character actors as part of the passenger list, or airline administration in this movie that are an absolute joy to see on the screen.

Joey Slotnick (Twister) as a pain-in-the-neck passenger, you just know something is going to happen to him and it ain't good!

Paul Ben-Victor (Body Parts) as a by-the-book airline executive, and Tony Goldwyn (Ghost) always bringing his best to every role. No different here.

Two standout performances by co-star, Mike Colter as Louis, a prisoner on international transport on this relatively empty New Year's Eve commercial flight, and lastly, the jaw-droppingly gorgeous flight attendant, Bonnie played by Daniella Pineda. Wow.

I will say this, there is no end scene but there most definitely should have been one with one of those characters for sure. I won't reveal who.

The movie is a tight hour and forty-seven minutes which is most welcome in a world where it seems every movie regardless of genre or content easily runs well over two hours.

Are there far superior plane crash/disaster films? Sure.

Castaway comes to mind. Even Con-Air, which this seems to pull from just a bit.

But this is a very good brainless movie. Just take your brain out before watching, eat your popcorn and enjoy.

This is an entertaining and needed theatrical release. It may not be that original but at least It's not a comic book movie, or a sequel or prequel.

Now return your tray tables to their full upright and locked positions and fasten your seatbelts.

It's gonna be a bumpy (but fun!) ride!

Yeah, it's constructed entirely out of familiar parts, without a single groundbreaking or original element. But Plane is able to fly above its generic ground by making the most of its actors and inherently tension-rich premise.

Gerard Butler actually gives his best performance in years here. If this was just a paycheck for him, he certainly doesn't act like it.

And director Jean-François Richet wisely paces the film in such a way that the characters have tangible time to breathe and take in what's happening between bursts of frantic action. He allows his actors time with lengthy shots to display the emotion their characters ought to feel.

And because we see the characters feeling it, we feel it too. Even though the plot is largely predictable and formulaic, I felt the white-knuckle tension of the brutal action and the entire unhinged hostage situation because the visual focus of the director is always on the people in this story and the fear they feel.

Richet uses almost exclusively handheld camerawork for this film, and I have mixed feelings on that. It does help with chaotic sequences to elevate the unease, but it also hinders the film when we should be seeing the outcome of fight sequences and it's sometimes obscured.

Although I probably won't be watching it again and will likely forget about it soon, this is a surprisingly more-than-functional action flick that is certainly worth a watch for escapist entertainment.

An intense and very entertaining movie that is my opinion carries the underrated crown. Its storyline plots are simple, its acting gut-realistic, its visual and computer imagery effects nearly breathtaking and gluing you onto the edge of your seat and its flow more than acceptably remarkable.

The Jolo island is one humid and hot place where you'd never wish to be stranded on.

• Screenplay/storyline/plots: 7
• Development: 8
• Realism: 7.5
• Entertainment: 8
• Acting: 7.5
• Filming/photography/cinematography: 8
• VFX: 8.5
• Music/score/sound: 7.5
• Depth: 6
• Logic: 5
• Flow: 8
• Action/adventure/thriller: 7.5
• Ending: 7.

I love films like this where there's no confusing plot, no hidden agendas, no shock twists. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy those kind of films as well, but sometimes I just want to sit back and enjoy a movie for it's entertainment value instead of doing in-depth analysis.

'Plane' has a simple premise (just as the title indicates, I suppose). It is a disaster story, and a film about survival. Gerard Butler stars as Captain Brodie Torrance who flies from Singapore to Tokyo. There are only 14 passengers on board, including fugitive Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter), and 3 cabin crew. Not knowing what to expect from Gaspare, this character allowed for some tension from the beginning.

Brodie is forced to make an emergency landing during a fierce storm. They soon discover they landed on an island run by criminals, and there is no law and order. They have no radio, and no working phones, and they desperately need to find help. So Brodie and Gaspare brave the forest to find help.

'Plane' is fast-paced and became more and more intense by the minute. There's loads of action, gunfire, and suspense, and very good character development. This is also a very physical role for Gerard Butler, and I thought he did it wonderfully. Mike Colter also makes a credible hero.

Fair enough, the film probably won't be winning any awards, but this is an entertaining movie well worth seeing.

Rebellious pilot Brodie Torrance faces a tough challenge when his plane is struck by lightning, forcing him to land on an island run by a gang of militia.

The title suits this film beautifully, plain and simple, monosyllabic, the perfect film to switch your mind off to, and embrace your inner bloke.

It's so over the top and wild, but super entertaining, you can't help but get caught up in it. A shoot 'em up, big guns, ridiculous testosterone charged dialogue, and a gorilla state that would have worked beautifully back in The Avengers TV series from the 60's.

The only shock, is that Nicholas Cage didn't play the part, it's the sort of film he'd have fitted into beautifully. Fortunately Butler is another one who will take on any role.

Not my usual kind of film, but bizarrely, I rather enjoyed it.

7/10.